The Beltway Buzz is a weekly update summarizing labor and employment news from inside the Beltway and clarifying how what’s happening in Washington, D.C., could impact your business....more
6/24/2024
/ Construction Industry ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Farm Animals ,
Farms ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Over-Time ,
Political Parties ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Spouses ,
Student Athletes ,
USCIS
DACA Regulations Finalized. On August 24, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a final rule to codify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals...more
8/29/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Construction Contracts ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Federal Contractors ,
H-1B ,
OFCCP ,
Project Labor Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
Congressional Drama. -
There was drama this week on Capitol Hill, as Congress juggled four major issues: funding for the federal government, a bipartisan bill to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, a $3.5 “human...more
10/4/2021
/ College Athletes ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Debt Ceiling ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Shutdown ,
Infrastructure ,
Infrastructure Financing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Tax Credits ,
Temporary Regulations ,
USCIS ,
Vaccinations
Senate Committee Examines PRO Act. On July 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing entitled “The Right to Organize: Empowering American Workers in a 21st Century...more
7/26/2021
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Biden Administration ,
Comment Period ,
Congressional Committees ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Kamala Harris ,
Minimum Wage ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Tipped Employees ,
Union Elections ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Well, Now What Do We Do? It seems like months (or, more accurately, a year) since the Buzz hasn’t had to provide an update on COVID-19 relief legislation or negotiations. Hopefully, that is good news and a positive sign that...more
3/22/2021
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Biden Administration ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equality Act ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Reform ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Workplace Safety
Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021. President Biden hit the ground running, issuing 17 executive orders, proclamations, memoranda, and similar actions on his first...more
1/25/2021
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Environmental Policies ,
Ethics ,
Executive Orders ,
Gender Equity ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Race Discrimination ,
Relief Measures ,
Student Loans
Well, Tuesday was the big day. After much deliberation and soul-searching, the Buzz decided to go with an Italian sub. More seriously, at the time of this writing, it looks like former vice president Joe Biden is heading to...more
11/9/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Review Act ,
DACA ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Election Results ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
General Elections ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
Presidential Elections
DOL Issues Back-to-School Leave Guidance. On August 27, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) updated its frequently asked questions regarding paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus...more
8/31/2020
/ Child Care ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Final Rules ,
Public Schools ,
Remote Working ,
Students ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
SCOTUS: Title VII Protects LGBTQ and Transgender Employees. On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States released its historical decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, holding that discrimination against...more
6/19/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Citizenship ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security v Regents of the University of California ,
Educational Institutions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
OSHA ,
Path To Citizenship ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Rescission ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
Trump v NAACP ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Wolf v Vidal ,
Work Permits
2020 Preview. -=
Federal lawmakers returned to Washington, D.C., this week to kick off the second session of the 116th Congress. With national political elections 10 months away, the policy debates will be amplified, and...more
1/13/2020
/ Audits ,
Comment Period ,
Congressional Committees ,
DACA ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Electronic Filing ,
Federal Contractors ,
H-1B ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
LGBTQ ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
OIRA ,
Pending Legislation ,
Registration Requirement ,
Union Representatives ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
Wage and Hour
DACA at SCOTUS. On November 12, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral argument in a series of cases challenging President Donald Trump’s termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)...more
Who’s Running USCIS? The Buzz was away last week, so we didn’t get a chance to comment on the departure of L. Francis Cissna from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It has been reported that former Virginia...more
6/10/2019
/ 19th Amendment ,
Association Health Plans ,
DACA ,
EBSA ,
Executive Orders ,
Exhaustion Doctrine ,
OIRA ,
Pending Legislation ,
Professional Employer Organization ,
Retirement Plan ,
SCOTUS ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
USCIS
Shutdown Stalemate. Today marks day 21 of the partial federal government shutdown. Assuming that no deal is struck today, by tomorrow the shutdown will be the longest in our nation’s history....more
Kennedy Steps Down. In a week of significant political developments, perhaps the most significant was Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s June 27 announcement that he is resigning effective July 31, 2018. The vacancy...more
Our Washington Capitals fever is breaking here in D.C. but not before local area legislators introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives congratulating the team on their recent Stanley Cup victory. No surprise...more
Ring Recusal Request. On April 16, management attorney John Ring was sworn in as chair and fifth member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). But before Ring even had an opportunity to learn where the coffee and...more
4/23/2018
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Ambush Election Rules ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
DACA ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Income Taxes ,
NLRB ,
Recusal ,
State Sovereignty ,
Unions
Omnibus Speeds Through. More than six months into the current fiscal year, earlier today President Trump signed a massive omnibus spending bill that will fund the federal government through September 30. This means that a...more
3/26/2018
/ Appropriations Bill ,
DACA ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Budget ,
H-1B ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRB ,
OSHRC ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS
DACA Deadline Day. To the surprise of almost no one, March 5 has come and gone, and Congress did not reach a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) issue. This Congress has enough trouble agreeing on...more
Déjà Vu All Over Again? It is perhaps fitting that last Friday was Groundhog Day, as this week we relived the same government funding battle that we went through just a few weeks ago. Thankfully, because the shutdown card has...more
2/12/2018
/ Administrative Interpretation ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
DACA ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Shutdown ,
Multi-Employer Pensions ,
NLRB ,
Paid Leave ,
Political Parties ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour
Crisis (Largely) Averted. On the evening of January 22, President Trump signed a continuing resolution that ended the brief weekend government shutdown and that will keep the lights on and trains running until February 8. It...more
Shutdown Showdown. Trying to keep track of the media reports on the negotiations being conducted to avoid a government shutdown has the Buzz feeling as confused as Lou Costello in his famous routine with his partner Bud...more
Some welcome hot air has finally come to D.C., and it’s not just coming from the mouths of politicians and regulators. Seriously. It’s 60 degrees today in D.C.! This time last week, it was 20 degrees. That’s quite a flip-flop...more
Welcome to the first edition of the 2018 Beltway Buzz. While political and policy discussions are beginning to heat up again in our nation’s capital, the weather is not....more
Welcome back, and hold onto your reindeer reins - it’s going to be a busy few weeks ahead.
The 12 Days (or so) of Congress. Congress has returned to D.C. after a week-long Thanksgiving break, and the Trump administration...more
Tax Bill or Health Bill? It’s Two Bills in One! Caught in a legislative black hole, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) cannot escape efforts to eradicate it—or at least large chunks of it. ...more
11/20/2017
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Coal Mines ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dodd-Frank ,
EEO-1 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Compensation ,
Individual Mandate ,
OMB ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Repeal ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Secretary of Labor ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions