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Independent Contractor Rule Goes into Effect On Monday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s closely watched independent contractor rule went into effect, but do not expect too much of a change from the DOL’s current enforcement position.  Up until today, the Trump-era independent contractor standard was the regulation on the books governing the DOL’s approach to…

Judge Blocks NLRB Joint Employer Rule In January of this year, we wrote in our weekly update about the Joint Employer Rule.  As a brief reminder, in the fall of 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) promulgated that the rule would have made it significantly easier for the agency to find the existence of…

This Week in Congress Last week, Congress passed a detailed agreement to fund large parts of the government through September 30th with the expectation to enact it before another shutdown deadline on Friday, March 8th. This funding includes the FY24 Appropriations Bill for Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD.  The remaining…

Senate Minority Leader McConnell Steps Down Minority Leader McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history will step down from that position in November. Sen. McConnell (R-KY), who turned 82 last week, announced his decision from the Senate floor.  Per his comments, “one of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move…

House Passed Tax Bill Advances in the Senate Senate Republicans are working on a set of policies to push for inclusion in the $79 billion House-passed family and business tax breaks package, as Finance Chair Wyden (D-OR) indicated he would be open to adding to the bill. The package, which passed the House in January,…

U.S. Supreme Court Rules on State Ballots and the 14th Amendment The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled states cannot use 14th Amendment to remove former President Trump from state ballots. The ruling reverses a Colorado ruling that disqualified him from returning to office because of his conduct around Jan. 6, 2021. The justices “said the…

DOL’s Overtime Rule On Friday, March 1st, the Department of Labor sent its overtime final rule to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Review can take anywhere from a couple weeks to several months. Once the review is complete, the final rule will be published in the Federal Register. Details on what…

U.S. District Court Rules CTA Unconstitutional A U.S. District Court judge in Alabama has ruled that the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is unconstitutional.  For now, however, the injunction only applies to the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.  All other reporting companies (who are not plaintiffs in this case) are still bound by the CTA and should…

CDC Recommends Spring COVID-19 Boosters It’s time for people 65 and older to roll up their sleeves again for an additional Covid-19 shot this spring. This is the third year in a row that spring boosters will be offered, a sign of Covid-19’s continued and year-round transmission. Per the CDC, “Covid-19 hospitalizations are most common…

This Week in Congress Congress returned this week after its two-week recess to tackle government funding, which runs out March 1st for several federal agencies and programs including Agriculture, Energy and Water Development, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development—totaling about 20% of government spending. Additionally, Rep. McGovern (D-MA) quietly…