Expert Compliance Insights & Tips for Businesses

June 30, 2014
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SCOTUS Grants Opt-Out Right on Obamacare Contraceptive Rule

In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that privately held companies can opt out of the contraceptive clause of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on religious grounds. The requirement in question mandates that certain company-provided health insurance policies include contraceptive services. The ruling came in a review of a lawsuit brought by the owners of Hobby Lobby, furnitur...
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June 27, 2014
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HHS Proposes Auto-Renewal of Current Obamacare Policies

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is floating a proposal for public commentary to automatically renew everyone who signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during the open enrollment period that ended in March. The rule would apply to everyone who signed up on a state website or on the federal marketplace site HealthCare.gov. The rule, which is open f...
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June 26, 2014
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Massachusetts Enacts Highest Minimum Wage Law Among All States

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick today signed S.2195, “An Act Restoring the Minimum Wage and Providing Unemployment Insurance Reforms,” a bill that "gradually raises the minimum wage to $11 over three years, lowers unemployment insurance (UI) costs for employers across the state, strengthens safety protections for workers and makes permanent the multi-agency task force charge...
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June 26, 2014
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SCOTUS Rules Obama 2012 Recess Appointments Unconstitutional

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court today ruled that recess appointments made by President Obama while the Senate was holding "pro-forma" sessions but otherwise on a short break overreached his constitutional authority. "Because the Senate was in session during its pro forma sessions, the president made the recess appointments before us during a break too short to co...
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June 26, 2014
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More Employers Now Eliminating Jobseekers Because of Social Media Searches

A survey by Career Builder found that 51 percent of employers who research job applicants on social media end up rejecting them, up from 43 percent in last year's survey and 34 percent in 2012. So what are employers finding on social media that’s prompting them to eliminate candidates from consideration? The most common reasons to pass on a candidate included: · Job c...
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June 26, 2014
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Ikea to Raise Store Minimum Wage to $10.76 an Hour

Ikea, the Swedish home goods megastore, is raising the minimum wage it pays its workers at 38 U.S. locations to $10.76 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2015, a 17-percent increase over the current $9.17-an-hour rate. "The happier the co-worker, the happier the customer and the better the overall shopping experience," said Rob Olson, acting U.S. president for the firm. The raise wil...
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June 24, 2014
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DOL Releases Funds for Unemployment Assessment, Training

The Department of Labor (DOL) today awarded $68,745,912 to 37 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia to implement or continue re-employment and eligibility assessments for Unemployment Insurance beneficiaries. "Offering newly unemployed Americans access to a full array of job training and placement services will help to reduce time spent between job...
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June 23, 2014
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OSHA Launches Interactive Game to Help Identify Workplace Hazards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a new interactive training tool to help small businesses effectively identify hazards in the workplace. Employers and workers can virtually explore how to identify common workplace hazards in the manufacturing and construction industries. Users of the new training tool will learn not only hazard identification skills but al...
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June 20, 2014
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New HHS Secretary to Hire Obamacare Czar

In her first week in office, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell has already shaken up the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obamacare) personnel structure and announced plans to hire a "marketplace chief executive officer," in other words, a CEO for HealthCare.gov. In addition, she hired Andy Slavitt, group executive vice president of Optum, the main contract...
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June 20, 2014
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DOL Proposes Rule to Expand FMLA to Same-Sex Couples

Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced today a proposed rule extending the protections of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to all eligible employees in legal same-sex marriages regardless of where they live. The proposal would help ensure that all families will have the flexibility to deal with serious medical and family situations without fearing the threat of job loss...
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EEOC Rescinds Permissible Affirmative Action Guidance
EEOC Rescinds Permissible Affirmative Action Guidance

On June 30, 2026, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) officially rescinded two longstanding documents relating to permissible affirmative action. The documents were part of the EEOC's guidance on affirmative action under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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DOJ Challenges EEOC's Stance on Disparate Impact Claims
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...

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

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently published its annual update announcement regarding federal civil monetary penalties under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act. In a notice published in the Federal Register on May 27th, 2026, the DOL announced that no penalty increases...

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

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EEOC Issues New National Enforcement Plan Through 2029
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.

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