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 ...
Sen. Cornyn (R-TX), along with co-sponsors Sen. Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Burr (R-NC), Sen. Peters (D-MI), Sen. Rubio (R-FL), and Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN), introduced the “Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017” (FIRRMA) November 8, 2017. This proposed bill, and a companion bill of the same name introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep ...
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 ...
On November 27, 2017, at the 34th International Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced a revised FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy, which purports to lend certainty for companies grappling with the question of whether to voluntarily disclose violations. This new policy comes on the heels of the year and-a-half long FCPA Pilot Program ...
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 ...
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 ...
Personnel Season is fast approaching for county boards of education. Personnel offices are busy ensuring proper notices are sent to impacted employees, employees are afforded hearings before a reduction or transfer is acted upon by the board, and board of education agendas are legally compliant. At the same time, personnel offices are receiving early notice of year-end retirements from classroom teachers. W. V a ...
We previously reported on oral arguments before the Supreme Court regarding which court has original jurisdiction to hear challenges to the Clean Water Act’s “waters of the United States” (“WOTUS”) definition. On January 22, 2018, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in National Association of Manufacturers v. Department of Defense that only district courts have original jurisdiction to hear such challenges ...
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 ...
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 ...
In an increasingly connected world, the protection of privacy and personal data has become a key concern for legislators in a number of jurisdictions. In South Africa, an attempt to give effect to the constitutional right to privacy resulted in the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (“POPI”), which was gazetted on 26 November 2013 ...
In vacating a jury’s award of almost $54 million based on a finding of willful trademark and trade dress infringement, an Illinois federal district court granted the defendants’ motion for a new trial, finding the trial “fundamentally unfair due to the admission of unreliable and prejudicial expert testimony.” The Black & Decker Corporation et al v. Positec USA Inc.,No. 1:2011cv05426 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 11, 2017) ...
This week we learned that Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan Chase have joined forces to tackle employee healthcare costs. This announcement marks yet another chapter in some employers' frustration with our nation’s healthcare system. Employees are equally tired of the increasing cost of healthcare eating away what should be their wage increases even as employers pay for ever increasing health insurance premiums ...
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 ...
As technology has advanced, cyber extortion attacks have risen, and they will continue to be a major security issue for organizations. Cyber extortion can take many forms, but it typically involves cybercriminals demanding money to stop or delay their malicious activities, which include stealing sensitive data or disrupting computer services. Health care and public health sector organizations that maintain sensitive data are often targets for cyber extortion attacks ...
Technology’s dark side may well be the silent threat to democracy. A year ago, Americans installed a reality TV star in the White House who doesn’t seem to let the facts get in the way of a good tweet. Trump’s shambolic management style has given America’s enemies a perceived opportunity to drive their country’s agendas ...
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 ...
Municipal Advisor Exam Results On November 7, the SEC’s National Examination Program issued a Risk Alert providing the SEC staff’s observations after conducting over 110 examinations of municipal advisors during the Municipal Advisor Examination Initiative ...
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 ...
On February 7, 2018 the SEC Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued the 2018 National Exam Program Examination Priorities. In introducing the examination priorities for 2018, OCIE describes the four pillars upon which the work of OCIE is based: promoting compliance; preventing fraud; identifying and monitoring risk; and informing policy. OCIE includes in the examination priorities factual data relating to the increase in examinations of investment advisers ...
IN THIS ISSUE: SEC Releases Update to 2018 Agenda of Regulatory Priorities The SEC Enforcement Division’s Initiatives Regarding Retail Investor Protection and Cybersecurity ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS: F-Squared Investment, Inc ...
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 CPA appointed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine National Police (PNP) as enforcement authorities and regulates their access to computer data, creating the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) as an inter-agency body for policy coordination and enforcement of the national cybersecurity plan, and an Office of Cybercrime within the Department of Justice (DOJ-OC) for international mutual assistance and extradition ...
