Sequoia Blog
New Jersey’s WARN Act Now Mandates Severance Pay for Mass Layoffs
Background: On January 21, 2020, Governor Murphy signed Senate Bill 3170 into law, amending the New Jersey Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Loss Job Notification Act (more commonly known as the “NJ WARN Act”). The law is scheduled to go in effect July 19, 2020,...
New York State Bans Discrimination Based on Reproductive Health Decisions
New York State amended its labor law by adding Section 203-3 declaring that employers may “not discriminate or take retaliatory personnel actions against an employee” on the basis of the employee’s or their dependent’s “reproductive health decision making.” According...
Massachusetts Clarifies Requirements for PFML Reimbursement Program
Beginning January 2021, most workers in Massachusetts will be eligible to receive up to 12 weeks of paid family leave and up to 20 weeks of paid medical leave through the Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave (“MA PFML” or “the Program”). The Massachusetts...
New Jersey Strengthens Worker Misclassification Laws
What is Worker Misclassification? Employee misclassification occurs when an employer classifies workers as “independent contractors” rather than “employees.” Independent contractors are not entitled to the same rights as employees, such as wage and hour protections,...
New York State’s Salary History Ban Effective January 2020
Effective January 6, 2020, Labor Law Section 194-a prohibits an employer from seeking, requesting, or requiring, orally or in writing, the wage or salary history of an applicant or current employee as a condition to being interviewed, determining whether to offer...
The SECURE Act Passes and is the Largest Retirement Legislative Enhancement Since 2006 Pension Protection Act.
The SECURE Act represents the most significant retirement plan legislation in more than a decade in improve Americans’ retirement security. Much of the legislation has direct impact to provide administrative relief to plan sponsor and expand retirement plan...
![[Updated] IRS Releases the 2020 ACA Rates for “Affordable” Employer-Sponsored Coverage](https://www.sequoia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/thumbnail.png)
[Updated] IRS Releases the 2020 ACA Rates for “Affordable” Employer-Sponsored Coverage
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Rev. Proc. 2019-29, which sets the 2020 rates used to determine whether employer-sponsored coverage is “affordable” for purposes of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer mandate. For plan years beginning in 2020,...
2019 ACA Reporting and Distribution Deadlines
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers to report certain information to the IRS and plan participants each year. The employer deadlines for ACA reporting and form distribution for health care coverage offered in the 2019 calendar year are approaching....
New York State Requires Insurers to Cover Egg Freezing and In-Vitro Fertilization
The 2020 New York State Budget amended the state’s insurance law to require certain insurers to cover medically-necessary egg freezing and in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The law affects insurers writing policies delivered or issued for delivery in New York State on or...
New Jersey Bans Hairstyle Discrimination
On December 19, 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the “Create Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act” (CROWN Act) to address discrimination based on traits historically associated with race, particularly focused on hair texture and style....