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Multiple Paid Leave and Flexible Work Bills Introduced in Congress

"Several Members of Congress have introduced competing bills related to paid leave and flexible work schedules.... It is unclear whether any of these measures will be considered or even become law, but the number of federal bills and their bipartisan origin indicates that there is a chance of changes in these areas."

Sick and Safe Time Leave Reaches Northern Minnesota

"The City of Duluth, Minnesota recently became the third major Minnesota city to enact a local law providing eligible employees with paid leave for sick or safe time absences.... The Ordinance is written to apply to employers with five or more employees nationwide -- regardless of where those employees are located. Employee eligibility, however, is written to tie to how much time an employee spends working in Duluth.... [The] employee eligibility standard differs from the standards set by the Minneapolis and St. Paul sick and safe time ordinances."

First Sick Leave Settlement Reached in Minneapolis

"The Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights has settled its first case of retaliation under the paid sick-leave ordinance that went into effect on July 1, 2017.... Three months after the employee's complaint was initiated, the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights reached a settlement with the gas station employer in which the gas station agreed to pay the employee $11,000 in lost wages."

Minneapolis and St. Paul Sick and Safe Time Ordinances

"[P]roposed rules that apply to both the Minneapolis ordinance and the St. Paul ordinance: [1] Employers must keep records and bear the ultimate burden of proving which employees do not qualify for paid sick and safe time. [2] Employers in both cities are not required to offer paid sick and safe time leave to covered employees for hours worked outside of the city.... [3] Employers may satisfy the requirements of both ordinances by adopting a general paid time off policy which lumps sick and safe time with other paid leaves as long as the policy meets the minimum ordinance obligations. [4] Complaints under both ordinances must be filed within one year of the violation."

Employment and Benefits Law Developments of the First 100 Days, Part Two

"The ACA (aka Obamacare): ... What Would Stay The Same? ... What Might Change For Employer Plans? ... What Should Employers Do Now?"

Court Says Non-Minneapolis Employers Not Likely Required to Comply with City's Paid Sick Time Ordinance

"A Hennepin County Court judge has issued an order temporarily blocking enforcement of Minneapolis's new paid sick time ordinance against employers who are not located within the city limits.... Minneapolis-based employers need to continue preparing for the ordinance's July 1 effective date."

The Modern Workplace: Paid Sick Leave Arrives in the Mill City

"The [Minneapolis] ordinance permits employees to use accrued sick time for a wide variety of reasons, including their own medical appointments or sickness, sick family members, absences due to domestic violence, sexual abuse or sexual assault, and unexpected childcare needs.... [E]mployers based outside of Minneapolis will need to provide sick leave to their employees who work at least 80 hours per year in Minneapolis."

OCR Releases Platform to Solicit Comments from Software Developers on HIPAA Requirements

"The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the sub-agency within [HHS] charged with enforcement of HIPAA, recently launched a new tool that is intended to help developers of health care technology understand more about this important law. The idea with this new platform is that developers can post questions and comments about HIPAA privacy and security concerns. This will allow OCR to better understand the barriers that developers face and provide helpful feedback and guidance."

The Push Towards Paid Family and Medical Leave Continues

"In addition to these pushes at both the executive and legislative levels, an open letter [sent] to Congress ... was signed by more than 200 business school professors from 88 higher education institutions. These professors wrote in support of a national paid leave standard, including the one provided under the FAMILY Act. The letter stresses the business benefits of providing paid leave, which according to the authors include controlling costs and maximizing productivity through higher retention rates. The letter references state sick leave programs adopted in California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island as successful examples of paid leave insurance programs."

Think Before You 'Snail Mail' Those FMLA Notices

"While the Third Circuit's opinion in [Lupyan v. Corinthian Colleges] is not binding on courts in other jurisdictions, it should be a wake-up call for employers to think carefully about the manner in which they deliver legally required notices and other important information to current or former employees.... [It] may be time to consider a self-audit to ensure that your company is taking all the appropriate steps to comply with the FMLA and to make sure that required employee notices are being both delivered and received."