The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) released a detailed guidance and brief fact sheet on March 8, 2022, providing details on how money from the new infrastructure law will be distributed to communities needing federal funds for local sewer and water projects.
On January 28, 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sent notices to several businesses offering loyalty programs to California consumers, alleging noncompliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for failure to provide adequate notice of their financial incentive programs.
The State of Ohio requires counties to reappraise real property tax values every six years. In the interim, the counties are required to update values in the middle of that cycle.
Earlier today, February 10, 2022, the Senate passed House Resolution 4445—expected to be signed into law by President Biden shortly—which prohibits the enforcement of contract provisions mandating arbitration of workplace sexual harassment or sexual assault claims.
On February 4, 2022, the U.S. Departments of Labor, the Treasury, and Health and Human Services (Tri-Agencies) issued additional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding group health plan coverage of over-the-counter COVID-19 tests (OTC Tests).
It is expected to be another big year for privacy laws as many states will look to join California, Virginia, and Colorado in passing comprehensive privacy laws.
On January 28, 2022, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the H-1B lottery process will open at noon ET on March 1, 2022 and will run through noon ET on March 18, 2022.
Since its enactment in 2008, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) has prevented group health plans from imposing more restrictive benefit limitations on mental health or substance use disorder benefits compared to limitations on medical or surgical benefits.
On January 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned the Seventh Circuit decision in Hughes v. Northwestern University (see the decision here), and required the lower court to reevaluate whether any of the disputed investments in the extensive plan investment line-up were imprudent based on the circumstances prevailing at the time.
Having seen the proverbial writing on the wall, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today that it will withdraw its COVID-19 Testing or Vaccination ETS effective January 26, 2022.
After nearly two years of frustrating uncertainty regarding whether employers are required to pay employees for time spent undergoing COVID testing or health screenings, the United States’ Department of Labor (DOL) has finally provided some guidance.
The IRS issued new proposed regulations (https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2021-25202.pdf) which will impact furnishing Forms 1095-B and 1095-C to covered individuals.
The Supreme Court finally brought clarity to the status of the separate COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which provided a vaccine-or-test requirement for employers with over 100 employees, and the rule issued by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), which mandated vaccination for employees of providers who receive Medicaid or Medicare funding.
