Filed Under: Business Law
Wisconsin Fair Employment Act Expanded To Provide Additional Protection To Employees
Recently enacted legislation provides additional protection to employees under the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act. The new law prohibits discrimination against an employee who declines to attend an employer-sponsored meeting or participate in any communication with an employer if the primary purpose of the meeting or communication is to convey opinions about religious or political matters. […]
Filed Under: Business Law Employment & Labor Law
Updating Handbooks to Include Break Time for Nursing Mothers
Most employers are aware that federal law now requires them to provide a reasonable amount of unpaid break time to a nursing mother to express milk. Many, however, have yet to amend their handbooks to include a policy reflecting the federal law. This simple step should be done to ensure that employees are on notice […]
Filed Under: Government Law
Low Speed Vehicles on Highways
A bill signed into law on March 12, 2010 amends the law governing operation of Low-Speed Vehicles (previously “Neighborhood Electric Vehicles”) on certain highways, and gives municipalities some authority over this issue. The new law redefines Neighborhood Electric Vehicles as Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs), conforming to the federal motor vehicle safety standards’ terminology and definition. It […]
Filed Under: Government Law
Changes to TID Administrative Procedures
A new law signed March 12, 2010 changes several administrative procedures that apply to tax incremental districts (TIDs), including how the 12 percent test is calculated. Under the new law, to determine whether a TID’s taxable property plus the value increment of all existing TIDs in a city or village does not exceed 12 percent […]
Filed Under: Government Law
Help for Distressed Tax Incremental Districts
Legislation was signed into law on May 12, 2010 that allows a municipality to designate a tax incremental district as a distressed or severely distressed district by resolution, thereby extending its receipt of positive increment over a longer lifetime. Under the new law, a district designated as distressed may remain in existence and receive positive […]
Filed Under: Business Law
COBRA Premium Subsidy Period Extended to May 31, 2010
President Obama signed the Continuing Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 2851) that extends the 15-month COBRA premium subsidy program. Under this extension, an individual may qualify for the subsidy if he or she experiences a COBRA qualifying event, which is the involuntary termination of a covered employee’s employment, at any time from September 1, 2008 […]
Filed Under: Government Law
2009 Wisconsin Act 173 Creates Consistency and Clarity
The recently enacted 2009 Wisconsin Act 173 modifies numerous statutes related to compensation of elected officials, the bidding procedure for public works contracts and restrictions on contracts for police services. The Act also creates flexibility in village notice of publication requirements and reduces municipal liability for mob damage. Establishment and Modification of Compensation for Elected […]
Filed Under: Business Law
COBRA Subsidy Eligibility Extended
On March 2, 2010, President Obama signed the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 (the “Act”). The Act extends the COBRA subsidy eligibility period to include individuals who are involuntarily terminated on or before March 31, 2010. The Act also, among other things, makes the following changes to the COBRA subsidy law first established in 2008 […]
Filed Under: Business Law
COBRA Subsidy Extended
On December 19, 2009, President Obama signed legislation extending the COBRA subsidy rights created earlier this year by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (“ARRA”). The key COBRA subsidy provisions of the new legislation, including important dates for providing notice, are provided below. Expanded Eligibility Period Employees covered by a health care plan who are […]
Filed Under: Government Law
Municipalities May Prolong the Use of Positive Environmental Remediation Tax Increment
Under a new law, a municipality may donate positive tax increment from an existing environmental remediation tax incremental district (ERTID) to another ERTID created by the same municipality, even after all eligible costs from the donor ERTID have been recovered. The environmental remediation tax incremental financing program set forth in section 66.1106 of the Wisconsin […]
Filed Under: Business Law
FMLA Coverage Expanded for Family Members of Military Service Personnel
Employers may need to revise their Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) policies to reflect an expansion in coverage to family members of military service personnel. In 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act granted FMLA protections to family members of military service personnel. The recently signed 2010 National Defense Authorization Act expands this coverage. Expanded Exigency […]
Filed Under: Government Law
Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act Becomes Effective November 21, 2009
The federal Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) was enacted in 2008 to prevent discrimination in the workplace on the basis of genetic information. However, the effective date of the law was delayed. The workplace discrimination provisions will be effective November 21, 2009. The key provisions of the law that employers need to know as the […]
Filed Under: Business Law
Wisconsin’s FMLA – Employees Are Now Entitled to Family Leave to Care for Domestic Partners
Employees are now entitled to take up to two (2) weeks of unpaid leave per year under the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act (WFMLA) to care for domestic partners with serious health conditions. The entitlement was added to the WFMLA by the budget bill, which was signed by Governor Doyle on June 29, 2009 […]
Filed Under: Business Law
Wisconsin Increases Financial Exposure to Employers for Employment Discrimination Claims
Under a new law, Wisconsin judges will be able to force Wisconsin employers to pay compensatory and punitive damages to employees who win discrimination claims before the Equal Rights Division. Prior to this law, employees could only obtain “make whole relief,” which is generally limited to back pay, front pay, and attorneys’ fees. The new […]
Filed Under: Business Law
Department of Labor Issues Model COBRA Notices
Today the US Department of Labor issued revised COBRA notices which are intended to help employers comply with the new COBRA provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The notices can be found at https://www.dol.gov/ebsa/COBRAmodelnotice.html. The key deadlines regarding the notices were detailed in our earlier Short Reports, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of […]
Filed Under: Government Law
How Municipalities May Apply For Federal Economic Stimulus Funding
A portion of the funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will go towards job creation and infrastructure projects that are “shovel-ready,” in other words, projects that are already in progress and ready to start construction in the next few months. Municipalities interested in tapping into Wisconsin’s share of these funds can […]
Filed Under: Business Law Employment & Labor Law
The New COBRA Subsidy Law – Action Steps
In our last Short Report, we outlined some of the key points of the new COBRA subsidy provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In this Short Report, we outline some of the steps employers should take to prepare for and implement those provisions. Brief Review The Act provides for a 65% […]
Filed Under: Business Law
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Imposes New COBRA Burdens on Employers
Subsidy, Tax Credit and Reimbursement Under the Act, eligible individuals who elect continuation coverage under COBRA need only pay 35% of the cost of the COBRA premium, with the employer initially picking up the remaining 65%. In most cases not involving a multi-employer group health plan, the eligible individual pays the reduced premium to the […]
Filed Under: Business Law
Federal Legislative Update
Washington is moving fast on a couple of high-profile employment-related laws that will significantly expand employer liability. The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was the first bill signed into law by President Obama on January 29, 2009. The Act eliminated previously existing time limits for filing many employment discrimination charges, and […]
