Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law A. B. 1825, which requires certain employers to commence antiharassment training by July 1, 2006, and to conduct the training for supervisors every two years thereafter. The law applies to employers employing 50 or more employees regardless of the location of their employees.

The Pentagon inspector general’s office has launched an inquiry into the hiring practices of defense contractors that recruit high-level military officials to work for their companies. (<I>See</I> <I>"Pentagon Probes Suppliers’ Hiring," Wall Street Journal, Jan. 12, 2004 at A3</I>) The investigation was prompted by the Boeing Company’s decision in November 2003 to terminate Michael Sears, the company’s chief financial officer, and Darleen Druyun, a Boeing vice president who previously had served

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its final Stark Phase II regulations and set an effective date of July 24, 2004. Since these new regulations do not "grandfather" existing arrangements, physicians and healthcare providers must bring their existing arrangements into compliance by the effective date.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) yesterday issued an exemptive order<SUP>1</SUP> granting certain accelerated filers<SUP>2</SUP> up to an additional 45 days to include in their annual reports the management report on internal control over financial reporting and the related auditor’s report on management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

On December 13, 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court upset more than two decades’ worth of established practice when it determined that a landowner conducting a "voluntary" cleanup pursuant to a threatened state enforcement action did not have a right to seek contribution from another potentially responsible party (PRP) pursuant to Section 113(f)(1) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).

In a major victory for employers, the National Labor Relations Board (Board) recently overruled its decision in Epilepsy Foundation of Northeast Ohio, 331 NLRB 676 (2000), and ruled that non-unionized employees do not have the right to have co-workers present at investigatory interviews that may lead to discipline. IBM Corp., 341 NLRB No. 148.

Denying federal funding to higher education institutions that prevent on-campus military recruiting is a constitutional exercise of Congress’ spending power and obligation to raise armies. That was the decision of a federal district court in New Jersey addressing a consolidated, multifront assault on the Solomon Amendment, 10 U.S.C. § 983(b).

In O’Connor v. Washburn University, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeal held that Washburn University, a municipal university in Topeka, Kansas, that is funded by city and county taxes, did not have to remove a statue many Catholics found offensive.