Public Policy
The Affordable Care Act, Law of the Land – Still
From ChamberChoice In the early morning hours of July 28, 2017 the Affordable Care Act withstood another effort by the Republicans to repeal and replace it. Opposition to the “Skinny Bill” won during the most recent Senate action, and so, repeal and replace appears to come to a halt. The bill was referred to as…
Read MoreHealth 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…
Read MoreFLSA 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…
Read MoreNatural 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…
Read MorePA 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…
Read MoreGet 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…
Read MoreFor 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…
Read MorePA 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,…
Read MoreRevenue 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…
Read MorePASSHE 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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