January 2018 Employment Law Notes

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and IRS recently issued temporary regulations that provide an immediately effective framework for establishing and administering “Trump Accounts,” including broad automatic enrollment and large-scale contributions funded by governmental and charitable donors. The regulations became effective September 30, 2026, apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and expire September 30, 2029.

The IRS has released Revenue Procedure 2026-24, establishing new inflation-adjusted limits for Health Savings Accounts and high-deductible health plans effective in 2027. These updates include increased contribution limits, higher minimum deductibles, and expanded out-of-pocket maximums, along with new provisions for direct primary care service arrangements under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act. How will these changes impact employee benefit planning and healthcare coverage strategies?

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Allegheny County Council passed legislation requiring employers with at least 15 workers to provide 12 weeks of paid parental leave, ending months-long debate on the proposal. We previously reported on the initial 18-week proposal in May 2026 (summarized here), the revised proposed legislation (summarized here), and the Allegheny County Board of Health passing the legislation (summarized here). The measure was passed in an 11-4 vote. It will become effective in one year, as County Executive Sara Innamorato signed the bill on, October 22, 2026.

The Trump Administration has launched an unprecedented enforcement action suspending permanent labor certification processing for eight major employers, linking immigration sponsorship to layoff histories and recruitment practices. This development signals a fundamental shift in how the government evaluates employer access to H-1B and green card programs, with investigations already underway and subpoenas served.

Maryland employers must comply with new posting requirements under the Worker Freedom Act, which prohibits penalizing employees who decline attendance at employer-sponsored meetings on religious or political matters. The Maryland Department of Labor has released official notices in English and Spanish that must be displayed prominently in workplaces and provided to new hires starting November 1, 2026.

Donald Dowling says abusive labor practices are a huge problem around the world, and often the smaller local manufacturers, miners and growers within countries that are committing labor...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a final rule that will shift the H-1B cap registration selection process from a random lottery to a weighted selection process...

Illinois employers face new requirements for Equal Pay Registration Certificate submissions as the state Department of Labor eliminates the "prefers not to identify" option for employee demographic data. Starting January 1, 2027, businesses must report definitive sex and race information for all employees, raising questions about data collection methods and compliance strategies.

On October 19, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2026-1, formally withdrawing three opinion letters that served as the foundation for the so-called “80/20 Rule” governing tipped employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The DOL also confirmed that its current enforcement guidance does not impose a percentage-based limit on the time a tipped employee may spend performing related, non-tip-producing duties. Instead, the inquiry focuses on whether the employee’s duties are related to the employee’s tipped occupation.

The Department of Labor has reversed course on its controversial proposal to remove over 450 long-standing Fair Labor Standards Act interpretations from federal regulations. What does this mean for employers who have relied on these familiar guidelines for decades to ensure wage and hour compliance? The withdrawal brings stability to industries like retail, construction, and motor carriers...

On September 30, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued two rule proposals and five notices aimed at expanding investors’ access to private markets. The package would add ways to qualify as an accredited investor, including passing a new exam administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), broaden performance-based compensation and modernize regulated funds, including interval funds and business development companies (BDCs).

The CFTC has proposed classifying event contracts as swaps while excluding traditional casino-style gambling products, directly responding to ongoing federal-state disputes over prediction markets and sports betting jurisdiction. These regulatory actions seek to clarify the agency's authority over event contracts amid conflicting appellate court decisions and pending Supreme Court review.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has withdrawn its controversial proposal to remove nine parts of longstanding Fair Labor Standards Act interpretive guidance from the Code of Federal Regulations. What does this reversal mean for employers who have relied on these decades-old interpretations, and how does the Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision reshape the legal weight of agency guidance going forward?

Medicare Advantage faces unprecedented regulatory scrutiny as federal agencies deploy aggressive audit strategies, Congress investigates alleged fraud schemes, and courts challenge CMS's authority over payment structures.

In a landmark decision, a nine judge bench of the Supreme Court of India ruled today that privacy is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution of India.

The European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs has adopted its position on the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation reform, establishing key divergences with the European Commission and Council on professional investor exemptions and fossil fuel investment criteria. With trilogue negotiations set to begin in October 2026, private markets managers face critical decisions about how to position their funds under the new three-category framework expected to take effect in early 2029.

Recent California and federal court decisions address critical employment law issues including the extraterritorial application of California labor statutes, mass joinder in workplace harassment cases...

California employers face a new wave of workplace legislation covering artificial intelligence oversight, expanded leave rights, enhanced privacy protections, and increased penalties for violations. From mandatory human supervision of AI-driven employment decisions to anti-hate-speech training requirements, these laws reshape compliance obligations across multiple domains.

New York State Legislature has passed a bill that would require employers to provide employees with a minimum 21-day review period and 7-day revocation window for separation agreements involving the release of claims. The proposed "No Severance Ultimatums Act" extends procedural protections similar to those under federal age discrimination law to all covered severance agreements, regardless of employee age, and awaits Governor Hochul's signature.

The Department of Justice has operationalized its fraud-enforcement architecture through data analytics, targeting healthcare providers with multi-district strike forces, Medicare Advantage risk-adjustment actions, and accelerated qui tam review processes. How are federal and state agencies using publicly available data to drive False Claims Act enforcement, and what proactive steps should healthcare organizations take to identify and remediate potential exposure before becoming the focus of government atte