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Maryland Legislature passes bill to raise minimum wage to $10.10 by July 1, 2018

by David M. Stevens On the final day of its legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill to dramatically raise the state’s minimum wage. The bill, which was supported by Governor Martin O’Malley and is expected to be signed into law, calls for a staggered increase in the minimum wage over a period […]

"I Wonder When Immigrants Became the Enemy"

Special from Atlanta–SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition Condoleezza Rice’s thought-provoking comment about the immigration situation in the United States came at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exposition, held recently in Atlanta Georgia. Three Big Developments HR managers need to be aware of the effect of three incidents that are shaping our world today, Rice says. 9/11. […]

GOP Emphasizes Job-hindering Aspects of Health Reform Mandates; Feds Clarify Employer Guidance

In spite of its one-year suspension of the employer mandate under health care reform, the government added implementation and compliance materials for employers to government websites. Meanwhile Republican legislators attacked not only reform’s revenue and penalty collection functions, but also its definition of full-time employees as 30 hours per week, saying it must become 40 hours a […]

Our Best Benefits Bet: Congress Will Extend COBRA Subsidy

Update Dec. 21, 2009: President signs bill including COBRA subsidy extension by Ashley Gillihan In February, President Barack Obama enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Among other things, the ARRA provided a temporary (up to nine months), 65 percent, federally funded, COBRA premium subsidy to any qualified beneficiary who became or becomes eligible […]

New California Employment Laws: Get Prepared

Governor Jerry Brown recently vetoed four of the five bills the California Chamber of Commerce identified as “job killers.” The one job-killer bill signed into law is Assembly Bill 22, which severely restricts a prospective employer’s use of credit reports to screen applicants.

HR Departments in Flux—What Are Best Practice Companies Doing?

HR is changing and HR departments have to keep pace—HR’s taking on a greater role in strategy, HR’s outsourcing, HR’s on the move. What’s happening to HR departments out there in the real world? Let’s ferret out best practices. For years, BLR® has surveyed HR and compensation/benefits professionals to find trends in policy and practice. […]