You Must Post or Distribute this Paid Leave Notice If You Employ Fewer than 500 People

1. Where do I post this notice? Since most of my workforce is teleworking, where do i electronically “post” this notice? 

Each covered employer must post a notice of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requirements in a conspicuous place on its premises. An employer may satisfy this requirement by emailing or direct mailing this notice to employees, or posting this notice on an employee information internal or external website.

 

2.  I have to post this notice in other languages that my employees speak? Where can I get the notice in other languages?

You are not required to post this notice in multiple languages, but the Department of Labor (DOL) is working to translate it into other languages.

 

3. Do I have to share this notice with recently laid-off individuals? 

No, the FFCRA requirements explained on this notice apply only to current employees.

 

4. Do i have to share this notice with new job applicants? 

No, the FFRCA requirements apply only to current employees. Employers are under no obligation to provide the notice of those requirements to prospective employees.

 

5. Do I have to give notice of the FFCRA requirements to new hires?

Yes, if you hire a job applicant, you must convey this notice to them, either by email, direct mail, or by posting this notice on the premises or on an employee information internal or external website.

 

6. If my state provides greater protections than the FFCRA, do I still have to post this notice?

Yes, all covered employers must post this notice regardless of whether their state requires greater protections. The employer must comply with both federal and state law.

 

7. I am a small business owner. Do I have to post this notice?

Yes. All employers covered by the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions of the FFCRA (i.e., certain public sector employers and private sector employers with fewer than 500 employees) are required to post this notice.

 

8. How do I know if I have the most up-to-date notice? Will there be updates to this notice in the future?

The most recent version of this notice was issued on March 25, 2020. Check the Wage and Hour Division’s website or sign up for Key News Alerts to ensure that you remain current with all notice requirements: www.dol.gov/agencies/whd.

 

9. Our employees must report to our main office headquarters each morning and then go off to work at our different worksite locations. Do we have to post this notice at all of our different worksite locations?

The notice needs to be displayed in a conspicuous place where employees can see it. If they are able to see it at the main office, it is not necessary to display the notice at your different worksite locations.

 

10. Do I have to pay for notices? 

No. To obtain notices free of charge, contact the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-4-USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). Alternatively, you may download and print the notice yourself from https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/posters

 

11. I am running out of wall space. Can I put the required notices in a binder that I put on the wall?

No, you cannot put federal notices in a binder. Generally, employers must display federal notices in a conspicuous place where they are easily visible to all employees–the intended audience.

 

12.We have break rooms on each floor in our building. Do I have to post notices in each break room on each floor or can I just post them in the lunchroom?

If all of your employees regularly visit the lunchroom, then you can post all required notices there. If not, then you can post the notices in the break rooms on each floor or in another location where they can easily be seen by employees on each floor.

 

13.Our company has many buildings. Our employees report directly to the building where they work, and there is no requirement that they first report to our main office or headquarters prior to commencing work. Do I have to post this notice in each of our buildings?

Yes. Where an employer has employees reporting directly to work in several different buildings, the employer must post all required federal notices in each building, even if the buildings are located in the same general vicinity (e.g., in an industrial park or on a campus).

 

Visit the NEFI Coronavirus Action & Resources Webpage for more information

 

 

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE.  For an additional amount for ‘‘Low Income Home Energy Assistance’”, $900,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2021, to prevent, prepare for, or respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, for making payments under subsection (b) of section 2602 of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 10U.S.C. 8621 et seq.): Provided, That of the amount provided under this heading in this Act, $225,000,000 shall be allocated as though the total appropriation for such payments for fiscal year 2020 was less than $1,975,000,000:

Provided further, That section 152607(b)(2)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 8626(b)(2)(B)) shall not apply to funds made available under this heading in this Act in fiscal year 2020: Provided further, That such amount is designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 20251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

Educational Webinar Series

Overcome Adversity With Education! 

As we all know, COVID-19 has required our industry to cancel many events.  This includes the planned series of educational seminars presented by Angus Energy, PriMedia, Consumer Focus and AFS. THE GOOD NEWS is that all the associations above have come together to jointly sponsor an ONLINE Education Webinar Series as an alternative

We understand that your time is valuable, so we transformed our multi-day sessions into, six individual 45- minute webinars scheduled over the dates listed below. Please register for ANY OR ALL of the Webinars! Let’s not let these times stop us from sharing knowledge and supporting our associations educational efforts. 

 

• MARCH 31, 2020 | 11-11:45 AM | ANGUS ENERGY
  • How budget programs increase profits & customer loyalty
• APRIL 1, 2020 | 11-11:45 AM | PRIMEDIA
  • Messaging & strategies to increase budget plan enrollment
• APRIL 2, 2020 | 11-11:45 AM | ADVANCED FUEL SOLUTIONS
  • Bioheat: Heating oil’s vital pathway
• APRIL 21, 2020 | 11-11:45 AM | ANGUS ENERGY
  • How budget programs increase profits & customer loyalty
• APRIL 22, 2020 | 11-11:45 AM | CONSUMER FOCUS
  • Increasing budget plan customers
• APRIL 23, 2020 | 11-11:45 | ADVANCED FUEL SOLUTIONS
  • Bioheat: Heating oil’s vital pathway

On March 18, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an expanded national emergency declaration  to provide hours-of-service and other regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency relief in response to the nationwide coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In keeping with NEFI’s request from earlier this week, the expanded declaration includes relief for fuel delivery. 

FMCSA’s declaration grants regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicle operations providing direct assistance in support of emergency relief efforts intended to meet immediate needs for:

• Medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.
• Supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation, and prevention of community transmission of COVID-19, such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap and disinfectants.
• Food, paper products and other groceries for emergency restocking of distribution centers or stores.
• Immediate precursor raw materials – such as paper, plastic or alcohol – that are required and to be used for the manufacture of essential items
• Fuel. 
• Equipment, supplies and persons necessary to establish and manage temporary housing, quarantine.
• Persons designated by federal, state or local authorities for medical, isolation, or quarantine purposes.
• Persons necessary to provide other medical or emergency services.

Motor carriers and drivers providing such relief are exempt from the provisions of 49 CFR Parts 390-399, but would still be subject to controlled substances and alcohol use and testing requirements (49 CFR Part 383), the commercial driver’s license requirements (49 CFR Part 383), financial responsibility (insurance) requirements (49 CFR Part 387), hazardous material regulations (49 CFR Parts 100-180), and applicable vehicle size and weight requirements.

According to the revised declaration, “direct assistance” does not include routine commercial deliveries, including mixed loads with a nominal quantity of qualifying emergency relief added to obtain the benefits of this emergency declaration.

The exemption is in effect immediately and will remain in effect until the emergency has ceased or 11:59 p.m on April 12, 2020, whichever is earlier.