Joe Says “No.” Over the last several weeks, the Buzz has discussed congressional efforts to pass both a bipartisan “hard” infrastructure bill (this passed the U.S. Senate and is waiting in the U.S. House of Representatives),...more
9/7/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEO-1 ,
Emergency Rule ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
OSHA ,
Private Property ,
Property Access ,
Relief Measures ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Unions
Historic Federal Legislation on the Move. While the Buzz was out last week, the U.S. Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by a bipartisan vote of 69 to 30. As the Buzz has discussed, the bill provides $1.2...more
8/23/2021
/ AFL-CIO ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
COBRA ,
Congressional Budget Resolution ,
Congressional Committees ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEO-1 ,
Emergency Rule ,
Infrastructure ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda
Infrastructure Bill: Game On! After weeks of negotiating, there is finally bipartisan agreement in the U.S. Senate to move forward with a $550 billion bill to fund the repair and construction of physical infrastructure such...more
8/2/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Vaccinations
Senate Committee Examines PRO Act. On July 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing entitled “The Right to Organize: Empowering American Workers in a 21st Century...more
7/26/2021
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Biden Administration ,
Comment Period ,
Congressional Committees ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Kamala Harris ,
Minimum Wage ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Tipped Employees ,
Union Elections ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Last Week Today -
Here is a quick rundown of some of the labor and employment policy developments we missed last week while at Workplace Strategies in Austin, Texas (be sure to join us next year for the program at the...more
7/2/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Conciliation ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EEO-1 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Time Extensions ,
Tipped Employees ,
Union Elections ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
Our previous articles in this spotlight series on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) highlighted the agency’s enforcement and litigation metrics and political composition of the Commission - matters that...more
6/30/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Conciliation ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEO-1 ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
LGBTQ ,
Pay Data ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wellness Programs ,
Workplace Safety
The Biden Administration at 100 Days. President Joe Biden recently marked his 100th day in office, and labor and employment policy changes have been at the forefront of his administration’s agenda. The enactment of the...more
5/25/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Masks ,
NPRM ,
OSHA ,
Paid Leave ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
SCOTUS ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unions ,
Workplace Safety
In its first 100 days in office, the Biden administration has advanced its policy priorities, many of which have involved repealing the policy accomplishments of the previous presidential administration. The Biden...more
5/21/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Graduate Students ,
H-1B ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
OIRA ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Charge ,
Religious Exemption ,
Revocation ,
Student Employees ,
Tipped Employees ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
Unemployment Insurance Update. Late last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report showing that the nonfarm economy added only 266,000 jobs in April 2021, well short of the 1...more
5/17/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Green Cards ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
OIRA ,
OSHA ,
Pregnancy ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Unemployment ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Visas
Well, Now What Do We Do? It seems like months (or, more accurately, a year) since the Buzz hasn’t had to provide an update on COVID-19 relief legislation or negotiations. Hopefully, that is good news and a positive sign that...more
3/22/2021
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Biden Administration ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equality Act ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Reform ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Workplace Safety
On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 - a $1.9 trillion economic relief package. While the legislation marks the first major legislative victory for President Biden and...more
3/15/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Direct Payments to Families and Individuals ,
Economic Stimulus ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
OSHA ,
Relief Measures ,
SBA ,
SBA Lending Programs ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Workplace Safety
Biz Groups Are a “No” on PRO. As the Buzz mentioned last week, the U.S. House of Representatives is teeing up a vote on the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2021 (H.R. 842/S. 420) to occur sometime next week. In...more
3/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Enforcement Statistics ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Inspector General ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Union Elections ,
Unions
Congressional Update. It was another busy week on Capitol Hill. The U.S. Senate was, of course, preoccupied with the historic second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump. In the U.S. House of Representatives,...more
2/16/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Congressional Budget Resolution ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Federal Budget ,
Impeachment ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Presidential Appointments ,
Relief Measures
Congress Sees Its Shadow. It was Groundhog Day this past week, and it sure feels like we have been living the same day over and over again with the way that the parties in Congress can’t agree on an economic stimulus package....more
2/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
H-1B ,
New Guidance ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Secretary of DHS ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Status Check on Congress. We are more than one week into the Biden administration and the president has made progress filling out his cabinet. Antony Blinken (U.S. secretary of state), Janet Yellen (U.S. secretary of the...more
2/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Minimum Wage ,
NLRB ,
OIRA ,
Opinion Letter ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Rescission ,
Revocation ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
President Biden. On January 20, 2021, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and security concerns arising out of the riot at the United States Capitol...more
1/25/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Relief Measures ,
USCIS
Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021. President Biden hit the ground running, issuing 17 executive orders, proclamations, memoranda, and similar actions on his first...more
1/25/2021
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Environmental Policies ,
Ethics ,
Executive Orders ,
Gender Equity ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Race Discrimination ,
Relief Measures ,
Student Loans
On December 21, 2020, Congress passed a massive bill (H.R. 133) that would fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2021 while also providing $900 billion in COVID-19 economic relief for employers and...more
There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays. For some, holidays with family can be a real grind; for members of Congress, the holidays appear to be a real motivator and catalyst for bipartisanship. Thus, it seems that after...more
Tick Tock. The clock is ticking and the 116th Congress has three big tasks in its waning days: ensure the federal government does not shut down due to a lack of funding, pass the National Defense Authorization Act, and get an...more
12/14/2020
/ Continuing Resolution ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Government Shutdown ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NDAA ,
Opinion Letter ,
Religious Exemption ,
Waiver of Liability
Haven’t We Seen This Movie Before? Following the Thanksgiving break, federal legislators have been back in Washington, D.C., this week as the 116th United States Congress - which will likely end on January 3, 2021 - sprints...more
The results of the 2020 national elections are (mostly) in. Former vice president Joseph Biden is now President-elect Joseph Biden. Democrats have managed to hold the U.S. House of Representatives, but they will be working...more
Sweet Asteroid of Death. There are 11 days until Election Day, November 3, 2020. For voters who are unhappy with the available options, there may be some good news: an asteroid may crash into Earth on November 2, 2020,...more
Economic Stimulus Negotiations End. Again. With the current acrimony between Republicans and Democrats at a significant low point, the Buzz did not exactly go out on a limb last week in predicting that there would not be a...more
10/9/2020
/ Conciliation ,
Congressional Committees ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
H-1B ,
Judicial Appointments ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Relief Measures ,
USCIS
Chilly Climate in D.C. Just like the bit of autumn chill that descended upon Washington, D.C., this week, congressional negotiations over a new pandemic relief package have cooled. A compromise legislative effort announced...more
9/21/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Congressional Subpoenas ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Government Shutdown ,
Joint Employers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Relief Measures ,
Scheduling Letters