On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law, as part of the 2020 Appropriations Bill, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019. This is the first major legislation affecting retirement plans since the Pension Protection Act of 2006.
The Act contains provisions to encourage the growth of 401(k) plans.
On December 18, 2019, a federal appeals court ruled that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate is unconstitutional, since the mandate tax penalty had been reduced to zero. The individual mandate, the requirement that everyone have health insurance coverage, was previously challenged as unconstitutional. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the individual mandate
The holiday season is here and many employers have scheduled holiday parties to celebrate the year, thank employees for their service, and build employee morale. These parties are a long-standing tradition that employees look forward to attending.
Every year, however, holiday parties result in claims of harassment and discrimination based on various acts of misconduct.
A common pitfall for employers is the misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime pay and the misclassification of workers as independent contractors. These misclassifications often occur because an employer is taking an aggressive legal position or does not, understandably, know all the legal requirements and nuances. Misclassifications can also occur because an employer mistakenly
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has increased the amount employees may contribute to their 401(k) and 403(b) plans next year from $19,000 to $19,500. The IRS announced this week its inflation adjustments for 2020, including:
• Overall contribution limit for defined contribution plans increases from $56,000 to $57,000.
• Total compensation that may be considered
On October 18, 2019, the firm hosted its 31st Annual Labor and Employment Seminar at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, Connecticut. Our annual seminar is a complimentary offering for our clients, which is eligible for SHRM, HRCI and Connecticut CLE credits. The event began with breakfast and an opportunity to mingle before the seminar.
In 2018, website accessibility lawsuits increased by 177%. Website accessibility lawsuits can arise when people with disabilities cannot use a company’s website because it does not use current technology. Businesses are required by federal law, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), to accommodate people with disabilities. In 2018, Domino’s Pizza argued that it
Each year the new laws passed by the General Assembly generally take effect on October 1. Below are the new laws taking effect today that will affect employers and the workplace.
Wage and Hour Changes
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) released the final version of its highly anticipated Fair Labor Standards Act overtime and minimum wage exemption rule, setting qualifications for exemption at an annual salary of $35,568. The final rule is effective January 1, 2020.
Change is Coming
Under the new rule, the salary level threshold will increase