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Legal Update Header As of Apr. 16, 2021, certain employers are required to give preference to rehiring and retaining employees displaced by COVID-19 when filling new positions.

This new law applies to hotels, private clubs, event centers, airport hospitality operations, airport service providers and enterprises that provide building service to office, retail or other commercial buildings. The law expires Dec. 31, 2024.

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News Brief header Restaurants may begin submitting applications May 3, 2021, to the Small Business Association (SBA) for a grant program geared toward combating the economic impact of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry.

The grant program, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, was allocated $29 billion from the $1.9 trillion economic relief bill passed earlier this year. Through the fund, eligible restaurants can receive up to $10 million per business or up to $5 million for a single physical location. Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as funds are used for eligible uses no later than March 11, 2023.

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News Brief header Recently, President Joe Biden issued a call for employers to take additional steps to help get their employees and communities vaccinated against COVID-19.

As part of that effort, president Biden announced a paid leave tax credit for small- and medium-sized businesses. This credit will allow eligible employers to fully offset the cost of paid leave for employees to get vaccinated and recover from any after-effects of the vaccination. Eligible employers include businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 500 employees. The credit will offset the cost of paid leave for each employee for up to two weeks (or 80 work hours) and up to $511 per day of paid leave offered between April 1 and Sep. 30, 2021.

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Know Your Benefits Header image During the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have purchased masks or personal protective equipment (PPE) for the purpose of preventing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Now, according to a recent announcement from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), those PPE purchases may be deductible from your income for tax purposes and eligible to be paid or reimbursed under certain savings accounts. The recent IRS guidance provided that amounts paid by individuals for PPE—including masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes used for the primary purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19—are deductible medical expenses. Therefore, the amount you paid for the PPE that is not compensated for by insurance may be deductible as long as your total medical expenses are more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI).