📜Proposed Removal of Non-Binding Interpretive Rules for Labor Regulations
The Department of Labor (Department) proposes to remove parts located in Title 29, Chapter V, Subchapter B of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that were not originally issued, or subsequently amended, through notice-and-comment rulemaking. Because these parts consist of interpretive rules and policy statements regarding the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which do not carry the force and effect of law, the Department believes that these parts, to the extent that they have not benefitted from public comment, should be repurposed as sub- regulatory guidance. The Department seeks comment on what provisions in Subchapter B should be retained in the CFR, as well as what kind of sub-regulatory guidance the Department should use to preserve interpretive rules and policy statements that are removed from the CFR. This summary can be found at https://www.regulations.gov by searching by the RIN: 1235-AA52.
Learn More🌾Proposed Rule to Rescind H-2A Labor Regulation Requirements
The Department of Labor (Department or DOL) is proposing to amend its regulations governing the certification of agricultural labor or services to be performed by temporary foreign workers in H-2A nonimmigrant status (H-2A workers) and enforcement of the contractual obligations applicable to employers of such nonimmigrant workers. This notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM or proposed rule) that would rescind provisions contained within a final rule published by the Department on April 29, 2024, which adopted a number of unnecessary, burdensome, and costly requirements on employers. Specifically, these provisions include, but are not limited to, substantial new requirements associated with the material terms and conditions offered by employers to H-2A workers that are not commonly provided to other U.S. workers, including progressive discipline policies for cause-based employment terminations, anti-retaliation measures for certain workers engaged in self-organization and other concerted activities, and expanding the authority and scope for a State Workforce Agency (SWA) to discontinue employment services to employers, which prevents those employers from accessing the H-2A program, while eliminating employers' option to request a hearing prior to the SWA's final determination. Further, the final rule imposed extensive highly-sensitive data collection requirements on employers related to their use of foreign labor recruiters, including personal names and physical addresses abroad, as well as detailed personal information associated with all owners of the employers, operators of the place(s) of employment, and supervisor(s) and manager(s) of workers employed under the terms of the work contract, with very limited or no practical utility to the agency's statutory decision making. A brief summary of this rulemaking can be found at www.regulations.gov by searching by the RIN: 1205-AC25.
Learn More⚓Rescinding Maritime Regulations
MARAD is deleting 46 CFR parts 317, 324, 325, 326, 328, 329, 330, 332, 335, 336, 337, 338, and 339, which pertain to terms under agreements with agents. While MARAD is retaining its 46 CFR part 315 regulation addressing agency agreements and the appointment of agents, other regulations that simply provide static procedures to serve as terms of agreement are obsolete and are being rescinded because they are covered by clauses contained in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). In the more than 30 years since MARAD last updated its regulations, the development of its service agreements has benefited from the uniformity and transparency provided by FAR clauses, and MARAD has increased reliance on them.
Learn More🏢Business Implications of Rescinding Affirmative Fair Housing Regulations
This proposed rule would rescind the Department's Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing regulations, which require a participant in an FHA insurance or Multifamily Housing rental assistance program to complete and submit a form supplied by HUD that describes its affirmative fair housing marketing plan.
Learn More💵Proposed Changes to Hennepin NAF Wage Area and Business Impacts
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing a rule to abolish the Hennepin, Minnesota, nonappropriated fund (NAF) Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area and define most of its counties to the nearest NAF FWS wage areas. Those counties without NAF FWS employment would no longer be defined to a NAF wage area. These changes are necessary because NAF FWS employment in the survey area has been declining, and the local activities no longer have the capability to conduct local wage surveys.
Learn More💰USDA Updates Civil Monetary Penalties for 2025
This final rule amends the U.S. Department of Agriculture's civil monetary penalty regulations by making inflation adjustments as mandated by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.
Learn More🏘️Implications of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Revisions
This interim final rule revises HUD's regulation governing the Fair Housing Act's mandate that the Secretary administer HUD's program and activities in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing. This interim final rule returns to the original understanding of what the statutory AFFH certification was prior to 1994--a general commitment that grantees will take active steps to promote fair housing. Grantee AFFH certifications will be deemed sufficient provided they took any action during the relevant period rationally related to promoting fair housing, such as helping eliminate housing discrimination. This interim final rule does not, however, reinstate the obligation to conduct an Analysis of Impediments or mandate any specific fair housing planning mechanism; program participants must continue to affirmatively further fair housing as and to the extent required by the Fair Housing Act.
Learn More💼Amendments to Debt Collection Act for Postal Service Employees
This amends the rules of practice prescribed by the Judicial Officer for ease of understanding and to reflect current practice.
Learn More💼Changes to Federal Wage System Impacting Wage Areas Announced
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to change the regulatory criteria used to define Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area boundaries and make changes in certain wage areas. The purpose of this change, which will affect around ten percent of the FWS workforce, is to make the FWS wage area criteria more similar to the General Schedule (GS) locality pay area criteria. This change is based on a December 2023 majority recommendation of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the statutory national-level labor-management committee that advises OPM on the administration of the FWS.
Learn More💼2025 Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment - Labor Impact
The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) is publishing this final rule to adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by the Department, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act). The Inflation Adjustment Act requires the Department to annually adjust its civil money penalty levels for inflation no later than January 15 of each year. The Inflation Adjustment Act provides that agencies shall adjust civil monetary penalties notwithstanding section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Additionally, the Inflation Adjustment Act provides a cost- of-living formula for adjustment of the civil penalties. Accordingly, this final rule sets forth the Department's 2025 annual adjustments for inflation to its civil monetary penalties.
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