Articles by Girish Anand

October 6, 2017

31 view(s)

HHS Seeks Comments on Draft of New Five-Year Plan

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a draft of its required five-year strategic plan, and it is asking for public comments. Draft HHS Strategic Plan FY 2018-2022 The draft HHS Strategic Plan FY 2018 – 2022 is provided as part of the strategic planning process under the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRA-MA)(P.L. 111-352) to ensure tha...

October 6, 2017

25 view(s)

CHIP Renewal Hits Snag in House after Sailing Through Senate

Funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides coverage for some 9 million children nationwide, expired at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 and is now facing an uncertain renewal future. Though the Senate Finance Committee approved a bill providing $100 billion over five years, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill that Democrats complained wo...

October 6, 2017

21 view(s)

DOL Announces Theme for National Disability Awareness Month

The Department of Labor (DOL) is celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month throughout October. The department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) previously announced the month-long theme is “Inclusion Drives Innovation.” “This October, we celebrate the contributions and achievements of Americans with disabilities as part of the American workforce,” said Secretary ...

October 5, 2017

19 view(s)

EEOC Lawsuits Spike in 2017

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is on a record pace in filing lawsuits, having initiated 241 so far this year, compared to 86 for all of 2016. September alone saw 69 lawsuits filed, up from 22 last year. July and August each had 20 new filings, compared to 8 in each of those months in 2016. The rapid increase appears to be more related to the commission's decision-making pr...

October 5, 2017

48 view(s)

Company Fined Whopping $95 Million for Hiring Illegal Workers

Asplundh Tree Experts of Philadelphia has agreed to pay a fine of $95 million for hiring illegal workers and openly accepting false documents to do so, even after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had audited the company and ordered the workers terminated, many of whom were soon thereafter rehired under different names. The fine includes $80 million of profits made while the illegal wor...

October 2, 2017

38 view(s)

First Monday in October Sees SCOTUS Weigh Workers' Rights

This 1932 photo of the Supreme Court, taken by a camera smuggled into the courtroom, is one of only two known to exist. Photography in the chamber is forbidden.[/caption] The Supreme Court opened its 2017-2018 term by taking up a case involving some 25 million workers. At issue was whether workers could be contractually forced to us...

October 2, 2017

25 view(s)

DOJ Sues Firm for Hiring Foreign Workers

Citing the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) has sued Crop Production Services Inc. of Colorado for not hiring American workers but instead taking on foreign H2-A visa workers. It is the first prosecution since President Trump's American First executive order of April 18. According to the DOJ, the INA makes it unlawful for employers to intentionally discrim...

October 1, 2017

57 view(s)

Who is Don Wright, the New HHS Secretary?

After the resignation of Tom Price as secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) over his abuse of air travel, President Trump named Don Wright, deputy assistant secretary and director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, to be acting HHS secretary. Who exactly is Don Wright? Wright has been in government service since the presidency of George W. Bush. He previously se...

September 30, 2017

27 view(s)

ACA Reconciliation Process, CHIP Both End Tonight

The latest effort to repeal and replace Obamacare -- the Graham-Cassidy bill that would turn health care over to the states -- never made it to vote, and with the fiscal year ending tonight, the Republicans' chance to use the reconciliation process, which requires only a majority vote in the Senate, ends with it. Meanwhile, the Children's Health Insurance Program, commonly called CHIP, runs ou...

September 29, 2017

23 view(s)

New EEO Digest Focuses on Race Discrimination in the Workplace

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced the latest edition of its federal sector Digest of Equal Employment Opportunity Law (EEO Digest), which is available on the EEOC's website. This edition (Fiscal Year 2017, Volume 4) features a special article titled "Race Discrimination in the 21st Century Workplace." The comprehensive article discusses the legal prohibitions o...

52 of 221

Options

About author

Girish Anand

Recent Articles

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

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...

NLRB General Counsel Takes Action to Tackle Current Case Backlog

On May 6th, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and NLRB General Counsel Crystal Stowe Carey announced the bulk transfer of thousands of labor practice cases. Specifically, this action fulfills an initiative signed by the NLRB General Counsel earlier this year. Overall, the initiative...

Privacy Agency Invites Comments from Businesses on the CCPA’s Usage of Personal Data

Recently, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) issued a call for comments on the current state of personal data collection under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Specifically, the invitation to deliver remarks was issued on April 20th, 2026. The information provided by the...

DOL Proposes New Joint Employer Rule To Unify Standards Under Federal Labor Laws

In April 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule to establish a single, clear standard for determining when joint-employer status applies under three major federal laws: the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Migrant and Seasonal...

DOL Updates Enforcement Approach for Employee Benefit Plans: What Employers Should Know

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced a significant change in its enforcement of employee benefit plan rules. The DOL will now focus more closely on serious violations that harm workers and retirees, meaning compliant employers may face less scrutiny under the updated approach.

View All Articles

Articles by Girish Anand