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By William Duvall After years of consultations, the Canadian government has announced significant changes to the legal framework for federally regulated pension plans. In addition, proposed changes to the Income Tax Act would affect all defined benefit plans whether regulated federally or provincially. While we can’t cover all the contemplated changes in this article, we […]
President Obama has named GE CEO Jeff Immelt as head of the new President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. The move is a definite switch from the President’s previous Economic Recovery Advisory Board, lead by Paul Volcker. Now, the focus is not on repair, but on creating new jobs. Immelt knows a little something about […]
When it comes to health reform’s new Summary of Benefits and Coverage, the feds will give some compliance leeway in cases where plan sponsors cannot fit data into the narrow spaces prescribed in the law, a prominent federal official told benefits attorneys in Washington, D.C. Many in the industry say the health reform law was […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has launched a new website – Disability.gov – offering information for people with disabilities, their family members, veterans, caregivers, employers, and others. The new site replaces DisabilityInfo.gov and features information about disability-related programs and services as well as social media tools to serve the more than 50 million Americans […]
Governor Schwarzenegger has signed S.B. 1613, which will make it an infraction to drive a motor vehicle while using a wireless phone unless a hands-free device is used. In particular, the new law, known as the California Wireless Telephone Automobile Safety Act, prohibits driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone, unless the phone […]
According to the New York Times, President Barack Obama has reportedly decided to renominate Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Last summer, the President nominated Becker, Mark Pearce, and Brian Hayes to the U.S. Senate to be members of the NLRB. In December, Becker’s nomination was returned to the White House for […]
It has only been a month since the new federal Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act was signed into law, but the new tax cut rates are already in effect…and employers must race to adjust their payrolls. As of January 1st, the Social Security Tax withholding rate has been reduced from 6.2% […]
A jury in Sacramento recently awarded a staggering $19 million—$15 million of it in punitive damages—to a McKesson Corp. employee who claimed her employer violated disability bias and family and medical leave laws. Charlene Roby allegedly was fired under the company’s no-fault absence policy after several unexcused absences because of a panic disorder. She also […]