News & Analysis

On January 26, 2017, the Governor of Puerto Rico approved the Labor Transformation and Flexibility Act, which makes substantial changes to virtually all existing Puerto Rican employment laws.

The Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury issued Tax Policy Circular Letter No. 16-08 on December 23, 2016, establishing new rules regarding the validity of, and request for, retirement plan qualification letters.

Mayor Jim Kenney signed the Philadelphia Wage Equity Bill into law on Monday, January 23, 2017.

On January 20, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit became the first appellate court to rule on the lawfulness of a liability waiver in a FCRA disclosure.

One of the first acts of the new Administration on Inauguration Day was to issue a memorandum putting the brakes—at least temporarily—on federal regulations that have not yet taken effect, and to release an executive order regarding the ACA.

I saw one of my employees on the local news the other night participating in a political rally. We try to maintain a tension-free workplace. Can I discipline him for this conduct, or institute a policy prohibiting this kind of behavior?

Employers that wish to sponsor H-1B workers for Fiscal Year 2018 can begin filing petitions on April 1, 2017, for a start date of October 1, 2017.

As winter progresses, employers may find themselves monitoring the weather and wondering how to handle numerous operational headaches.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rolled out a new Form I-9 in November 2016. Starting January 22, 2017, all employers must use the new Form I-9.

On December 16, 2016, the United States launched a National Action Plan (the “U.S. NAP”) on Responsible Business Conduct.