Last week, United States Attorney General Sessions announced the creation of the Department of Justice Prescription Interdiction & Litigation (PIL) Task Force to combat the prescription opioid crisis. According to the Department of Justice (Justice), the PIL Task Force will rely on “all available criminal and civil enforcement tools” to hold those at “at every level of the [opioid] distribution system” accountable for unlawful conduct ...
If your company has not reviewed its compensation systems to ensure pay equity for female employees, now is the time to do so. In the fall of 2017, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released its 2018-2021 Strategic Plan announcing pay equity would be one of its six major priorities. Since then, four high-profile settlements have demonstrated the EEOC will be vigorously enforcing the Equal Pay Act and Title VII to ensure wage equality. First, in EEOC v ...
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) held an advisory meeting in January to solicit input and comments on their proposed draft rules for workplace violence prevention that would apply to nearly all California employers. Passage of these standards would make California the first state to issue workplace violence rules which would surpass federal protections ...
A new appellate court ruling will permit workers in parts of the northeastern United States to bring forward federal law claims of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation ...
The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have created a national dialogue about the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace, and legislators are responding with new legislation aimed at preventing the secret settlement or arbitration of claims ...
On Wednesday, February 21, 2018, the United States Supreme Court adopted a narrow definition of “whistleblower” in retaliation cases arising under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd Frank), concluding the anti-retaliation provisions of Dodd-Frank only apply to employees who report claims of wrongdoing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), not to employees who report internally. In Digital Realty Trust, Inc. v ...
Earlier this year the enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) was implemented in all 29 participating states including Colorado, West Virginia and Kentucky. Illinois[1] and Michigan[2] are among the states with current legislation pending to adopt the eNLC, while Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California and a handful of other states do not yet have pending legislation ...
The State Medical Board of Ohio (Medical Board) recently released proposed rules that will create a non-disciplinary, confidential monitoring program for licensees with mental or physical illnesses. Historically, licensees with a mental or physical illness could not only be subject to formal disciplinary action pursuant to the Medical Board’s rules, but the licensee’s mental or physical illness became public information as a result of the disciplinary process ...
As the new year started, two Department of Justice memoranda began circulating that may bring a change in the way the United States focuses its efforts in the FCA arena. The first, entitled, “Factors for Evaluating Dismissal Pursuant to 31 U.S.C ...
The GDPR contains rules on when it is mandatory for controllers and processors to designate a data protection officer. The Article 29 Data Protection Working Party (WP29) issued guidelines on the data protection officers (DPOs) interpreting the respective provisions of the GDPR (Articles 37-39 and Recitals 77 and 97). The Data Protection Officer (DPO) The GDPR contains rules on when it is mandatory for controllers and processors to designate a data protection officer ...
Since not only individual people, but also the overall project, are being presented, online presentation can be divided into two main parts. First is the management of personal social media. Avoid any disrespectful or offensive discourse, as well as any ambiguous posts and photos. Or as a minimum , do not display them publicly. Secondly, visual communication is absolutely crucial to protect the name of a reliable project ...
Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), a provider of products and services for people with chronic kidney failure, has agreed to pay $3.5 million to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and adopt a comprehensive corrective action plan to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules ...
The Serbian Competition Commission (the "Commission") recently finished sector inquiries concerning quite distinct industries – raspberries and the public procurement for software and hardware. The aim behind the inquiries was to perform extensive market research and analysis in order to acquire a clearer picture of the possible antitrust issues and risks in two sectors widely perceived as strategic for the development of the Serbian economy ...
The State Medical Board of Ohio recently proposed amendments to the existing regulations governing light-based medical devices (lasers), which will significantly impact the provision of laser services in Ohio. While the proposal adds a new category to existing delegation authority, it also imposes new regulatory requirements to existing delegation authority which will impact Ohio physicians providing laser services ...
2017 has seen immense changes to employment law throughout Europe, and the coming year looks to bring more of the same. The 2018 edition of our annual Employment Law Update aims to assist organisations with a pan-European presence in keeping up to date withchanges to legislation and best practice ...
The recent decision of the Labour Court in National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa obo members and Aveng Trident Steel (A division of Aveng Africa (Pty) Ltd) may provide some cheer to employers facing the challenges of restructuring their workforce in difficult economic times. Since 2014, the employer in this matter has faced strong economic headwinds caused by a downturn in sales and increased costs ...
Under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), large employers (generally those with 50 or more full-time employees or full-time equivalents) must report annually to the IRS information about the health coverage offered to their full-time employees during the prior year using IRS Form 1095-C. The IRS uses the forms to assess whether an employer "shared responsibility" penalty applies. Employers also must provide copies of the forms to their full-time employees ...
This is a reminder to all corporations whose employees or former employees exercised an incentive stock option or made a purchase under the corporation's employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) in 2017 ...
A new requirement will be introduced shortly that will affect all applications for employment visas. At the start of 2018, a Good Conduct and Behavior Certificate must be submitted along with the other supporting documents when an employer seeks to sponsor a residence visa for a new employee who is not a UAE national. It appears that the requirement will apply throughout the UAE, including the nation’s many free zones ...
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued proposed rules to expand access to “Association Health Plans” for small businesses that are unaffiliated, but are in the same line of business or geographic area. An “Association Health Plan” or “AHP” is a group health plan adopted by members of an employer association to provide health coverage for their employees ...
Have we reached the tipping point in the fight against sexual harassment in the workplace? In late August 2017, Hurricane Harvey struck the Caribbean and the United States, causing unprecedented devastation and destruction. Less thantwo months later, a very different “Hurricane Harvey” followed, one that precipitated a renewed global consciousness over issues of sexual harassment ...
Why is April 2, 2018 Important? April 2, 2018 is the first day on which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept H-1B specialty worker petitions for the next fiscal year beginning October 1, 2018 ...
