Business, Management, Marketing, Money, Tax, Law, People

Quick Hits Governor Abbott has directed Texas public institutions of higher education and state agencies to freeze the initiation or filing of any “new” H-1B petitions for foreign employees until May 31, 2027. Governor Abbott has also directed the impacted state agencies and university institutions to provide H-1B sponsorship data to the Texas Workforce Commission. This directive appears to impact “new” H-1B visas sought by state government agencies and public…

Quick Hits The Third Circuit explained that challenges to diversity efforts must prove both a discriminatory purpose and impact to trigger strict scrutiny and found sufficient evidence that the district’s policy aimed to alter the racial makeup of its selective high schools. The court emphasized that it is unconstitutional for schools to seek specific racial percentages or racial balancing, and that even race-neutral criteria like zip codes can be scrutinized…

Quick Hits A proposed class action alleges that a widely-used AI-powered tool violates the federal FCRA and California’s ICRAA by compiling sensitive, individualized personal information on job applicants without their consent.  The complaint contends that by evaluating applicants based on extensive data sources—such as LinkedIn profiles, publications, and job application history—the tool generates consumer reports subject to the disclosure, authorization, notification, and certification requirements of both statutes. The lawsuit could…

Quick Hits The FTC negotiated a ten-year consent order with an employer to end the employer’s enforcement of blanket noncompete agreements against nearly 1,800 employees. The consent order mandates that the employer notify employees and former employees that the company’s noncompete agreements are no longer effective, cease enforcement of those agreements, and provide ongoing compliance reporting to the FTC for a decade. The consent order comes after the Trump administration…

Quick Hits Nevada’s Senate Bill (SB) 260, effective January 1, 2026, mandates comprehensive requirements for employers to protect outdoor workers from wildfire smoke hazards. Employers must implement written programs to mitigate exposure, monitor air quality, provide employee training, and establish communication systems for reporting air quality and health symptoms. SB 260 includes specific measures for air quality index levels and exemptions for certain employers, with further regulatory measures to be…

Quick Hits Relying heavily on the Supreme Court of the United States’ June 2023 Students for Fair Admissions decision, the attorneys general assert that strict scrutiny applies to all race-based government action and that most DEI programs cannot survive that standard. The Texas opinion identifies specific private-sector DEI practices—including “diverse slate” policies, demographic hiring goals, DEI-linked compensation, and restricted fellowship or other pipeline-type programs—as potential violations of Title VII of…

Quick Hits An employee who cannot perform essential job functions, even with a reasonable accommodation, is not a “qualified individual” under the ADA. The ADA does not require an employer to provide wholly remote work as a reasonable accommodation if a position requires in-person attendance to perform some essential functions. Employers need not extend additional accommodation offers after an employee rejects an initial reasonable accommodation. Background After an accounting assistant…

Quick Hits New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a new AI agenda, including the establishment of an Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity and Trust (DIGIT) to oversee digital safety and technology governance. The governor also announced plans to advance legislation aimed at regulating AI-generated content and enhancing consumer privacy, including proposals to mandate labeling of provenance data and require data broker registration. This initiative builds on a series…

Quick Hits Crypto payments, especially via stablecoins, enable lightning-fast, low-cost cross-border transfers that reduce fees and delays compared to traditional banking. Offering crypto options can signal innovation and help attract tech-savvy talent, particularly in web3 and global remote teams. Key risks include price volatility (unless using stablecoins), complex U.S. tax treatment as property, and the challenge of meeting local minimum wage requirements when compensation fluctuates or is not denominated in…

In this article, we address how employers can respond in the immediate aftermath of discovering a fraudulent employee and their considerations moving forward. Quick Hits Employers may want to take immediate action to terminate an individual’s access and privileges as soon as they determine the individual is a fraudulent employee. Employers may also want to promptly involve trusted IT and legal personnel to conduct a forensic evaluation of the employee’s…

Quick Hits On December 30, 2025, HHS’s OIG issued Advisory Opinion No. 25-12, determining that home care agencies’ proposed sign-on bonuses for prospective caregivers, who are often family members of Medicaid participants, constituted impermissible remuneration under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and potentially violated the Beneficiary Inducements Civil Monetary Penalty provision. The OIG found that the proposed sign-on bonuses, advertised without eligibility criteria, created an “inextricable link” between caregivers and client…

Quick Hits For the election of a separate works council in Germany, a certain territorial unit belonging to a company must either constitute an establishment with unified management or an independent part of an establishment with a minimum degree of organizational autonomy. Mere delivery zones (“remote cities”) of a platform-based delivery service, where only delivery drivers are employed, do not constitute organizational units eligible to elect a works council. The…

Quick Hits California’s transition to electric vehicles is causing a decline in gas tax revenue, prompting the state to consider a mileage tax to fund transportation infrastructure. The proposed mileage tax would likely trigger existing state labor laws, requiring employers to reimburse employees for the tax as a necessary business expense. Employers may face significant financial impacts from increased reimbursements, potentially leading to higher prices for customers, reduced employee travel,…