Compliance Stuff

The  Beltway Buzz ™ is a weekly update summarizing labor and employment news from inside the Beltway and clarifying how what’s happening in Washington, D.C., could impact your business. Shutdown Ends, Federal Government Reopens.  The record-breaking forty-three-day federal government shutdown ended this week. On the evening of November 12, 2025, President Donald Trump signed into law a spending package that extended government funding for most federal agencies through January 30, 2026, while also funding the legislative branch and the departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs through September 30, 2026 . The deal also reversed the layoffs of federal employees that had occurred during the shutdown and ensured that furloughed federal workers would receive back pay. Notably, the legislative package did not include an extension of Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Thus, with the spending issue merely postponed a...

  This week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Office of the Solicitor released a “Special Enforcement Report” on so-called “ coercive contractual provisions .” The report outlines recent DOL enforcement efforts “to combat coercive contractual provisions” such as: Contractual provisions requiring workers to waive statutory protections Contractual provisions that purport to require employees to agree that they are independent contractors Indemnification-type provisions and related counterclaims purporting to shift liability for legal violations to workers or other entities ‘ Loser pays’ provisions attempting to require employees to pay the employer's attorney's fees and costs if the employees do not prevail in litigation or arbitration ‘Stay or pay’ provisions, including some training repayment assistance provisions, that purport to require workers to pay damages to their employer for leaving a contract early Confidentiality, non-disclosure, and non-disparagement provis...

 The DOL and the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT), an outside organization funded by the DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, have released the “Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Inclusive Hiring Framework.” A DOL press release describes the framework as “a new tool designed to support the inclusive use of artificial intelligence in employers’ hiring technology and increase benefits to disabled job seekers.” The framework, which does not have the force of law, lays out ten focus areas and related practices: (1) “Identify Employment and Accessibility Legal Requirements”; (2) “Establish Staff Roles, Responsibilities, and Training”; (3) “Inventory Technology and Classify the Technology”; (4) “Work With Responsible AI Vendors”; (5) “Assess Possible Positive and Negative Impacts”; (6) “Provide Accommodations”; (7) “Use Explainable AI and Provide Notices”; (8) “Ensure Effective Human Oversight”; (9) “Manage Incidents and Appeals”; and (10) “Monitor R...

  The  Beltway Buzz  is a weekly update summarizing labor and employment news from inside the Beltway and clarifying how what’s happening in Washington, D.C., could impact your business. DNC Platform Previews Democratic Policy Priorities.  The Democratic Party held its national convention this week in Chicago, Illinois, and workplace issues featured prominently in the party’s agenda. These workplace issues will undoubtedly be a focus of the Harris/Walz presidential campaign leading up to Election Day, and they will likely be policy priorities in the event that the Democratic ticket wins the White House in 2025. Here are a few tidbits that we picked up during the convention: Labor Unions. Political appointments . Officials from labor unions such as the AFL-CIO, United Autoworkers, Communications Workers of America, Service Employees International Union, Laborers’ International Union of North America, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers all had brie...