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Health Insurance Summary Plan Descriptions: Fact or Fiction

From ChamberChoice The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) is a federal law that sets minimum standards for established retirement and health and welfare plans in private industry to provide protection for individuals in these plans. ERISA requires plans to disclose certain material, including reports, statements and documents to participants and beneficiaries. One…

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FLSA Overtime Rule Revisited Again

From ChamberChoice In December 2016, employers faced one of the most dramatic changes in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in over 42 years. As a brief background, the FLSA establishes the federal minimum wage for all hours worked (currently $7.25 an hour), and overtime premium pay at one and one-half times an employee’s regular…

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Natural Gas Forecasted to Equal or Exceed Coal as Electricity Source for Second Straight Year

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in its recent short-term energy outlook report, predicts that in 2017, natural gas will either exceed or equal coal as a source of electricity generation for the second straight year. Last year was the first that natural gas-fired electricity generation exceeded coal-fired generation, with coal generating 30% of U.S. electricity…

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PA Senate Passes $600 Million Tax Increase Package

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry In a close 26-24 vote held July 27, the state Senate narrowly passed a revenue package that will significantly increase the cost of doing business in the Commonwealth. House Bill 542, the Tax Code bill, contains $600 million in tax increases on Pennsylvania residents and job creators.  The…

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Get Caught Up on Unemployment Compensation Payments

Employers who owe money to the state’s Unemployment Compensation Fund may be eligible to participate in the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s “Make It Right” UC Amnesty Program. Under the program guidelines, eligible employers who have unpaid contributions through the third quarter of 2016 and unpaid reimbursement due on or before Oct. 31, 2016…

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For Fourth Straight Year, Pennsylvania is Second in Nation in Natural Gas Production

According to statistics released last week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Pennsylvania ranked second in the nation in natural gas production in 2016, marking the fourth straight year that Pennsylvania has held this spot. Overall, the state is third in energy production and 27th in energy consumption. Pennsylvania was also the third-largest coal producing…

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PA Department of Labor & Industry to Hold Free Safety Webinars in August

The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Health & Safety Division of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry will conduct a series of free safety webinars in August. Titled PATHS (PA Training for Health and Safety), the series will covers a wide array of topics including but not limited to worker fatigue, cyberbullying, hazardous waste management,…

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Revenue Deal Still Eludes Lawmakers

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry History repeated itself last week when Gov. Tom Wolf let H.B. 218, the nearly $32 billion General Appropriations bill for the 2017-18 Fiscal Year, become law without his signature. The bill was sent to him on the Constitutional budget deadline of June 30, albeit without the corresponding legislation that…

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PASSHE Board Presented With Findings of Strategic Review

On July 12, the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) were presented with a much-awaited set of recommendations by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), a consultant group that the PASSHE board hired earlier this year to conduct a strategic review of the state-owned university system. PASSHE,…

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Mid-Year Compliance Review

From ChamberChoice Late June begins the start of summer and thoughts turn to those lazy-hazy days of just relaxing. When it comes to the matter of compliance though, 2017 is not the time to “just kick back” and see what happens. In July, many employers will start to review their past compliance efforts and begin…

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