Federal Alerts

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that employers may compel employees to arbitrate individual claims raised under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA).

The U.S. Supreme Court has held in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392 (June 24, 2022) that there is no federal protection of abortion rights, overturning nearly 50 years of precedent from the Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania v. Casey on the issue. The ruling now enables each state to set its own legal requirements regarding abortions.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced an adjustment to rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business purposes for calendar year 2022. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the automatic extension period for certain employment authorizations and employment authorization documents (EADs) has been temporarily increased from 180 days to 540 days. The extension period is provided to certain renewal applicants to help prevent gaps in employment authorization due to delays in processing.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that employers will be allowed to inspect Form I-9 documents remotely in certain situations related to COVID-19 until October 31, 2022. Prior to the announcement, this temporary policy was set to expire on April 30, 2022.

On April 6, 2022, President Biden announced an extension of the pause on student loan repayment through August 31, 2022.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that a temporary policy regarding expired documents used for Form I-9 purposes will end on April 30, 2022. The I-9 is used to verify a new hire's identity and work authorization.

The United States Supreme Court has issued a decision that blocks a federal OSHA emergency temporary standard (ETS) that would require employers with 100 or more employees to ensure that employees either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or produce a weekly negative test. Separately, the court upheld a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Interim Final Rule (CMS Rule), requiring vaccinations among certain healthcare workers. 

Click here for more details on the decisions.

OSHA’s Recordkeeping Standard, 29 CFR 1904, requires that certain employers maintain annual records of workplace injuries and illnesses. The records are maintained throughout the calendar year on the OSHA Form 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (300 Log) and are summarized on the OSHA Form 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (300A Summary) at the end of each calendar year. The 300A Summary is required to be posted in the workplace every Feb. 1 through April 30 to show records from the previous year’s injuries and illnesses even if no work-related injuries or illnesses occurred during the previous year.