Articles by Editorial Staff

NLRB To More Aggressively Enforce NLRA

National Labor Relations Act Will Be More Aggressively Enforced

April 5, 2021
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On March 31st, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) teased possible upcoming changes to National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) enforcement. That is to say, the NLRB’s Acting General Counsel, Peter Sung Ohr, proclaimed that previous boards lacked robust enforcement procedures. As a result, the NLRB did not enforce the NLRA as ardently as it should have been. In a memorandum (memo), the NLRB si...
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April I-9 Compliance Extension

Additional I-9 Compliance Extension Announced

April 2, 2021
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On March 31st, 2021, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an additional extension to Form I-9 compliance. This announcement is similar to extensions granted throughout 2020 involving Form I-9 compliance flexibilities during the pandemic. However, due to continued COVID-19 precautions, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will extend this policy until May 31st, 2021. Bac...
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Free COBRA Premiums Beginning April 1st

Free COBRA Premiums Go into Effect April 1

March 30, 2021
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Signed into law in March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes free COBRA premiums. Specifically, the ARPA contains a 100% premium subsidy so eligible individuals can receive health insurance for up to six months. The assistance is available beginning April 1st, 2021, and ends September 30th, 2021 (the Free COBRA Period). The free COBRA premiums are among the many provisions includ...
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Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

DOL Reviews Rules on Tipped Workers

March 30, 2021
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On March 23rd, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking related to tipped workers. The announcement came as the effective date approaches for the "Tip Regulations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act" final rule. The recent Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) follows another NPR released earlier this month involving the prevailing wage rule. Background o...
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IRS Says PPE Qualifies as Medical Expenses

IRS: Personal Protective Equipment Considered Qualified Medical Expenses

March 29, 2021
85 view(s)
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced that it considers personal protective equipment (PPE) purchases as qualified medical expenses. Namely, examples of PPE include masks, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes. These items are medical care under Section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). The new guidance allows individuals to seek reimbursement for those items under Flexi...
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IRS Employee Retention Credit

New Guidance on Employee Retention Credit

March 23, 2021
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On March 18th, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated information on its Employee Retention Credit (ERC). The ERC issues a refundable tax credit to eligible employers who have retained employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the IRS released a new notice covering health and dependent care assistance programs. Updates to the Employee Retention Credit Web Page As me...
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DOL Delays Prevailing Wage Rule

Labor Department Announces Proposed Delay to Prevailing Wage Rule

March 23, 2021
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On March 22nd, 2021, the Labor Department proposed an 18-month delay to the effective date of a prevailing wage rule. The affected Final Rule focuses on calculating prevailing wages of certain immigrants and non-immigrant workers. The recent announcement follows the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) March proposal to rescind two other wage-and-hour-related final rules. Background of Original Final...
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PPP Loan Forgiveness May Hinge on Mandatory OSHA Compliance

PPP Loan Forgiveness & OSHA Compliance

March 22, 2021
111 view(s)
In January 2021, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) revised the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), including PPP loan forgiveness. Later, in February, the Small Business Administration (SBA), which administers PPP loans, issued an interim final rule, addressing PPP requirements.  Many employers may not know that PPP loan forgiveness provisions require the business to certify thei...
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New OSHA Program Addresses COVID-Related Workplace Safety

OSHA Launches COVID-Related Workplace Safety Program

March 17, 2021
38 view(s)
On March 12th, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a new program aimed towards improving COVID-related workplace safety. OSHA created the National Emphasis Program (NEP) in response to an Executive Order issued by President Joseph Biden in January. Overview of the NEP After announcing the COVID-related workplace safety NEP, OSHA stated that the majority of...
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Biden COVID-19 Relief Package on Track to Become Law

Biden COVID Relief Package Advancing

March 17, 2021
62 view(s)
Updated March 17th, 2021 – (Originally Posted March 8th, 2021). On March 11th, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed the COVID-19 relief package known as the American Rescue Plan Act. With the President’s final approval, the $1.9 trillion package has now become law. Congress had been working to adopt a new COVID-19 relief package before certain current benefits expired on March 14th, 2021. ...
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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
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...

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EEOC Rescinds Permissible Affirmative Action Guidance
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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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USCIS, E-Verify Issues Updated Temporary Protected Status Guidance for Seven Countries
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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...

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DOJ Challenges EEOC's Stance on Disparate Impact Claims
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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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