News

Agency Intends to Propose Extension of Electronic Submission Date The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that it is not accepting electronic submissions of injury and illness logs at this time. As a result, OSHA intends to propose extending the July 1, 2017 date by which certain employers are required to submit […]

New Regulations Effective July 1, 2017 The California Fair Employment and Housing Council has released final regulations, effective July 1, 2017, regarding transgender identity and expression under the state Fair Employment and Housing Act. A summary of the regulations is presented below. Additional Rights It is unlawful to deny employment to an individual based wholly […]

Tool Provides Estimates Only As a reminder, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (an independent organization within the Internal Revenue Service) has developed a tool to assist employers in understanding how the Affordable Care Act’s employer shared responsibility (“pay or play”) provisions work and how the provisions may apply to them. Employer Shared Responsibility Provision Estimator Employers […]

Withdrawals Effective June 7, 2017 The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the withdrawal of both its 2015 guidance regarding independent contractors and its 2016 guidance regarding joint employment. Cautionary note: Still in effect are the common law rules used by the IRS to determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor […]

Pension Plans Maintained by ‘Principal-Purpose Organizations’ Deemed Church Plans The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in Advocate Health Care Network v. Stapleton that defined benefit pension plans established by so-called “principal-purpose organizations” are “church plans” exempted from the requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), regardless of whether a church originally established the […]

DOL Issues Temporary Enforcement Policy During Phased Implementation Ending Jan. 1, 2018 The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s Fiduciary Rule is expected to take effect June 9, 2017, subject to the DOL’s temporary enforcement policy, outlined below. The Fiduciary Rule generally treats persons who provide investment advice or recommendations for a fee or other compensation […]

Workplace Flexibility and Changes to Daily Routines May Help Keep Employees Focused The warm weather and eagerly anticipated outdoor activities of summer may take a toll on your workers’ concentration. If you’re noticing a lack of focus among your employees during this time of year, consider the following ideas to help keep them motivated: Encourage […]

Model Notices Previously Set to Expire on May 31, 2017 The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has extended the effective date of its model Health Insurance Exchange Notices through May 31, 2020. Previously, these model notices were set to expire on May 31, 2017. No other changes have been made to […]

Certain Employers Must Comply with Existing Heat Illness Prevention Mandates The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has released a proposed rule that would generally affect all indoor places of employment where the “dry bulb” temperature equals or exceeds 85°F. Proposed Rule Under the proposal, such employers would be required to establish, implement, […]

Related Companies Generally Combined for Determining ALE Status Applicable large employers (ALEs)—generally those with at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent (FTE) employees—are subject to the “pay or play” provisions of the Affordable Care Act. If these employers do not offer affordable health insurance that provides a minimum level of coverage to their full-time […]