The Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act goes live today (though lenders are expressing concern about preparedness). This post is intended for religious nonprofits that have questions about the strings attached to governmental aid. What rights will they relinquish as a condition of accepting a government-guaranteed, forgivable loan? These concerns are rooted in the […]
The CARES Act allocates $349 billion for forgivable paycheck protection loans for small businesses, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, sole proprietors, self-employed (even gig economy) workers, and others. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has an excellent four-page summary here: Generally limited to employers with less than 500 employees, the maximum loan amount is 2.5 times the borrower’s average monthly payroll cost up to a maximum of $10 million. The loan can be completely forgiven to […]
On March 23, Governor Jay Inslee issued a “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” proclamation. It requires all residents to stay at home except to conduct or participate in essential activities or for employment in essential business services. The proclamation is clear that multi-person gatherings, including spiritual and faith-based activities, are prohibited. But what about churches livestreaming […]
Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act The recently enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act includes the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (Act). Effective as of April 2, 2020, employers that employ less than 500 employees must provide additional paid sick leave to their employees for certain absences related to COVID-19 (C19 Paid Sick Leave). The Act provides full-time employees 80 hours of C19 Paid Sick Leave. Part-time employees have C19 Paid Sick Leave equal to the number of hours […]
Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act Congress passed and the president signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which included the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (E-FMLA). E-FMLA goes into effect on April 2, 2020 and expands coverage of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to include paid leave to care for […]
Churches and other faith-based organizations that have children and youth programming have legal and moral obligations to protect the children in their care. Yet failure to provide adequate protection for children and youth is one of the primary reasons these organizations get sued, and victims carry lifelong scars. A strong child protection policy is critical […]
Well, this blog post is late in coming, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share about the wonderful evening we had this past October at the Tierras de Vida fundraiser, held by Agros International. During this annual dinner, friends of the organization gather for an evening of stories, celebration, and inspiration. ELM was […]
ELM partner Skip Li was the featured speaker at the 2017 Seattle-King County prayer breakfast this past November. In his remarks, Skip spoke about his many years of work with young people, primarily college students, and how he approaches the challenge of having meaningful discussions about faith with students from different backgrounds. The Seattle-King County […]
In less than three months from now, a group of attorneys from ELM will fly to Nicaragua—many with their families—to spend a week with the community of Algroaldea San José, a village that ELM sponsors through a partnership with the non-profit organization Agros International. While there, ELM attorneys will get to know the people they support […]
Having successfully passed the bar exam, Connor Rankin was sworn in yesterday during a ceremony at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center. The ceremony was presided over by Judge Richard F. McDermott. Connor, who graduated in the spring from Seattle University School of Law, will begin practicing at ELM upon receiving his bar license. The event […]
