Articles by Editorial Staff

DOL Delays Prevailing Wage Rule

May 17, 2021

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Recently, the Labor Department (DOL) has announced an expected Prevailing Wage Rule delay. Consequently, the DOL has pushed back the original effective date of the Final Rule an additional 18 months. The original Final Rule focused on calculating prevailing wages of certain immigrants and non-immigrant workers. The news release follows the Department of Labor's (DOL's) announcement that it was ...

May 11, 2021

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Labor Department Withdraws Independent Contractor Rule

On May 5th, 2021, the U.S. Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced the withdrawal of the impending Independent Contractor Rule. Namely, the final rule clarified the standard for employee versus independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). On March 4th, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance on postponing the effective date until May 7th, 2021. Additional...

May 11, 2021

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May 11th, 2021: Recent State Regulatory Activity

Personnel Concepts provides timely state regulatory activity and essential employment law information to its customers. Our research and regulatory monitoring team frequently tracks labor law developments from all 50 states. The following list of findings from this week’s state legislation research sweep addresses May 2021 regulatory activity in various states. Most importantly, as new informa...

Social Security Administration Discontinues Employer No-Match Letters

May 10, 2021

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Recently, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced it will stop the practice of sending employer No-Match letters. No-Match letters are notifications informing employers that an individual employee’s W-2 form does not match SSA’s records. Accordingly, immigration advocates and employers praised the discontinuation of letters (known to some as EDCOR notifications). The announcement...

Tip Regulations Final Rule Issued Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

May 4, 2021

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The Department of Labor (DOL) announced a tip regulations final rule delaying portions of a December 2020 tip rule. Subsequently, parts of the previous 2020 tip final rule will not go into effect until December 31st, 2021. The remainder of the 2020 final rule became effective April 30th, 2021. The DOL also recently released the top ten Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations fo...

May 4, 2021

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May 4th, 2021: Recent State Regulatory Activity

Personnel Concepts provides timely state regulatory activity and essential employment law information to its customers. To offer a complete scope of employer responsibilities, we track labor law developments from all 50 states. Below is a list of findings from this week’s state legislation research sweep. Most importantly, as necessary information becomes available, Personnel Concepts will cont...

Administration Announces Worker Organizing and Empowerment Task Force

May 3, 2021

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On April 26th, 2021, the White House issued a press release detailing the Worker Organizing and Empowerment task force. The release describes the task force as a “whole-of-government” approach to empowering workers to organize and bargain with their employers. Accordingly, the task force will include at least twenty cabinet members and heads of federal agencies. Vice President Kamala Harris is ...

New Immigration Guidance Touts “Deference to Prior Determinations”

April 30, 2021

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The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued new “deference to prior determinations” guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual. Specifically, the guidance addresses deference to prior determinations of eligibility when adjudicating a request for an extension of petition validity. Employers use USCIS petition forms for employment authorization purposes. Earlier this year, the USCIS...

Executive Order Raises Federal Contractor Minimum Wage to $15

April 28, 2021

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The Biden Administration issued an Executive Order (EO) affecting the federal contractor minimum wage. As a result, federal contractors will pay a $15 minimum wage to any federal contract worker. Furthermore, the latest EO joins a slew of other similar orders issued by the administration. For example, in January 2021, an EO expanded Title IX LGBTQ discrimination prohibitions. Similarly, in Janu...

Top Ten OSHA Violations for Fiscal Year 2020 Released

April 28, 2021

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has finalized the agency’s Top Ten OSHA Violations list for Fiscal Year 2020. The list includes the top 10 most frequently cited standards following inspections of worksites by federal OSHA. Accordingly, OSHA publishes the list to alert employers about commonly cited standards to take steps to fix recognized hazards. Generally, OSHA does ...

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Practical articles on HR, Safety, compliance, and people operations—written for real businesses, not legal textbooks.

EPA Aligns Hazardous Chemical Requirements with Latest Hazard Communication Standard

At the end of June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule updating the agency’s current hazardous chemical inventory reporting requirements. Specifically, the rule aligns those requirements with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA’s) Hazard...

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.

USCIS, E-Verify Issues Updated Temporary Protected Status Guidance for Seven Countries

On June 25th, 2026, the United States Supreme Court (Court) issued a decision in Mullin v. Doe that has ramifications for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for some employees. Specifically, the decision allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to move forward with ending...

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

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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Articles by Editorial Staff