Back in October 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a San Francisco city ordinance that requires many employers to either contribute a specified amount toward their employees’ health care costs on a regular basis or pay into a city health care fund for San Francisco residents. Earlier this week, the Ninth Circuit denied a petition
Changes Coming to the WARN Act?
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification ("WARN") Act is getting a lot of airplay these days; that’s the federal law that requires qualifying employers to give 60 days’ notice of a plant closing, a layoff of 500 or more people at one location, or a cut of at least one-third of the work force at a
Revised IRS Form 941 Provides for COBRA Premium Assistance Credit
Employers: The Internal Revenue Service has issued a new Form 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return) that provides for any credits due because of the new COBRA Premium Assistance Credit. You can download the new form by clicking on the links below:
The IRS also has put up this
DOL Issues FAQs on COBRA Subsidy
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration has posted answers to 10 frequently asked questions regarding the COBRA subsidies included in the new stimulus package. Most relate to individual claims for the subsidy, but the information may be helpful to employers as well.
For more information about the subsidy, click here to read our
EEOC Proposes Regulations for Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
Today the EEOC published its proposed regulations on the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). Click here to download the proposed regulations. Interested members of the public have 60 days (or until May 1, 2009) to comment on the new regs.
GINA, passed by Congress last year, prohibits the improper use of genetic information in
New COBRA Subsidy Forms and Information Available
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration has just released a salvo of new forms and information on the COBRA subsidy. Click on the titles below to download:
- COBRA Premium Reduction Fact Sheet
- Job Loss Poster (8½" x 11")
- Loss Poster (11" x 17")
- Flyer for Employers • Flyer for Employees
- COBRA Continuation Health
Supreme Court Upholds Idaho Law on Union Speech 6-3
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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that an Idaho law banning local government employers from allowing payroll deductions for political activities does not violate unions’ First Amendment free speech rights. You can download the opinion here: Ysursa v. Pocatello Ed. Ass’n, U.S., No. 07-869, 2/24/09).
The Idaho Voluntary Contributions Act, enacted in
Senate Confirms Solis as Labor Secretary
The Senate confirmed California Representative Hilda Solis by a vote of 80 to 17 as the new Secretary of Labor in the Obama administration, ending several weeks of delays prompted by Republican concerns over her nomination and the disclosure that her husband paid $6,400 in tax liens earlier this year on his auto repair business.
Help On Stimulus Package’s COBRA Assistance Available
We have more information for you on the provisions of the stimulus bill affecting the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). First, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (part of the Department of Labor) has published this website with information on COBRA continuation coverage assistance. The Web site also includes a "Subscribe To This Page"
Stimulus Package Includes COBRA Subsidies
Among the provisions of the new stimulus package signed by President Obama are subsides for unemployed workers continuing their health care benefits through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). The key points of the package are:
- Who is eligible? Employees who have been involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009