Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives

Beginning January 1, 2013, employers must issue an updated notice form to applicants and employees when using criminal background information under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Beginning in 2014, sponsors of self-insured group health plans (and insurers for insured group health plans) will be required to pay an annual fee to fund the Transitional Reinsurance Program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently proposed additional regulations for this program.  Here is a quick overview of how the program will work under the proposed rules.

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Commission recently amended its regulations to the state’s Pregnancy Disability Leave Law.  The new regulations provide expanded protections and clarifications with regard to employer obligations related to Pregnancy Disability Leave (“PDL”).  The regulations take effect on December 30, 2012.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC”) recently approved a new Strategic Enforcement Plan to establish national enforcement priorities and provide more transparency for employers who may find themselves the subject of EEOC investigations.  After soliciting public and internal recommendations, the EEOC approved a plan that identifies six specific areas in which the agency believes increased enforcement will result in the most change. 

Implementation of the health care reform law now appears to be a certainty. We have already begun to see a flood of regulations creating new rules around the law’s implementation requirements, most of which will occur in 2013 and 2014.

In order to meet the burgeoning needs and concerns of our clients, the Hunton & Williams Health Care Reform team will be presenting a series of webinars over the coming months.

Please join us for the first in the series
 
Health Care Reform Is Here to Stay – What Do Employers Do Now?

Thursday, January 17, 2013
1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EST

Register Now

On December 6, 2012, New Jersey Assembly Bill 3581 was introduced and referred to the Assembly Budget Committee.  The Bill would amend New Jersey’s current statute concerning enforcement, penalties and procedures for law regarding failure to pay wages and provide for enhanced penalties, among other things.  The Bill is part of the Assembly’s recent push to promote job creation and economic development through a series of legislative initiatives.

The Second Circuit this week overturned the conviction of a pharmaceutical sales representative for conspiracy to engage in “off-label” marketing in violation of the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (the “Act”) in a decision that has implications for “whistleblower” cases brought against pharmaceutical employers by their employees.  In United States v. Caronia, No. 09-5006-cr, 2012 WL 5992141 (2d Cir. Dec. 2, 2012), a divided panel held that the Act could not be interpreted to criminalize truthful “off-label” marketing because such a reading would render the Act an unconstitutional violation of the drug manufacturer’s First Amendment rights.  “Off-label” marketing occurs when a drug or device is approved for one purpose but is marketed for other, non-approved purposes.

Michigan GOP leaders announced plans on December 6, 2012, to fast track “right to work” legislation during the lame duck session.  Just hours after the legislation was introduced and amid protests at the state Capitol, both the state Senate and House of Representatives approved bills prohibiting private-sector unions from requiring non-union employees to pay union dues as a condition of employment.  The Senate also quickly voted to approve a bill banning public-sector unions, except those representing police officers and firefighters, from requiring non-union members to pay union dues. 

Last Monday, the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in Vance v. Ball State University in order to resolve a circuit split over how much authority an alleged harasser must have to be considered a supervisor.  The definition of supervisor is important because two earlier Supreme Court cases, Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775 (1998) and Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth, 524 U.S. 742 (1998), establish that employers may be found vicariously or strictly liable for the conduct of supervisors who discriminate against or harass subordinate employees.

The growth of social media as a low-cost, widely-accessible form of communication has made it an ideal tool for businesses large and small to market themselves and reach out en mass to consumers in a manner more direct, personal, and in many ways effective than traditional media.  With Americans spending more time on-line than ever before, the value of such social media accounts can be considerable.  So when an employee who has used social media to develop his employer’s business and goodwill resigns, who owns the account, the contacts, and valuable consumer data that come with it?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides that group health plans may not apply a waiting period of more than 90 days for plan years beginning after December 31, 2013 (January 1, 2014 for calendar year plans).  IRS Notice 2012-59, which was issued earlier this year, provides guidance on how employers should apply this rule.

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