Associations, Nonprofits and Political Organizations Report - Spring 2021
Date: May 26, 2021
Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
By: Dorothy Deng and Mark FrancoPublished by WTOP News here.
May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and the timing is helpful with Asian-American discrimination continuing to rise. According to a report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, while hate crimes overall decreased from 2019 to 2020 in sixteen of America’s largest cities, hate crimes targeting Asian people increased by nearly 150 percent, likely relating to anti-Asian sentiment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of getting ready to celebrate the contributions and place they have in our society, Asians, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. have become afraid to leave their homes. Just last week, a 61 year old Asian man was brutally attacked in New York City with the attacker caught on video viciously kicking the man in the head multiple times.
In this article, we’d like to share our personal stories as Asian-Pacific Americans living in the U.S., our perspective on diversity and inclusion, and share some ideas about how to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. We also encourage readers to learn about safety tips for those experiencing or witnessing hate, as well as other resources offered by stopaapihate.org.
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Additionally, in this short video, Dorothy Deng and Mark Franco from the Associations, Nonprofits and Political Organizations practice group share their experiences and what led them to write their article for WTOP News.
Unexpected Tax Consequences of Remote Workers
By: Eileen Morgan Johnson, CAEThe majority of nonprofit and association employers moved their employees from the office to working from home at the beginning of the pandemic. It was for safety purposes and only expected to last for a few months until things returned to normal. Now over a year later, many employees are still working from home. This has had unintended consequences for their employers. In addition to the different employment laws that come into play when employees move from their office in one state to their home office in another state, there are tax laws that can come into play when an employer has one or more employees working from a new state.
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Association Community in the Age of COVID
By: Jeff Glassie with guest appearance by Susan RobertsonSusan and Jeff reflect on the challenges faced by associations during 2020 and the pandemic. Susan says there were many hard decisions made during the year, but also many associations stepped up to maintain community and excel for the benefit of their members and constituents. Particularly meaningful was the openness and response from the community in support of racial justice following the death of George Floyd.
In an effort to help the association community, ASAE did whatever it could to help associations, such as working to make some associations eligible for PPP2. In addition, ASAE made many programs available to association executives without cost.
Susan predicts a whole new ballgame going forward for the association community, particularly in partnerships with hotels, cities, and venues and the opportunities created to strengthen those relationships. Expectations of ASAE members have changed, and she feels that members will want to get together for a deeper purpose and with deeper meaning. Individual values have also changed, which will result in a stronger community.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE
Legal Issues for Meetings: Lessons Learned and Planning Ahead
By: Jeffrey P. Altman and Eileen Morgan Johnson, CAEAs Published by ASAE
As the pandemic begins to wane, associations and their members are eager to get back to in-person conferences. But organizations should heed the lessons of 2020 as they look ahead to future venue contracts and other legal issues related to meetings and events.
In the year since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, every association has faced the question whether to continue, postpone, or cancel an in-person meeting or choose some virtual or hybrid alternative. In making these decisions, they have confronted a complex array of contract issues that were never the focus of negotiations, but which may have threatened the organization’s financial stability if a provision were deemed breached. Even more important has been the focus on the safety of attendees for meetings that were held. At the same time, associations also had to try to meet exhibitor and vendor needs, as well as address technology and insurance issues.
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Meet the Team
Dorothy Deng is a partner of our ANPO section. She handles a variety of work for clients including governance, commercial contracts, intellectual property, copyright, data privacy, social media, and international operations. She currently serves on ASAE’s Technology Professionals Advisory Council, and is a former member of ASAE’s International Associations Advisory Council.
Dorothy and her husband, John (also an attorney), live in Fairfax, Virginia. She is a fitness enthusiast and enjoys running, weight training, Pilates, and Yoga. Dorothy grew up in Taipei, Taiwan and speaks fluent Mandarin. She maintains strong ties with the Taiwanese community, and currently serves on the board of National Taiwan University Alumni Association—Washington DC-Baltimore.
Can Your Association Adopt a COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement?
By: Peter D. GuatteryAs published by ASAE
In the coming months, association leaders will need to evaluate a range of legal questions and practical concerns as they consider establishing a COVID-19 vaccination policy for their workplace and events.
Vaccines approved for emergency use by the FDA are now providing a welcome doorway out of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, they are unlocking a range of legal issues for associations concerning vaccine mandates. May an association require employees to be vaccinated before they return to the office? And, more broadly, may it require vaccination for attendees at its meetings and conferences?
Here are some of the key issues that any association should consider before implementing a vaccine policy.
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"Ask Us Anything!" Series - Upcoming Programs
A series of informal chats with Whiteford lawyers about association, nonprofit and political organization issues. Select the session(s) of interest below and register for any or all separately.
All sessions begin at 10am and will last 30-45 minutes.
- Thursday, June 3, 2021 - Answering Your Lobbying Compliance Questions
- Thursday June 24, 2021 - Employees Returning to Work
This series is meant to be interactive. We've brought together attorneys from the Associations, Nonprofits and Political Law group, along with attorneys from other specialty practice groups within the firm and clients to address these timely topics and answer any questions the attendees may have. The program will start with 5-10 minutes of background information, followed an informal, off-the-record discussion.
Have a recommendation for additional topics to be covered this Fall? Please contact Rachel Mershon at rmershon@wtplaw.com with your suggestions. We'd love to hear from you!
The information contained here is not intended to provide legal advice or opinion and should not be acted upon without consulting an attorney. Counsel should not be selected based on advertising materials, and we recommend that you conduct further investigation when seeking legal representation.