On December 20, 2020, I published the Coates Canons blog post May a Public Employer Require Vaccination Against COVID-19? Toward the end of the post, I outlined the priority phases of North Carolina’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, highlighting where public employees likely fell. Subsequently, in response to new guidance from the CDC, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) revised its vaccine prioritization plan and I updated that post on January 4.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, commonly called the stimulus bill and signed into law on December 27, 2020, let the leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) expire.  No longer are employers obligated by law to grant employees 80 hours of paid sick leave for COVID-19 related reasons (emergency paid sick leave or EPSL) and up to 12 weeks of paid FMLA leave (emergency Family and Medical Leav

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, commonly called the stimulus bill and signed into law on December 27, 2020, let the leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) expire.  No longer are employers obligated by law to grant employees 80 hours of paid sick leave for COVID-19 related reasons (emergency paid sick leave or EPSL) and up to 12 weeks of paid FMLA leave (emergency Family and Medical Leav

On December 20, 2020, I published the Coates Canons blog post May a Public Employer Require Vaccination Against COVID-19? Toward the end of the post, I outlined the priority phases of North Carolina’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, highlighting where public employees likely fell. Subsequently, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services revised its vaccine prioritization plan to more closely align with new recommendations from the CDC published on December 22, 2020. I have now updated the original blog post to incorporate the new priority plan.

On December 20, 2020, I published the Coates Canons blog post May a Public Employer Require Vaccination Against COVID-19? Toward the end of the post, I outlined the priority phases of North Carolina’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, highlighting where public employees likely fell. Subsequently, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services revised its vaccine prioritization plan to more closely align with new recommendations from the CDC published on December 22, 2020. I have now updated the original blog post to incorporate the new priority plan.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), passed in March as the federal government’s first response to the COVID-19 crisis, is a law with many parts. The Emergency Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act are the two most familiar to public employers. The stimulus bill that passed late last night (December 21, just before midnight) extended portions of the FFCRA. It did not extend the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), passed in March as the federal government’s first response to the COVID-19 crisis, is a law with many parts. The Emergency Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act are the two most familiar to public employers. The stimulus bill that passed late last night (December 21, just before midnight) extended portions of the FFCRA. It did not extend the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act.

Every year many employers choose to require employees to undergo vaccination against seasonal influenza (flu). This year, however, a different decision will confront employers: whether to require employees to undergo vaccination against COVID-19.
The flu vaccine has been around for a long time and its side effects and efficacy are well understood. The COVID-19 vaccines—two already in use, others on the way—are new. Several of them use new methods. Government employers and employees want to know: may a public employer require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19?

Every year many employers choose to require employees to undergo vaccination against seasonal influenza (flu). This year, however, a different decision will confront employers: whether to require employees to undergo vaccination against COVID-19.
The flu vaccine has been around for a long time and its side effects and efficacy are well understood. The COVID-19 vaccines—two already in use, others on the way—are new. Several of them use new methods. Government employers and employees want to know: may a public employer require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19?

How should the pandemic affect property tax values for 2021?  The answer depends on (1) whether the property is personal or real and (2) whether the county is conducting a real property reappraisal in 2021.  Read on for the details.