Melissa King And The Sandhogs (Podcast)

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?

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.

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.

On March 27, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a notice in the Federal Register seeking to restructure the calculation used to issue prevailing wages for employers seeking to hire temporary foreign employees...

The Proposed Rule largely restores the 2021 independent contractor final rule issued during the first Trump Administration.

OSHA's revised Hazard Communication Standard requires covered employers to update chemical labels, written hazard communication programs, and employee training by November 20, 2026. The revisions align with the UN's Globally Harmonized System and introduce new hazard classifications, downstream use considerations, and updated requirements for compressed gases and aerosols. Employers must navigate separate compliance timelines for chemical mixtures while ensuring their workplace practices meet the updated st

While it’s difficult to think about winter and the new year as we swelter through our hottest weeks of the year, the approach of Q4 means that California employers are budgeting for 2027.

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.

On July 13, 2026, 26 current and former Meta employees sued the company in federal court in Oakland, California, alleging that Meta used artificial intelligence (AI) systems to select them for layoff in a manner...

Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to immediately halt all environmental permits for data center projects, expanding a statewide regulatory freeze that now encompasses power, water, and environmental approvals. This directive establishes strict operational mandates requiring data centers to fully fund infrastructure costs, report all resource consumption...

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) intensified its sanctions enforcement in September 2026, with sweeping actions targeting Iran's aviation and financial sectors, new Cuba sanctions regulations, and a comprehensive overhaul of its enforcement architecture. How will these expanded restrictions and the new presumption of denial for Iran-related licenses reshape compliance strategies for multinational companies and financial institutions?

California Governor Newsom signed seven data center bills into law on September 21, 2026, establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework that takes effect January 1, 2027. These bills create new tariff regimes administered by the California Public Utilities Commission, impose extensive reporting requirements on data center operators, and establish water disclosure mandates and CEQA treatment protocols.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two new AI in employment bills that will go into effect as of January 1, 2027. These bills will limit and regulate the use of artificial intelligence decision making in the employer-employee relationship.

As U.S. utilities commit record capital to grid expansion, equipment procurement has emerged as a critical constraint. Lead times for transformers now stretch beyond two years, while material scarcity, inflation, and labor shortages compound delays across conductor, switchgear, and substation components.

Proposed IRS regulations would significantly simplify dependent care assistance program (DCAP) nondiscrimination testing by excluding employees who receive no benefits from the 55% average benefits test. This participant-only approach should reduce testing failures and the need for employers to cap highly compensated employees’ elections.

Texas has launched a sweeping investigation into hundreds of data center developments that failed to comply with mandatory water use surveys, marking the latest escalation in a seven-week regulatory crackdown. The state's actions have frozen permits, paused interconnection studies, and exposed projects to criminal and civil enforcement, all while the industry faces mounting scrutiny over its rapidly growing demands on electricity and water infrastructure. With multiple state agencies now coordinating enforc

Oilfield service firms responding to the Dallas Fed Energy Survey for the third quarter of 2026 reported substantially broader increases in input costs than in the prices they received. The input-cost index was 60.4, compared with a prices-received index of 16.3. Each index represents the percentage of respondents reporting an increase minus the percentage reporting a decrease.

Expect hearings, document requests, and executive testimony on AI safety incidents, model testing, competition, and data practices beginning in early 2027. House Democratic committee leaders have already asked five frontier AI companies to report misalignment and safety incidents to Congress within 48 hours of detection.

California employers face new decisions about compensation arrangements following Governor Newsom's signing of Assembly Bill 1697, which postpones restrictions on employment-related repayment obligations and expands statutory exceptions. The legislation raises practical questions about whether changes already made to sign-on bonuses, retention agreements, and other compensation structures should remain in place or be reconsidered under the amended law.