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Mortgage Loan Officers Do Not Qualify as Exempt Employees Under the FLSA

Posted on April 23, 2010 by

The Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) requires the payment of overtime pay to employees who work more than forty (40) hours in a work week. However, certain employees are exempt from the overtime pay requirements, including executive, professional, and administrative employees. These exemptions are commonly known as “white collar” overtime pay exemptions. Although some employee […]

Mothers Have Legal Right to Express Milk at Work

Posted on April 20, 2010 by

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. This Act contains a provision that requires employers to furnish “reasonable” breaks to mothers so they can express milk for infants under one year old. The law also requires covered employers to furnish a private space that is shielded […]

One More Extension of the COBRA Subsidy

Posted on April 16, 2010 by

Late on April 15 President Obama signed the Continuing Extension Act of 2010, and included within that law is yet another extension of the COBRA premium subsidy enacted last February as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”). Our earlier updates on the ARRA COBRA premium subsidy can be found in […]

IRS Issues Forms and FAQs on HIRE Act

Posted on April 10, 2010 by

Back on March 19, we alerted our clients and friends about the new Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (“HIRE”) Act, which grants employers a payroll tax exemption for wages and salary paid to previously unemployed individuals. See our previous alert here New Tax Incentives for Employers Who Hire in 2010. On April 7, 2010, the […]

New Tax Incentives for Employers Who Hire in 2010

Posted on March 19, 2010 by

On March 18, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (“HIRE”) Act. The HIRE Act amends the Social Security tax provisions of the Internal Revenue Code by exempting wages paid to previously “unemployed” individuals from the employer’s Social Security tax obligation. Under the HIRE Act, wages paid by employers to […]

COBRA Subsidy Extended!! Again!!

Posted on March 4, 2010 by

Late on March 2 President Obama signed the Temporary Extension Act of 2010, and included within that law is yet another extension of the COBRA premium subsidy enacted last February as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”). Our earlier updates on the ARRA COBRA premium subsidy can be found in […]

The Window of Opportunity for Some Types of Planning May Be Closing (Quickly)

Posted on February 2, 2010 by

We previously announced that there is currently no federal estate or generation-skipping transfer tax in effect in the United States. The federal gift tax, however, is still in effect. The burning question is whether Congress this year will (i) extend the law that was in effect at the end of 2009, (ii) make repeal of […]

Expanded Prohibited Practices on the Farm

Posted on January 27, 2010 by

Rules were made to be . . . ? In the complex world of farm regulation, rules were made to be acted upon and then re-created, modified, and expanded. A significant revision of existing rules that affect farming, particularly dairy producers, is underway. As part of that process, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has […]

Estate Planning in 2010: Thoughts On What To Do In Uncertain Times

Posted on January 20, 2010 by

We want to alert you to some important changes in the federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax laws that went into effect on January 1. In 2001, Congress passed a law that gradually increased the amount that persons could transfer at death free of estate and GST taxes. The amount grew to $3.5 […]

Employee Benefits Security Administration Issues Updated Model COBRA Notices

Posted on January 15, 2010 by

The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has issued updated model COBRA notices to reflect the COBRA subsidy extension which was part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. We issued a legal update on December 22, 2009 which summarized the extension and its effect on an employer’s obligations under the American Recovery […]