Laura A. Mitchell is a Principal in the Denver, Colorado, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She is a member of the firm’s Affirmative Action and OFCCP Defense practice group as well as the firm’s Pay Equity Resource Group. She is also on the leadership team for the firm’s Government Contractor Industry Group.
Her practice is focused on representing government and non-government contractors in OFCCP matters, preparing for and defending OFCCP audits, and counseling employers on issues stemming from OFCCP regulations. Ms. Mitchell personally oversees the development of hundreds of AAPs each year and is intimately involved in the defense of numerous OFCCP audits. She also spends significant time counseling companies in connection with conducting pay equity analyses as well as government contractor employment obligations.
Ms. Mitchell is the editor and a principal contributor of The Affirmative Action Law Advisor blog and frequently presents on pay equity, affirmative action compliance, OFCCP enforcement trends, and government contractor obligations.
As anticipated, President Joe Biden has rescinded the COVID-19 safety requirements for federal contractors in connection with the declared end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the World Health Organization determination that COVID-19 is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
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The federal court that issued a nationwide injunction of Executive Order (EO) 14042. Read more.
As previously reported, President Biden’s Federal Contractor Vaccine mandate is under a nationwide injunction and that does not look to be changing anytime soon.
In December 2021, the Administration filed their appeal of the preliminary injunction ruling to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and requested a stay of the injunction. On December
Thankfully, the Office of Management and Budget has quickly issued guidance on the impact of yesterday’s federal court ruling enjoining the Biden Administration’s federal contractor vaccine mandate. The guidance, as reported on the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force website, states for existing contracts that include Executive Order 14042 implementing language:
The Government will
A federal judge in the case of Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Biden has decided President Joe Biden likely overstepped his authority with Executive Order 14042 in requiring federal contractors to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees. Adding additional complexity and confusion to the already muddied landscape, the decision enjoins the Order for going into effect
Updated! The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force has updated the error in the vaccination deadline reported yesterday, correcting January 18, 2021 to January 18, 2022.
Vaccination of covered contractor employees, except in limited circumstances where an employee is legally entitled to an accommodation Covered contractors must ensure that all covered contractor employees are fully
As instructed, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force has modified and updated its guidance on implementation of Executive Order 14042: Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors. Most recently, the Task Force released new FAQs providing additional guidance for contractors working to implement the requirements of the Executive Order. A number of the
The EEOC has announced that the EEO-1 reporting portal will not accept 2019 or 2020 EEO-1 reports after November 15, 2021. The deadline to file was October 25, 2021. Despite a year filled with challenges and delays brought on by COVID-19 and the complexities of filling two years worth of reporting at the same
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council has issued a Deviation Clause that will implement President Biden’s Executive Order 14042: Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (FAR Clause). The FAR Council appended the FAR Clause to its Guidance to federal agencies so that agencies can begin immediate incorporation of the Clause into solicitations
As expected, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued the Guidance contractors have been anticipating to implement President Biden’s September 9, 2021 Executive Order 14042: Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (“Order”). The 14-page document includes definitions, description of the specifics requirements contractors must undertake and by when, and a list of