Biden's first 100 days: What to expect on workplace-related legislation and regulation.

President-elect Biden's first 100 days will consist of undoing many Trump administration moves and pushing for pro-family, pro-leave legislation and policies. His approach will depend on Senate control. If Democrats win the two runoff races in Georgia on January 5 (and, thus, full majorities in both chambers), look for Biden to pursue more efforts via legislation in Congress. A Republican-led Senate would require Biden to rely on regulatory actions and executive orders to accomplish his workplace goals. Some key 100-day issues:

PANDEMIC. Expect Biden to issue binding workplace safety rules, in addition to a possible masking mandate and rules for workplace exposure prevention, testing, isolation and temporary closures. Most likely, this will be accomplished by making many of the Trump administration suggested rules mandatory rather than suggested. Employers should review those recommendations now with an eye toward implementing them quickly (see page 1).

PAID TIME OFF. Various bills mandating paid time off for workers enjoy wide support in Congress, but the parties differ over funding it. Republicans who support the idea tend to limit both the amount of leave available and the funding burden for employers. States that provide paid time off use payroll deductions similar to unemployment compensation taxes for funding. Contributions may come from employers, employees...

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