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DOL Awards Grants for Reemployment Services in 50 States

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded $112 million to 50 state and territorial workforce agencies, including those in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, to operate reemployment services and eligibility assessments programs for those receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.

DOL Examines English Proficiency Project

The Department of Labor (DOL) has released a report evaluating its Limited English Proficiency and Hispanic Worker Initiative project.The program was launched in 2006 with $4.9 million awarded to organizations in California, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, and Texas so they could test innovative strategies for delivering language and employment services to limited English proficient and […]

Supreme Court Okays Rehearing of Liberty U.’s Challenge to Reform Law

The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered a federal appeals court to rehear a Christian university’s challenge to the health reform law in Liberty University v. Geithner.  Reviving the case creates the possibility that the High Court may rule on the case itself sometime in 2013, which would make it the second challenge to health reform […]

E-Alert Item: Labor Department Unveils New Website For Disability Awareness

The U.S. Department of Labor has launched http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/, a new online resource to promote disability awareness. The site is a collaborative effort across multiple federal agencies and includes information on employment, health care and other topics. It contains a resource section for employers, with guidance on legal responsibilities regarding disabled employees and applicants and links to […]

Benefits: DOL Proposes Rules Clarifying COBRA Notice Requirements; What You Need to Know

For the first time since 1986, the U.S. Department of Labor has proposed new rules affecting the COBRA notice requirements. COBRA rules affect individuals’ rights to continue group health coverage under certain circumstances. For employers the consequences for not giving written notice in accordance with COBRA rules can be steep, including having to pay an […]

Employment Law Tip: Preventing Computer-Related Eyestrain

Summer vacations have come and gone, and now it’s back to the grindstone and staring at the computer screen for hours on end. If your employees spend a good portion of their work day in front of a computer, it’s wise to take steps to help prevent computer-related eyestrain. Here are four suggestions:

Youth Workers: Stricter Child Labor Rules May Be on the Way

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that it intends to make big changes to child labor provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The DOL has released a proposal that would strengthen existing youth employment regulations to protect against workplace hazards and expand certain youth workplace opportunities that have been judged safe and […]

News Flash: Federal Court Orders Employer To Stop Requiring Employees To Sign Arbitration Agreements

The controversy over the use of mandatory arbitration for employment disputes continues as federal and state courts send contradictory signals to employers. While the California Supreme Court recently OK’d the use of mandatory arbitration, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has said that for some types of claims, such as age or race bias, […]

News Notes: Holiday Wage-and-Hour Mistakes Prove Costly For Retailer

If you’re considering hiring minors to help out during the holiday season, be sure to double-check the rules. Toys ‘R’ Us has just agreed to pay $200,000 to settle Labor Department allegations that the toy retailer violated federal rules covering the employment of minors. The government charged that 14- and 15-year-olds were hired to work […]