Expert Compliance Insights & Tips for Businesses

September 27, 2016
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EEOC Launches Online Small Business Resource Center

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today unveiled a new online resource center designed to help small business owners comply with the laws enforced by EEOC. The Small Business Resource Center (SBRC), located on EEOC's public website at www.eeoc.gov, provides a user-friendly one-stop source for information on federal employment anti-discrimination laws. The Resource Center was ...
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September 24, 2016
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HHS Issues Rule on Child Care

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Administration for Children and Families (ACF) on Friday announced new quality and safety standards aimed at providing for higher quality care and safer environments for millions of children, including the youngest learners. The rule, which implements bipartisan legislation signed by President Obama in 2014, sets higher standards for st...
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September 22, 2016
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Business Groups Follow States in Suing to Overturn New Overtime Rule

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America Inc. and some 50 other business groups filed suit on Sept. 20 to overturn a controversial rule from the Department of Labor (DOL), set to take effect on Dec. 1, that raises the salary threshold for overtime exemption from $23,660 a year to $47, 476 annually. The legal action joins a lawsuit filed the same d...
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September 22, 2016
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OSHA Reports Results of First Year of Severe Injury Reporting Program

During the first year of its beefed-up Severe Injury Reporting Program, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says there were 7,636 hospitalizations and 2,644 amputations reported by employers in the states covered by Federal OSHA. The 26 states operating their own OSH programs maintain their own reporting statistics. Under a rule that took effect on Jan. 1, 2015, employers ...
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September 21, 2016
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DOL Issues 2017 Minimum Wage Rates for Federal Contractors

Complying with its legal mandate of announcing minimum wage increases for businesses operating on federal contracts at least 180 days before they take effect, the Department of Labor (DOL) has set 2017 minimum wages at $10.20 an hour, up from $10.15, and at $6.80 an hour for tipped employees, up from $5.85. The rates take effect at the start of 2017. Executive Order 13658 of 2016 mandates that...
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September 21, 2016
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21 States Sue to Block Dec. 1 Implementation of New Overtime Rule

A coalition of 21 states, led by Nevada Attorney-General Adam Laxalt, has filed suit in federal court in Eastern Texas to block implementation of the new "white collar" overtime rule taking effect Dec. 1, which would raise the pay threshold for overtime exemption to $913 a week, or $47,476 a year, if implemented. Previous lawsuits filed in Texas against Obama administration initiatives in have...
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September 19, 2016
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Company Whistleblower Settlements Must Not Gag or Discourage Employees, OSHA Says

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published new guidelines for approving settlements between employers and employees in whistleblower cases to ensure that settlements do not contain terms that could be interpreted to restrict future whistleblowing. The guidelines, issued Sept. 9, make clear that OSHA will not approve a whistleblower settlement agreement that contains ...
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September 15, 2016
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Oklahoma Becomes 35th State to Join DOL in Fighting Misclassification

The Department of Labor (DOL), its Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) intended to protect employees’ rights and level the playing field for employers by preventing worker misclassification as independent contractors or other non-employee statuses. The agencies will jointly provide clear, accur...
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September 14, 2016
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Labor Law Compliance Pre-Assessment Available for Companies Seeking Federal Contracts

With a final rule taking effect Oct. 25 requiring companies seeking federal contracts of $500,0o0 or more to reveal any of 14 labor law violations they've committed within the past three years, the Department of Labor (DOL) has launched a pre-assessment program. The new disclosure requirement derives from President Obama's Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order of July 2014. As a preass...
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September 14, 2016
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Seattle Becomes Fourth Northwest EEOC District to Sign MOU with Mexican Consulate

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Consulate of Mexico in Seattle. This marks the fourth agreement signed between the federal civil rights agency and Mexican consulates throughout the Pacific Northwest, following signings in Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, Calif.; and Boise, Idaho. In Seattle, Mexican Consul General...
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Practical articles on HR, Safety, compliance, and people operations—written for real businesses, not legal textbooks.

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