As schools and colleges break for summer and vacation season gets into full swing, short-term rentals – offered on popular platforms like Airbnb and VRBO – are often a prime topic of discussion. Short-term rentals are not new. But they are consistently the subject of debate of local municipalities – some residents preferring the extra Read More »
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") recently updated the USCIS Policy Manual to explain how officers should determine whether a potential O-1B beneficiary should be evaluated as someone with extraordinary ability in the arts ("O-1B Arts") or extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry ("O-1B MPTV"). While the visa category is the same, Read More »
This has already been an eventful year for stakeholders interested in the New York Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP). The recently enacted NYS budget included a ten-year extension of the tax credits under the BCP, as detailed in our recent alert. NYSDEC first announced in May 2017 (and then every year since) that it would issue Read More »
Amendments also include a $50K BCP program fee, other changes April 13, 2022 On Saturday, April 9, 2022, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a ten-year extension of the tax incentives for the Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) as part of the 2022-23 NYS Budget ("Budget"). The BCP's incentives were to sunset for Read More »
On November 8, 2021, Governor Hochul signed Senate Bill S2628, which requires employers to notify employees when the employer is monitoring or otherwise intercepting the employee's electronic communications. These new notice requirements become effective on May 7, 2022. Requirements S2628 amends § 52-c of the New York Civil Rights Law (the "Amendment") to include the Read More »
On January 21, 2022, the Biden Administration announced several agency actions to attract and retain international science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent. Attracting STEM talent is one of the administration's key strategies for U.S. technological and economic global competitiveness. The administration set forth new policies to provide clearer and more predictable pathways for international Read More »
On March 1, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") will start accepting registrations of H-1B petitions subject to fiscal year (FY) 2023 cap. Beneficiaries of selected and approved H-1B cap-subject petitions will be eligible to start working in the United States on October 1, 2022. Competition for H-1B numbers during the FY2023 season is Read More »
On January 18, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued proposed legislation to implement the Governor's Fiscal Year 2023 Executive Budget. The Transportation, Economic Development, and Environmental Conservation bill included in the Executive Budget would extend the tax incentives available for remediation and redevelopment of contaminated sites under New York's Brownfield Cleanup Program ("BCP") for ten Read More »
By: Anna Putintseva The U.S. Secretary of State, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has authorized consular officers to waive in-person interviews for certain employment nonimmigrant visa applicants through the end of 2022. Beneficiaries of approved H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, and Q visa petitions may qualify for an interview waiver if Read More »
By: L. Micha Ordway, Jr. Esq. Background In October 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill S4394A into law and enacted significant changes (Amendments) to one of New York's whistleblower protection statutes, Labor Law § 740. Although Senate Bill S4394A was signed on October 28, 2021, it does not become effective until January 26, 2022. Read More »