Articles by Girish Anand

September 29, 2016

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Hawaii First to Petition for Exit from Obamacare

Starting in 2017, states can opt out of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) and implement their own health care systems, but they must match or exceed ACA standards. Hawaii has now jumped into the opt-out, do-better fray, saying its own standards already exceed those of the federal statute. Specifically, the Aloha State wants to set up its own Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP), fi...

September 29, 2016

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EEOC to Collect Pay Data on EEO-1 Report

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that, starting in March 2018, it will collect summary employee pay data from certain employers. The new data will improve investigations of possible pay discrimination, which remains a contributing factor to persistent wage gaps, according to the EEOC. The summary pay data will be added to the annual Employer Information Report...

September 29, 2016

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Federal Contractor Paid Sick Leave Rule Finalized

The Department of Labor (DOL) today announced a final rule requiring federal contractors to provide paid sick leave to employees who work on or in connection with certain federal contracts. The rule will allow these workers to use paid leave if they are sick, need to take care of a sick family member or must see a doctor or take a family member to a medical appointment. Workers may also use pai...

September 28, 2016

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Administration Targets Young People for Obamacare Sign-Ups

With the sign-up of young persons lagging behind the needs of balancing young and old, healthy and sick, the administration is turning to cyberspace and other initiatives to lure young people into signing up for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. In 2016, fewer than 30 percent of Obamacare sign-ups out of the 13 million total were between the ages of 18 and 34. For...

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 ...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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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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.

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Articles by Girish Anand