USMX Animated PDFs

20 USMX 2020 ANNUAL REPORT federal district court reduced the award to $19 million and gave ICTSI two weeks to accept the award. ICTSI refused to accept the reduced $19 million award. In September 2020, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted the parties' motions for permission to file interlocutory appeals, which were pending at year end. 2020 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY ACTIVITY Federal Covid -19 Legislation The Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA), the first federal COVID-19 relief bill, was signed into law on March 18, 2020. FFCRA created two emergency paid leave requirements, including paid sick leave under The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and expanded family and medical benefits under The Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA). The EPSLA and EFMLEA became effective on April 1, 2020 and expired on December 31, 2020. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act followed on March 27, 2020, which authorized more than $2 trillion to battle COVID-19 and its economic effects. It provided immediate cash relief for individuals, loan programs for small businesses, support for hospitals and other medical providers, and various types of economic relief for impacted businesses and industries. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION (EEOC) In September 2020, the EEOC issued updated guidance addressing COVID-19 inquiries and the federal anti- discrimination laws that the EEOC enforces, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The questions involved COVID-19 testing, the confidentiality of medical information, and reasonable accommodations for those employees who are reluctant to return to the workplace due to COVID- 19. The guidance clarified that employers may administer COVID-19 tests to all employees and question all employees entering a workplace about COVID-19. At year end the EEOC updated its COVID-19 guidance again to clarify that employers may implement mandatory vaccination polices but that those policies must meet the requirements of the ADA, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, and the religious protections of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). In line with its previous guidance regarding mandatory vaccinations, the EEOC advised that employers may require employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before reporting to work, but employers must consider accommodations for workers who refuse to get vaccinated due to a medical disability or a sincerely held religious belief. FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION (FMC) Fact Finding No. 29: International Ocean Transportation Supply Chain Engagement On March 31, 2020, the FMC issued an order authorizing Commissioner Rebecca Dye to identify operational solutions to cargo-delivery-system challenges related to COVID -19. An early finding was that service contract negotiations between ocean carriers and shippers were being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 27, 2020, the FMC issued a temporary rule that allows service contracts to be filed up to thirty (30) days after they take effect. The rule was extended to June 1, 2021 to provide the ocean container shipping industry some flexibility during the 2021 spring service- contract-negotiation period. Fact finding meetings were held during 2020 in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the PONY/NJ, and the Port of New Orleans. Although the Commissioner found that COVID-19 minimally impacted container operations in the PONY/NJ, she noted that there 2020 Report of Counsel Port of New Orleans

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