- Costly disputes can arise when parties fail to properly document changes to a construction contract's original scope of work.
- According to the SEC, these priorities reflect certain practices and products that may present heightened risk to investors and/or the integrity of the U.S. capital markets.
- President Trump has signed legislation for fiscal year 2020 that includes several immigration-related provisions and preventing government shutdown.
- DHS has extended the validity of employment authorization documents issued under TPS designations through January 4, 2021, for certain TPS beneficiaries.
- On December 26, 2019, USCIS announced it would begin accepting applications from certain Liberian nationals to adjust status to lawful permanent residence.
- A new joint proposed rule by the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice would provide seven additional mandatory bars to eligibility for asylum.
- The Department of Justice reached a settlement agreement with Adecco USA Inc., one of the largest staffing companies in the United States.
- By a bipartisan vote of 260-165, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation intended to ease the agricultural labor shortage.
- The Trump administration recently published its regulatory agenda and, of interest to employers, will redefine the term “specialty occupation."
- Oregon-based Judge Michael Simon ruled that the October 2019 Presidential Proclamation "is inconsistent” with the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- USCIS will open an initial registration period for H-1B Electronic Registration for FY 2021 Cap Season from March 1 through March 20, 2020.
- NBC found that 14 “suspicious” companies employed more than 5,500 foreign students through the Optional Practical Training program.
Minnesota’s Medical Alley is a leading health care center anchored by world-class providers, technology companies and payors near Rochester, Minnesota.
- The process of preparing H-1B petitions is changing this year, for the Fiscal Year 2021 H-1B lottery.
On December 20, President Trump signed the SECURE Act, the biggest legislative change to the U.S. retirement system in over a decade, which will have a significant impact on qualified retirement plans and IRAs.
- The United States and China announced on December 13, 2019, that the two countries have reached agreement on a Phase One trade deal.
- Mexico’s foreign trade rules were modified by decree published on December 9, 2019. The decree includes new and revised conditions for Mexico’s IMMEX and PROSEC programs.
- On December 10, 2019, the White House and Congress announced that they have reached an agreement that opens a path for ratification of the new free trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada (USMCA).
- In October 2019, Waterloo became the first Iowa city to adopt a “Ban the Box” ordinance, following in the footsteps of more than 150 cities across the country adopting similar ordinances.
- There is no doubt that partnerships with software vendors make fast, customer-friendly banking possible, but they also expose banks to a whole new world of risk and liability.
- The FTC released "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers" to offer guidance on how influencers should disclose a relationship with a brand.
In the past month, over 40 retailers and restaurants have been served with lawsuits in federal court, alleging that a lack of Braille gift cards discriminates against blind customers in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2020 cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirement plans. Most limits have increased.
- In July 2019, the U.S. Trademark Office announced it would implement new rules to clarify what constitutes an acceptable specimen to show use on goods.
- The Minnesota Supreme Court recently affirmed an employer’s liability for more than a half million dollars in unpaid overtime wages and an additional half million in liquidated damages because the employer’s split-day compensation system did not comply with the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act (MFLSA).
- The DOL’s new overtime rule is likely to survive the legal challenges that stopped the 2016 rule from going into effect. In the meantime, what should employers do to prepare for the rule’s effective date?
If you appealed an IRF overpayment decision, you may be eligible to join this settlement. Instructions for submission can be found on the CMS website.
- 18 attorneys general have filed an amicus brief challenging a new DHS expansion of expedited removal of undocumented immigrants. The signers support a preliminary injunction to bar implementation while the court case is proceeding.
- Among other things, the 217-page final rule defines certain terms and explains factors DHS will consider when making a public charge inadmissibility determination. Lawsuits have been filed.
- The bulletin notes that it is "likely that corrective action will also be required for other preferences prior to the end of the fiscal year."
- New site visits are underway to question foreign students and company managers on optional practical training in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
- The first planned closures are the field offices in Monterrey, Mexico, and Seoul, South Korea, at the end of September 2019.
- Approximately 83,884 applicants have been registered and notified and may now make an application for an immigrant visa.
The likely end of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is coming soon, but many banks have not taken adequate steps to protect themselves and their clients from a seismic shift that some have labeled “the next Y2K.”
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is considering two significant changes to Regulation C, the implementing regulation of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (together, HMDA), which could lighten the compliance burden on smaller banks.
- The last few months have brought a number of changes, big and small, to what is required of employers in Minnesota. Here are some of the changes that Minnesota employers need to know to stay compliant in an ever-changing legal environment.
China’s Ministry of Finance announced new tariffs of between 5 percent and 10 percent on $75 billion worth of imported goods from the United States, affecting products in the Midwestern states and deepening tensions between U.S. and China.
- Beginning August 3, 2019, all foreign-domiciled trademark applicants, registrants and parties will be required to have a U.S. attorney appear on their behalf in the U.S. Trademark Office.
- With immediate effect, DHS issued a notice to dramatically expand the process of expedited removal. The ACLU has promised to file a suit challenging the action.
- A long-anticipated final rule provides priority date retention for certain EB-5 investors, increases the required minimum investment amounts, changes the targeted employment area (TEA) designation process, and clarifies USCIS procedures for the removal of conditions on permanent residence.
Effective August 1, 2019, a new law requires vendors to check the exclusion list “on a monthly basis and document the date and time the exclusion list was checked and the name and title of person who checked the exclusion list.”
- During the 2019 Iowa Legislative Session, there were developments that may impact employment-related decisions, especially related to hiring.
- Minnesota employers are subject to several new record-keeping and notice requirements as a result of amendments made to several employment law statutes. The new requirements take effect July 1, 2019.
- What are the USMCA’s anti-corruption provisions and how can Mexico use them to fight pervasive corruption?
- The national and local publications have been full of articles recently on the emerging agricultural crisis confronting producers. Now might be a good time for lenders to brush up on the most significant laws affecting their loan remedies in the event it becomes necessary to seek enforcement of their loans.
- As of March 2019, a majority of states have legalized the use of cannabis products in some capacity, but cannabis-related businesses operating within the bounds of state law are still largely without access to basic financial services.
- As of March 2019, the Social Security Administration (SSA) resumed sending “no-match” letters to employers.
- A federal judge issued a nationwide order requiring USCIS to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a policy under which F-1/M-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors would begin to accrue unlawful presence as soon as they violate the terms of their visa status.
- Effective May 1, 2019, the E-2 investor visa program has opened to Israelis under a reciprocal treaty investor agreement signed between the United States and Israel.
- The letter asked the agency to explain the reasons for backlogged cases and how certain policies such as “extreme vetting” affect processing times and contribute to the backlog.
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