This week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued FAQ guidance regarding the employer tax credit for paid family and medical leave. As a reminder, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the Act) provides a tax credit to employers that… more

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted almost entirely along party lines to invalidate, under the Congressional Review Act, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) (in)famous 2013 Bulletin on lending discrimination in the… more

As you undoubtedly know, the amendments to the Massachusetts Equal pay Act (“MEPA”), effective July 1, provide that “[n]o employer shall discriminate in any way on the basis of gender in the payment of wages, or pay any person in its… more

Echoing concerns raised by other parts of the federal government over the past several years, the FCC, at its open meeting on April 17, 2018, adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) to consider a rule which would prohibit… more

On April 13, 2018, Neste, a Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) member, announced that Red and White Fleet cruise company is committing to switch its entire fleet of vessels from conventional diesel to 100 percent… more

Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit reversed and remanded a pro-employee Board decision concerning an employee who had been discharged based on the “disparaging content” of the testimony he made before state… more

Without much fanfare, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s EEO-1 Joint Reporting Committee has extended the deadline for filing of this year’s EEO-1 Survey until June 1, 2018. As a result of modifications to the EEO-1… more

On April 12, 2018, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway (R-Texas) released the Committee’s draft Farm Bill reauthorization, the “Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018” (H.R. 2). The House Agriculture Committee passed… more

At long last, new USDOL Opinion Letters are bursting forward. Like Spring. The agency just issued three new letters on a variety of topics, including one of my favorites, travel time. The other letters address issues of compensable… more

On April 17, 2018, the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3) announced that ten startup companies had won the opportunity to pitch their technologies to major companies at the GC3’s 3rd Annual Green & Bio-Based Chemistry Technology… more

On April 18, 2018, the Canadian government published final regulations which include mandatory privacy breach notification, reporting and record-keeping obligations under Canada’s federal data protection law called the Personal… more

On this auspicious April 20th, three developments in the world of cannabis regulation caught our attention. The first is the unanimous recommendation by a panel of outside advisers to FDA in favor of approving Epidiolex, an epilepsy… more

When asked by advisors on what 401(k) plan sponsors should be aware of, I tell them that most small to medium-sized employers have far greater things to be worried about than a class action lawsuit. There are a whole host of compliance… more

The U.S. International Trade Commission (“ITC”) terminated Investigation No. 337-TA-1094 based on actual expiration of the asserted patent at issue. Upon a review of the Initial Determination (“ID”), the Commission determined that the… more

On April 3, 2018, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (“DOJ” or “Antitrust Division”) filed an antitrust complaint against Knorr-Bremse AG (“Knorr”) and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (“Wabtec”) for agreeing… more

On April 9, 2018, the heads of a dozen federal agencies executed a memorandum of understanding on implementation of Executive Order 13807, which directed federal agencies to expedite environmental review and permitting for major… more

Case at a Glance: The Court will consider whether the text of 35 U.S.C. § 271(f) imposes liability on those supplying from the United States components of a patented invention “in such a manner as to actively induce the combination of… more

• The United States Department of Commerce announced the denial of export privileges against Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd. (collectively, ZTE) on April 16, 2018. This action… more

The advent of telemedicine supplies a unique and convenient gateway for patients and providers to connect. The benefits of telemedicine range from increased access to care for patients, to increased efficiency and lower overhead costs… more

At its April 19, 2018 open meeting, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unanimously voted to open a new Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking input on whether, and if so how, it should update its existing policies and procedures… more

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Vicksburg District) (“Corps”) has issued an April 19th public notice referencing an application for an after-the-fact Clean Water Act 404 permit for work conducted in Ouachita County… more

With the Maryland Legislature’s passage of the Disclosing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Act of 2018, SB1010, Maryland employers will face new restrictions in drafting, renewing, or extending employment agreements. Effective… more

Soon after Fidel Castro overthrew the government of Cuba to found a communist state in 1959, Cuba began nationalizing U.S-owned properties in Cuba. In response, the U.S. implemented trade restrictions, closed its embassy in Havana… more

Litigation financing has quickly grown from a fledging concept into a robust industry. The concept is simple: in exchange for a share of any proceeds, a financing firm agrees to pay all or a portion of the plaintiff’s legal fees. The… more

The PTAB recently rejected a request for rehearing by Bayer CropScience LP (“Bayer”). Bayer Cropscience LP, v. Syngenta Limited, IPR2017-01332, Paper 15 (P.T.A.B. Apr. 2, 2018). The PTAB stated that when the prior art does not identify… more