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Quick Hits OFCCP finalized three rules rescinding and revising federal contractors’ and subcontractors’ affirmative action obligations following the 2025 revocation of EO 11246. The final rules significantly modify obligations under Section 503 by rescinding disability self-identification invitations and the 7 percent utilization goal, rescinding OFCCP’s race- and sex-based regulations, and making technical amendments to the VEVRAA regulations. The rules have varying effective dates, which means that contractors will need to…

Quick Hits San Francisco recently amended its Fair Chance Ordinance to prohibit employers from making adverse employment decisions based on out-of-state criminal convictions or arrests for abortion, miscarriage, gender-affirming care, and drag performances. If an employer sends notice to a candidate or employee regarding an intent to take adverse action based upon a criminal history and the candidate or employee timely responds, the employer must send a reply within fourteen…

Quick Hits Maryland’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance will soon take effect, with contributions commencing on January 1, 2027, and benefits starting no later than January 3, 2028. The MDOL’s FAMLI Division has released new guidance documents covering employer registration, equivalent private insurance plan (EPIP) options, and quarterly wage and hour reporting to help businesses prepare. Employers considering an EPIP must file a declaration of intent (DOI) between September 1…

Quick Hits Employers that wish to pursue an EPIP rather than participate in the FAMLI state plan must file a DOI between September 1 and November 15, 2026, in order to be exempt from making contributions to the state plan during the 2027 calendar year seeding period. The DOI process requires employer registration through the FAMLI Portal, a consultation with and attestation from a licensed insurance agent, and completion of…

The bill was introduced in February 2026 by Assembly Member Liz Ortega (D–District 20), chair of the California State Assembly’s Committee on Labor and Employment, with Assembly Members Ash Kalra (D–District 25) and Alex Lee (D–District 24) signing on as coauthors. As introduced, the bill would have applied statewide, expanding the role of local district attorneys in investigating serious workplace injuries and fatalities across California. Since then, the bill has…

Quick Hits On August 14, 2026, Cal/OSHA released an updated draft of its heat illness regulations that aligns both the indoor and outdoor regulations to be more consistent in language and terminology. The draft outdoor regulation removes the exception which allowed industries other than agriculture, construction, landscaping, oil and gas extraction, and some transportation companies to be exempt from the high-heat procedures. The deadline for submitting comments is September 21,…

Quick Hits The EEOC held a hearing that drew testimony from a broad range of stakeholders on the Commission’s proposal to rescind the EEO-1 through EEO-6 information collections and related recordkeeping and record preservation requirements. Both employer-side and employee-side speakers warned that eliminating standardized reporting may not reduce employers’ overall data obligations; the same information may still be sought through investigations, subpoenas, and litigation. Employer groups underscored that the proposal…

Quick Hits The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts below-normal hurricane activity for 2026 but emphasizes that employers should prepare before storms threaten. Federal wage and hour rules are not suspended during natural disasters. Airport closures, flight cancellations, and ground stops can strand traveling employees and trigger unexpected wage obligations. Although NOAA forecasts a below-normal hurricane season—with a 55 percent chance of below-normal activity and only a 10 percent…

Quick Hits On August 6, 2026, President Trump issued two executive orders aimed at limiting birthright citizenship under certain circumstances and ending “birth tourism.” The first executive order expands the recognized exceptions to birthright citizenship, narrowing who qualifies for U.S. citizenship at birth. The second executive order directs the State Department and DHS to deny or revoke nonimmigrant visas when there is reason to believe the purpose of travel is…

Quick Hits The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), through the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), has renewed Form CC-305, which invites applicants and employees of covered contractors to identify their disability status through July 31, 2029. The renewal means covered contractors subject to Section 503 self-identification requirements should continue using the OMB-approved form bearing the new expiration date. On July 16, 2026, OMB approved Form CC-305 (Voluntary…

Quick Hits DHS has proposed a rule to eliminate the sixty-day grace period afforded to certain nonimmigrants, such as E, H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, and TN visa holders and their dependents. The full text of the proposed rule has not yet been published, and its exact details remain unknown. The rule is undergoing review by OMB before being published in the Federal Register for notice and comment. The sixty-day grace period…