Executive Order GA-40

Governor Abbott’s Executive Order

On October 11, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-40 (the Texas Order) banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates by any entity, including private employers, in Texas. Because the Texas Order was issued while Texas remains in a state of emergency related to the pandemic, the Texas Disaster Act grants it the force and effect of law. The Texas Order states that “no entity in Texas” can compel vaccination for anyone in the state who objects “for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19.” “Personal conscience” is undefined, and this ambiguity in the Texas Order makes it unclear whether an individual can object to the COVID-19 vaccine due to reasons other than religion or those medically related. Continue Reading Texas Governor Mandates “No Mandates” for COVID-19 Vaccination

Thursday, September 30, 2021
Live Webinar | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CDT

REGISTER NOW

Healthcare employers have been implementing vaccine mandates—hard mandates, soft mandates, and everything in between—for some time now. The religious exemption requests, however, are piling up. Join Husch Blackwell attorneys who have experience addressing the myriad issues involving religious exemptions, including federal law, state laws and “right of conscience” laws. Stick around for questions and answers and hear other human resources leaders in healthcare share their experiences. Continue Reading Roundtable: Religious Exemptions and Vaccine Mandates in Healthcare

Hospice Insights Blog Widget 300x196px_

Putting a Plan Into Action: A Conversation With Gloria Brooks on Building End-of-Life Partnerships

As many hospices begin the hard work of exploring how collaboration can benefit their organizations, it can be helpful and inspiring to hear how others have walked the same path. In today’s episode, Husch Blackwell’s Meg Pekarske talks with Gloria Brooks, who traveled this road as she led Arbor Hospice and its board through its affiliation with Hospice of Michigan.

Gloria provides great insight into what it takes to make transformational change and successfully navigate through the issues that matter. She now helps hospices across the country build end-of-life partnerships through her consulting business called G. Brooks & Associates. Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy the conversation. Tune into the full episode: https://bit.ly/3u1yOVn

Vaccine Mandates Webinar

Did you miss some of the webinar, want to review some of the material or have a colleague who missed the program? The webinar recording is now available for viewing at your convenience. Simply register using the following link and you will have access to the recorded webcast. https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3418654/CFE58C2AEF93EDB2894F6D043A5D5422?mode=login&email=priscilla.murray@huschblackwell.com

Continue Reading Legal Considerations and Future Vaccine Mandates—How to Prepare for the Federal Vaccine Mandate

AHLA Podcast

Theresa Langley joined AHLA’s Speaking of Health Law podcast to discuss how the pandemic has changed the lives of working moms. She discusses what life was like before the pandemic and how everything changed in March 2020, the transition to remote work and school, and challenges related to childcare. She also shares tips and strategies that she has used to adjust to work and life during the pandemic and discuss how to transition back to the office and classroom. Tune in here: https://apple.co/39f4f50

Provider Relief Fund Update

On September 10, the Biden-Harris Administration, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced that $25.5 billion in relief funds will be distributed to healthcare providers through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The American Rescue Plan (ARP) will provide $8.5 billion in funding and an additional $17 billion will be distributed as Phase 4 Provider Relief Funds (PRF). Continue Reading Healthcare Providers to Receive $25.5 Billion in Relief Funds

Executive Order GA-40

As reported in a previous blog post, the Texas 87th Legislature passed S.B. 809, an Act adding Chapter 81A entitled “Coronavirus Disease Public Health Emergency Reporting” to the Texas Health and Safety Code. This Act requires “health care institutions” who received federal relief funds under the CARES Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, or the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to report the amounts received to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. As directed in the Act, HHSC has issued proposed rules regarding the reporting requirements, comments were due September 3, 2021.

The Act defines “health care institution” as an entity listed in Texas Health and Safety Code 74.001(11). Continue Reading Update: Texas HHSC Issues Provider Relief Fund Reporting Requirements – October 1, 2021 Deadline

Meg-Pekarske-Segment-3-thumbnail

An Attorney’s Perspectives for Hospice Boards

Hospice boards today need to be well-versed in a number of areas that directly or indirectly address legal issues. In this three-part Hospice Governance Academy Spotlight Interview, Bill Musick, President of Integriti3D, talks with Meg Pekarske, a partner at Husch Blackwell and host of the podcast, “Hospice Insights: The Law and Beyond.” They discuss the most pressing issues for hospice boards, ensuring that compliance plans are effective, and how to prepare for the future. Continue Reading Hospice Governance Academy Spotlight Interview: An Attorney’s Perspectives for Hospice Boards

Texas State Capitol Building

Millions of women (and men) across Texas could be impacted by a new law that took effect on September 1 – but not the one you likely have in mind. In an unexpected move from a typically very pro-business state, the Texas Legislature passed and Governor Abbott signed two bills (Senate Bill 45 and House Bill 21) that significantly expand sexual harassment protections for employees in Texas, making the state’s laws more robust than federal employment laws in some respects.

The changes to the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act apply prospectively to actions occurring on or after September 1, 2021, and expand liability to employers of any size in Texas as well as individuals and increase the time limit for filing a sexual harassment charge. The key changes affecting Texas employers (including those with no physical presence, but employing remote workers in the state) are discussed below.

Continue Reading #Y’allToo: Texas Expands Protections for Employee Sexual Harassment