Washington DC - Also known as the "blacklisting regs", Executive Order 13673 and the Department of Labor's guidance is now ancient history, along with its multifaceted reporting scheme. The Obama Administration initiated a push to ban federal contractors from new contracts if they had significant health and safety and wage and hour violations. The E.O. also banned contractors from using pre-dispute arbitration agreements. The initiative was held up in the courts, but was killed by Congress and President Trump using the Congressional Review Act.

U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States-either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. The "Right to Work" poster has been updated to reflect an agency name change-as of January 18, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices has been renamed the  Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER).

Tallahassee, FL- On March 28, the Florida House Quality Subcommittee overwhelmingly (14 -1 vote) approved a measure (HB 1397), that gives some preliminary rules for the medical marijuana constitutional amendment.  The proposal prohibits smoking cannabis products and edibles. Only terminally ill patients would be able to use vaporizers to consume medical marijuana.  The bill also limits licenses for dispensing organizations, as opposed to the Senate proposal that expands dispensaries. Medical marijuana supporters are not happy. New rules must be implemented by early June 2017.  How does medical marijuana affect drug testing?

Employee benefits are important to attract quality employees.  As the economy continues to improve in 2017, Florida's small/mid businesses must recognize that a competitive benefits package is necessary to attract and retain the right employees and fill critical positions. To help us, in mid-February 2017, the Harvard Business Review (HBR) reported on a survey that asked 2,000 U.S. workers about benefits and reported .....  read more.

On March 3, 2017, real estate services giant Cushman & Wakefield, (headquartered in Chicago), agreed to a $100,000 settlement with the EEOC to resolve a disability lawsuit involving an Administrative Assistant with breast cancer.  A nine (9) year employee requested a medical leave of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for breast cancer treatment. Once her FMLA expired, the Company refused to accommodate her part-time schedule request. Compliance with the FMLA, and not considering the ADA,does not meet employer obligation. Read more.

Effective October 16, 2016, covered entities (those receiving federal financial assistance through participation in Medicare or Medicaid) are required to post notices of nondiscrimination and taglines that alert individuals with limited English proficiency to the availability of language assistance services. Click here to download the slide deck of training materials for Health Providers.

All employers under OSHA jurisdiction must report w hen an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye.  A fatality must be reported within 8 hours and amputation,  in-patient hospitalization or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours.   OSHA defines in-patient hospitalization as a formal admission to the in-patient service of a hospital or clinic for care or treatment. Treatment in an Emergency Room only is not reportable. Failure to report can result in an OSHA Citation.  Read more about OSHA reporting.