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Regional Hydrogen Hubs Last Friday, October 13, 2023, President Biden announced seven regional hydrogen hubs that were selected to receive $7 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to accelerate the domestic market for hydrogen. The seven selected regional hydrogen hubs will catalyze more than $40 billion in private investment and create jobs, bringing the total…

Revised Federal Workplace Drug Testing Guidelines The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has formally revised federal workplace drug testing guidelines to clarify that using medical marijuana under a doctor’s recommendation in a legal state is not a valid excuse for a positive THC test.  In a pair of notices set to be published in the…

Update on the Deficit Per the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the official federal deficit for FY23 was nearly $1.7 trillion, an increase from just under $1.4 trillion a year earlier. Excluding the effects of the now-voided student debt relief plan, total federal spending increased to 11 percent in FY23 over last year, or $625 billion,…

Social Security Increase Per the Social Security Administration, shrinking inflation has decreased the annual cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security beneficiaries to 3.2 percent next year, down from the 8.7 percent raise seniors received for 2023. Some of that figure will be lowered by the annual increase in Medicare Part B premiums, which could be nearly…

Overtime Rule Comment Period Remains November 7th The Department of Labor has denied requests to extend the comment period for the proposed changes to the overtime pay rule. As a result, comments must be submitted by November 7th. Return to the ASAToday page to read more articles.

OSHA Announces Proposed Rule on Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process            OSHA is seeking public input on a recent proposal to amend its regulations dealing with representatives of employers and employees. Specifically, the agency seeks to codify the practice of allowing third party representatives to participate in OSHA inspections, if requested by an employee, on the…

OSHA Reopens Comment Docket for Heat Injury and Illness Standard As OSHA has finished its series of Small Business Advocacy Review panels on its forthcoming heat injury and illness prevention standard for indoor and outdoor work settings, the agency reopened the comment period for interested stakeholders to submit comments now through December 23rd.  The Construction…

This Week in Congress This week, the Senate was not in session, but the House returned to elect a new Speaker, along with debating the one-person motion to vacate rule, which became an issue in the race for the gavel, with some Republicans insisting on changing the rule to strengthen the next speaker’s ability to…

Update: FY24 Appropriation Funding Bills In the Senate, twenty Republican senators sent a letter to Majority Leader Schumer demanding that the Senate act on all FY24 appropriations bills before taking up any other legislation.  Per their letter, “with less than 40 days remaining until government funding once again expires on November 17th, there is no…

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)’s Impact on Small Business Starting on January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) would impose new reporting requirements on certain small businesses (specifically corporations and limited liability companies with twenty or fewer employees).  The legislation will require companies to disclose their beneficial owners to prevent bad actors from using…