In legislative terms, the month of March came in like a lion and went out (almost) like a lamb, as the pace of new bills introduced at the state level slowed considerably.
In an April 3, 2019 filing in the federal district court that had ordered reinstatement of EEO-1 pay data reporting requirements, the EEOC explained its inability to comply with the court’s ruling on its present timeline.
On April 1, 2019, New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham (D) signed Senate Bill (SB) 437, which amends the New Mexico Minimum Wage Act by increasing the state minimum wage, increasing the minimum cash wage for tipped employees, and revising tip pool standards.
On March 27, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act. Because the issue of pay equity is gaining ground, the bill may be used as a campaign talking point as the next election approaches.
On April 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on joint employment under the Fair Labor Standards Act—the third proposed rule published by the agency in the last two weeks.
The DOL has released a proposed rule to clarify and update the “regular rate” requirements under the FLSA, focusing on the types of compensation and benefits that employers must include in the overtime calculation.
New York’s vast home care industry and those who rely on their services breathed a sigh of relief on March 26, 2019, when the New York Court of Appeals gave providers the green light to continue to pay home care aides for 13 hours of a 24-hour shift.
