President Joe Biden recently issued an executive order devised to establish minimum risk practices for use of generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) with focus on rights and safety of people, with many consequences for employers. Businesses should be aware of these directives to agencies, especially as they may result in new regulations, agency guidance and enforcements that apply to their workers. Continue Reading What Employers Need to Know about the White House’s Executive Order on AI
On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021, President Joseph Biden signed two executive orders to promote gender equity and equality through the creation of a Gender Policy Council and through a policy that guarantees an education free from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Continue Reading Two Executive Orders Signed on International Women’s Day Promoting Gender Equity and Equality
On March 18, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed an Executive Order (the “March 18 Order”) requiring all “non-essential” New York businesses to reduce their in-person workforce at any work location by 50%. On March 19, 2020, Governor Cuomo issued another Executive Order (the “March 19 Order”), requiring all “non-essential” New York businesses to reduce their in-person workforce at any work location by 75%.
Continue Reading New York on Pause: Governor Cuomo Orders All Non-Essential Workers to Stay Home
On March 17, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-31-20 to ease restrictions on commercial drivers engaged in support of emergency relief efforts. This new order was issued in conjunction with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (“FMCSA”) Emergency Declaration 2020-02 announced last week to ensure the free flow of critical supplies and equipment in interstate commerce.
Continue Reading Governor Newsom Issues Executive Order Easing Restrictions on Commercial Drivers During COVID-19 Outbreak
On April 18, President Trump signed a new executive order (EO) at a ceremony in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The EO is entitled “Buy American and Hire American” and focuses on these two themes, with the President’s stated goal of ending the “theft of American prosperity” by focusing on American workers and products. While the details of how the new EO will be applied will undoubtedly take months to implement (pending numerous agency-level reviews), companies doing business with the federal government, or with an interest in foreign high-skill workers, should be aware of these new developments so that they can prepare for the adjustments they will need to make in the near future, as the President’s efforts to put American workers first take shape.
Continue Reading Buy American and Hire American – New Executive Order Promises to Put American Workers First, But Practical Impacts Remain Unclear
On April 8, 2014, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum that will require federal contractors and subcontractors to provide to the U.S. Department of Labor compensation data based on their employees’ sex and race. The President also signed that day an Executive Order preventing federal contractors from retaliating and discriminating against employees who discuss their compensation with their co-workers. The President stated that when employees are prohibited from discussing their compensation with fellow employees, “compensation discrimination is much more difficult to discover and remediate, and more likely to persist.”
Continue Reading Equal Pay Issues Addressed by President Obama on “National Equal Pay Day,” When He Signed An Executive Order and Presidential Memorandum Affecting Federal Contractors