Michigan Governor Gretchen Witmer is proposing a deal for small business owners in The Wolverine State that would put a $15/hour minimum in place for many Michigan workers. The Governor’s plan would provide 3-month wage grants to businesses that agree to increase worker wages to $15 per hour with the grant paying the differential between…
Read More »The Illinois General Assembly gave final approval to a bill (HB 117) that broadens the applicability of the Secure Choice Savings Program, dropping the threshold at which employers must register to allow their employees to enroll in the retirement plan. House Bill 117 as amended provides that the program applies to all employers with at…
Read More »Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has filed a set of ordinances with the City Council, that would dramatically change the landscape for businesses within the Windy City. The Mayor’s package, which she has dubbed the “Chi Biz Strong Initiative”, defines a business as guilty of wage theft if it fails to timely pay a covered employee…
Read More »Did you know the Secure Choice Savings Program is changing? Were you aware of the changes to the Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act? How about the Mayor’s Chi Biz Strong Initiative? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you need to register for the Chicago Regional Meeting on June 16 at…
Read More »The Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) along with other advocacy groups One Fair Wage and Mothering Justice this week filed a lawsuit against Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel alleging that legislative changes made to the state minimum wage law were unconstitutional. To put the issue in context, One Fair Wage initiated a petition drive in 2018…
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“It’s been a journey,” declares Yonas Hagos. For most of us, that off-handed line can cover everything from a tough morning commute to a challenging climb up the corporate ladder. For Hagos, describing his life as a ‘journey’ seems a bit like an understatement. A child refugee, Purple Heart recipient and Dunkin’ franchisee, Hagos’ story…
Read More »Late last month, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 1480, amending the Illinois Human Rights Act and expanding restrictions on the use of criminal background checks for employment purposes. The new law also obligates employers in the Land of Lincoln (who are required to file the federal EEO-1 report) to also submit equal…
Read More »A quick glance at some of the legislation pending in the current legislative sessions – which have mostly just begun – give us some cause for concern in a number of states. California, of course, has a selection of bills pending that would be largely detrimental to business interests. Perhaps most egregious is a bill…
Read More »When Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed SB.1 into law last week, the Hoosier State became the most recent to enact a liability shield law to protect businesses from lawsuits regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The new Indiana law provides protection from frivolous lawsuits for businesses, schools, health care providers, governments and other entities from lawsuits alleging…
Read More »An ongoing problem with the acceptance of Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness has been with the tax treatment by a business’ home state of the forgiven monies and the expenses the PPP funds have paid for. While the federal government addressed the issue with the passage if the most recent COVID relief bill in December,…
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