Governor Tim Walz, via Executive Order 21-11 issued March 12, 2021, lessened restrictions on social gatherings, restaurants/bars, and gyms in Minnesota. Specifically, Governor Walz’s order does th...
President Biden Signs New COVID Relief Bill
On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The bill includes the following: Stimulus Checks $1,400 per individual earning up to $75,000. $2,800 for ma...
Texas lifts all COVID-19 restrictions as of March 10th
On March 2, 2021, Governor Abbott of Texas announced a new executive order ending all statewide pandemic restrictions, including the statewide face covering mandate. The order will be effective on Mar...
IRS Postpones April 15 Tax Deadline for Texas Residents, Businesses
On Monday February 22, 2021, the IRS said it is giving all Texas residents and businesses an additional two months to file their federal income taxes, citing the deadly winter storm that left millions...
Minnesota Supreme Court: Ambiguous Disclaimer Language Does Not Prevent Contractual Rights in Employee Handbook
In a recent decision, Hall v. City of Plainview, the Minnesota Supreme Court held that a general contract disclaimer in an employee handbook did not prevent the formation of a contract with respect to...
Governor Walz proposed budget plan calls for $1.6 billion in new taxes
On January 26, 2020, Governor Walz unveiled his biennial budget plan totaling $52.4 billion that includes 2021 free summer school programs for students 4 and older, $750 cash payment to 32,000 low-inc...
U.S Department of Labor Issues Opinion Letter on Split Workdays Between Home and Office
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently issued an opinion letter (“Letter”) regarding how to address travel time when employees divide their workday between their home and...
President Biden’s Issues Initial Executive Orders
Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden signed a number of executive orders and directives in his first few days in office impacting the economy, immigration, the pandemic response and more. Pandemic Bi...
States May Tax Forgiven PPP Loans
The tax treatment of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans continues to be a major source of confusion for those businesses who received the loans. Although forgiven PPP loans will not incur a feder...
New Rules for Highly Sensitive Document Filing in Some Federal Courts
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued Miscellaneous Order No. 61-1 on January 15, 2021 that prohibits filing of Highly Sensitive Documents in CM-ECF (Pacer), the e-filing s...