Expert Compliance Insights & Tips for Businesses

August 10, 2017

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DOL Seeks 18-Month Extension of Fiduciary Rule

Enforcement of its Conflict of Interest Fiduciary Rule was set to begin on Jan. 1, 2018, but the Department of Labor (DOL) yesterday submitted a proposal to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) seeking amendments to three of the rule's exemptions that would push back enforcement by 18 months to July 1, 2019. After a Trump-era delay from April 7 to June 9 of this year, the rule now require...

August 10, 2017

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OSHA Improves Its Online Whistleblower Complaint Form

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently revised its online whistleblower complaint form to help users file a complaint with the appropriate agency. The form provides workers with another option for submitting retaliation complaints to the Department of Labor's OSHA. The updated form guides individuals as they file a complaint through the process, providing essential q...

August 9, 2017

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With Trump Nominees, NLRB May Revisit Previous Rulings

With President Trump’s nomination of two pro-business attorneys to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), giving Republicans majority control, 3-2, observers are speculating that the board will revisit some Obama-era decisions and modify or reverse them. Marvin Kaplan, chief counsel of the independent federal agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, was approved by the...

August 6, 2017

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ADA-Compliant Websites Regulation Put on Inactive List

An issue that has been on the radar since at least 2010 has now been placed on the back burner: In its most recent regulatory agenda, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has put on its inactive list a proposed regulation that would make websites serving the public be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant. Under the Obama DOJ, that rule was to be issued in 2018. The ADA requires that plac...

August 3, 2017

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Circuit Court to Hear Overtime Rule Appeal in Early October

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, arguably the most conservative of all appeals courts, announced it will hear the appeal to the injunction against the Obama-era overtime rule in early October. That rule, which raised the salary threshold for overtime exemption to $913 a week, was blocked by a federal judge in Texas just days before it was to take effect on Dec. 1, 2016. Th...

August 3, 2017

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Aetna Withdrawing from Obamacare Exchanges -- in Its Own Words

Aetna announced today that it's withdrawing from the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) marketplace. Here is the company's announcement: Aetna has long been committed to providing access to affordable, high-quality health care for all Americans. That is why, when the Affordable Care Act was passed, we invested significantly and participated actively in the public exchanges. When these exch...

August 2, 2017

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UPS Settles Lawsuit over Its 12-Month Leave Policy for $1.7 Million

United Parcel Service (UPS) has settled for $1.7 million a lawsuit begun in 2009 over its 12-month leave policy, which on the surface sounds generous but which the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The UPS policy allowed employees to take a full 12 months off without pay for medical leave, but if they failed to retur...

July 31, 2017

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DOL Hopes Agreement with Sonic Becomes Fast Food Industry Standard

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of Labor (DOL) and Sonic Industries Services Inc. – franchiser of the SONIC Drive-In restaurant chain – have signed a voluntary agreement to help SONIC’s independently owned and operated franchise locations comply with federal labor laws. As part of the agreement, the Oklahoma City-based franchiser will provide a forum and the resources needed...

July 26, 2017

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OSHA Issues Guide on Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a guide to help businesses comply with its new standard on exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust, a known carcinogen that can lead to silicosis, a lung disease. OSHA estimates that 2.3 million workers are exposed to the dust, including 2 million construction workers. The booklet advises that the standard, publish...

July 26, 2017

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HHS Improves HIPAA Breach Web Reporting Tool

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) have launched a revised web tool that puts important information into the hands of individuals, empowering them to better identify recent breaches of health information and to learn how all breaches of health information are investigated and successfully resolved. The HIPAA Breach Reporting Tool (HBRT)...

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DOJ Challenges EEOC's Stance on Disparate Impact Claims

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently issued a legal opinion that may signal major changes ahead in federal workplace discrimination enforcement. In a June 9, 2026 memorandum, the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) expressed the opinion that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's...

Department of Labor Issues 2026 Civil Penalty Update: No Adjustments This Year

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U.S. Department of Labor Issues New Opinion Letters on Overtime Exemptions, Bonuses, and Compensable Time

On May 29th, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released several new opinion letters addressing key wage & hour issues. Specifically, one of the four documents informed readers whether an exempt employee could perform additional work in a secondary role at an hourly rate and still be eligible...

EEOC Issues New National Enforcement Plan Through 2029

On June 4th, 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a new 2025-2029 National Enforcement Plan (NEP). The NEP sets the EEOC’s specific subject-matter priorities from June through fiscal year 2029.

U.S. Department of Labor Officially Restores Prior Overtime Exemption Rules

On May 14th, 2026, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced it has officially rescinded the 2024 overtime exemption rules. Specifically, the WHD published a technical amendment to restore previous 2019 regulations that dictated overtime exemptions for...

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