By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli After many revisions, the Rhode Island Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act (the “Sick Leave Law”) was signed into law last week. The basics are as follows: The law will go into effect July 1, 2018. The Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training will likely...
By now, most people have heard of the Equifax data breach, which affects the accounts of more than half the adult population of the United States. Because October is “National Security Awareness Month,” we would like to offer some thoughts and suggestions as to what steps you might take in light of the Equifax data...
Construction may be the most cyclical of all the major industries. Each cycle (i.e., recessionary, emerging, prime, and mature) presents benefits and challenges. We are currently in a “mature” construction cycle. Construction success hinges on identifying the current cycle and leveraging the benefits of that cycle. This article details tools to leverage those benefits. To...
Current Status After being delayed for approximately a month, Rhode Island’s budget through June 30, 2018 was finally signed into law by the governor on August 3, 2017. An analysis of the relevant tax sections in the budget is provided below. For reference, the enacted Public Laws version of House Bill 5175 Substitute A As...
By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli The time has come for Massachusetts’ employers to start preparing for the implementation of the law entitled An Act to Establish Pay Equity (the “Law”) that will go into effect on July 1, 2018. The Law represents a significant change to the scope of legal obligations that...
By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli Marijuana is a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act, and the use, sale and possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. In recent years, however, a majority of states (at last count, 29 states and Washington, D.C.) have passed measures that decriminalize medical...
Massachusetts lawmakers have approved compromise legislation to legalize recreational marijuana use and sales in the Commonwealth. The bill has been sent to Governor Baker, who is expected to sign it. The new law would make a number of changes to the recreational marijuana law that voters approved in a referendum last November, (see Opportunities and Risks...
As the prospect of legalized recreational marijuana nears for Commonwealth residents, some serious attention needs to be given to the unique issues Massachusetts-based marijuana businesses will face in the coming years and months. On top of strict regulations, legislative uncertainty, and limited access to banking, taxpayers in this industry must contend with some unique federal...
Marvin Washington, a former National Football League player, and others have filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York City against Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Charles Rosenberg. Other plaintiffs include two children who use medical marijuana, an Iraqi war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder, and...
In May 2017, we reported on Callaghan v. Darlington Fabrics and the Moore Company, a Rhode Island Superior Court decision that applied workplace anti-discrimination protections to medical marijuana users. Massachusetts has now joined the club. In Barbuto v. Advantage Sales and Marketing LLC, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has concluded that the Commonwealth’s general anti-discrimination law, M.G.L....
