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
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.
Congress on Spring Break...What’s on...more
4/8/2024
/ Affirmative Action ,
Certification Requirements ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Funding ,
Final Rules ,
H-1B ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
Silica ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps
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.
March (Shutdown) Madness. Finally! This...more
3/25/2024
/ Basketball ,
Congressional Committees ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fraud ,
Gender Equity ,
Government Shutdown ,
H-1B ,
Independent Contractors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
OSHA ,
Union Walk Around Rule ,
Unions
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
3/4/2024
/ Construction Industry ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EEO-1 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Funding ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Government Shutdown ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
OFCCP ,
OSHA ,
Secretary of the Interior ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings
House Advances Bipartisan Tax Package. On January 31, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (H.R. 7024) by a vote of 357–70....more
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
Congress: Home for the Holidays. The U.S. Congress is wrapping up for the year, and—we know you are going to find this hard to believe—Congress didn’t make much legislative progress during the three-week post-Thanksgiving...more
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
Fourth Time’s a Charm. After three-plus weeks and three failed nominees, on October 25, 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives elected Mike Johnson (R-LA) to be the Speaker of the House by a vote of 220–209. Johnson, the...more
10/30/2023
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
H-1B ,
Joint Employers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Speaker of the House ,
U.S. House ,
USCIS
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.
House of Pain. This week, the Buzz was...more
10/23/2023
/ Confirmation Proceedings ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
F-1 Visa ,
H-1B ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
OIRA ,
Political Parties ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Secretary of Labor ,
Speaker of the House ,
US State Departments ,
USCIS ,
Visas
POTUS Signs Bill Ending COVID-19 Emergency. On April 10, 2023, President Biden signed a congressional resolution officially ending the COVID-19 national emergency. The resolution was passed out of the U.S. House of...more
4/17/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Contractors ,
H-1B ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
USCIS
POTUS Issues First Veto. On March 20, 2023, after more than two years in office, President Biden issued his first legislative veto. As expected, President Biden rejected the bipartisan Congressional Review Act resolution that...more
3/27/2023
/ Administrative Priority ,
Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Contractors ,
H-1B ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
Presidential Veto ,
Retirement Plan ,
Scheduling Letters ,
Severance Agreements
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
President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union Address this week. Though it was easy to miss in the speech, workplace policy observers may have noticed that the president briefly pushed for passage of the Paycheck...more
3/7/2022
/ Arbitration ,
Biden Administration ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
H-1B ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
L-1 Visas ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Minimum Wage ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SCOTUS ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State of the Union ,
Wage and Hour
In its first 100 days in office, the Biden administration has advanced its policy priorities, many of which have involved repealing the policy accomplishments of the previous presidential administration. The Biden...more
5/21/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Graduate Students ,
H-1B ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
OIRA ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Charge ,
Religious Exemption ,
Revocation ,
Student Employees ,
Tipped Employees ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
Administration Debuts Infrastructure Package. Just weeks after enacting the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, the Biden administration this week unveiled the American Jobs Plan - its $2.3 trillion infrastructure...more
4/5/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Baseball ,
Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-3 ,
EEO-1 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
H-1B ,
H-1B1 ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Infrastructure ,
Internal Investigations ,
L-1 Visas ,
NLRB ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Trump Administration ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Visas
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
Congress Sees Its Shadow. It was Groundhog Day this past week, and it sure feels like we have been living the same day over and over again with the way that the parties in Congress can’t agree on an economic stimulus package....more
2/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
H-1B ,
New Guidance ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Secretary of DHS ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Haven’t We Seen This Movie Before? Following the Thanksgiving break, federal legislators have been back in Washington, D.C., this week as the 116th United States Congress - which will likely end on January 3, 2021 - sprints...more
Election 2020: Patience Required. Voting in the 2020 elections wraps up in just four days, on November 3, 2020. However, due to many tight races and the unprecedented volume of mail-in ballots (and states’ differing rules on...more
10/30/2020
/ Amicus Briefs ,
Comment Period ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
General Elections ,
H-1B ,
Independent Contractors ,
NLRA ,
NPRM ,
OSHA ,
Press Releases ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour
Economic Stimulus Negotiations End. Again. With the current acrimony between Republicans and Democrats at a significant low point, the Buzz did not exactly go out on a limb last week in predicting that there would not be a...more
10/9/2020
/ Conciliation ,
Congressional Committees ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
H-1B ,
Judicial Appointments ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Relief Measures ,
USCIS
“Skinny” Coronavirus Package Blocked. Congress returned to Washington, D.C., this week following an August recess, but didn’t do much to move the ball forward on pressing issues such as coronavirus relief, postal service aid,...more
9/14/2020
/ Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
FEMA ,
H-1B ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRB ,
Title VII ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
USCIS
Administration Limits Nonimmigrant Visas. On June 22, 2020, President Trump issued a Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak. The proclamation...more
6/29/2020
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-Visas ,
Liquidated Damages ,
NLRB ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
Visas
COVID-19 Update. Set forth below is a quick roundup of policy developments and implications concerning the COVID-19 virus.
...more
3/17/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
AFL-CIO ,
Apprenticeships ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEOC General Counsel ,
Emergency Response ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
H-1B ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Paid Leave ,
Policy Memorandums ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Leave ,
State of Emergency ,
Title VII
Congress and the Coronavirus. In the wake of the growing coronavirus threat, federal lawmakers responded this week by doing what they do best: holding hearings. The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and...more
3/9/2020
/ Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Databases ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Vacancies Reform Act ,
H-1B ,
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
USCIS