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1
Government Affairs Summit
Program
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Keynote: Lt. Governor Becky Skillman
Updates and What00 in the
Pipeline for 2008?
Indiana
Legislature
Federal
Legislature
Regulatory
- Homeland Security, Social Security,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Judicial
Branch
Executive
Branch
SHRM
Advocacy
Tips
for HR to advocate
Steve Kellam and Rob Aspy, Co-Chairs,
Government Affairs
2
State Government
August
29, 2007
3
115th General
Assembly (2007)
234 new
laws
583 bills introduced
in the Senate
837 bills
introduced in the House
HR areas of particular interest
(bills introduced):
Unemployment Compensation
(7 bills)
Health Care Costs or Insurance.
(40 bills:
14 in Senate; 36 in House)
Websites of particular HR interest:
13
NOT PASS
beyond Committee
HB 1680
C Brown
Universal health care. Creates
a plan of health insurance to provide primary coverage to every resident
of Indiana
14
State Legislative Crystal
Ball
Weapons Bill
Health Care
Workers Compensation
Tax Credits for Wellness
Programs
?
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Federal Government
August
2007
16
Recent Congressional
Activity
HR1257
20 April 2007 00the Shareholder Vote on Executive
Compensation Act passed the house 269-134. The bill seeks
to increase shareholder input on executive compensation decisions made
by boards of directors.
17
Recent Congressional
Activity
HR493 25 April
2007 00The Genetic Information Act of 2007 (GINA) passed
by a 420-3 vote by the house. Prohibits employers and health insurers
from making employment decisions or adjusting benefits solely on the
basis of an individual00 genetics. It is likely to pass and
be signed.
18
Recent Congressional
Activity
HR2206
25 May 2007 signed into Law President Bush.
It amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to raise the current
minimum wage (24 July 2007 $5.85 per hour, 24 July 2008 $6.55 per
hour and 24 July 2009 $7.25 per hour).
Contained a $4.84 billion
tax relief for small businesses. It is called the Work Opportunity
Tax Credit (WOTC) 00provides for tax credits for hiring individuals
from one or more of nine targeted groups 00through August 2012.
19
Recent Congressional
Activity
HR800
June 2007 00Senate voted no to consider the Employee
Free Choice Act. SHRM members sent 9,200 letters to Senate
members. The legislation would enable unions to sidestep workers00
current right to a federally-supervised, private ballot election and,
instead, allow unions to collect a majority of signed authorization
cards during union organizing drives.
20
Recent Congressional
Activity
S1639 June
2007 - Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act 00Senate
decided not to continue debate.
S1753
9 July 2007 Senators Harkin and Smith introduced
the Healthy Workforce Act. The bill provides incentives
to employers for offering wellness programs.
21
Recent Congressional
Activity
HR1424
18 July 2007 -
Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act passed
out of the House Education and Labor committee. Legislation would
required group health plans that include mental health coverage to treat
mental illnesses and physical illnesses the same, in terms of deductibles,
hospital stays and co-payments.
22
Recent Congressional
Activity
HR1585
July 2007 Amendment approved by House to the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to expand the Family
and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide leave for military families
to deal with exigencies arising from a call to duty. Bill remains
under consideration. The Senate as a part of the passing of the
Children00 Health insurance Bill
HR976 adopted two amendments that would expand FMLA to
family caregivers of injured service members.
23
Recent Congressional
Activity
24 July 2007 00
Congress is considering changing the definition of employees or independent
contractors. SHRM testified before the House Education and
Labor committee on this issue.
24
Recent Congressional
Activity
HR2831
31 July 2007 - The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act passed
the House. (Party line votes from Indiana Reps). If this
bill passes the Senate and is signed it would overturn the Supreme Court
decision of May 2007, where limits are place on the time workers have
to file claims against employers for pay discrimination to six months.
The bill places no limits on time.
25
Bills of Interest
HR 1540 00Civil
Rights Tax Relief Act of 2007 00Back pay for job-related harassment
or discrimination taxable at the rates effective during the years such
pay was earned. Remains in committee
HR1542 /S910 00
The Healthy Families Act 00Requires employers with 15 or more
employees to provide seven days of paid sick leave to full-time (30
hours) workers. Remains in committee
26
Bills of Interest
S1136
00Survivors00Empowerment and Economic Security Act 00Employers
with 15 or more employees to provide 30 days of job-protected, unpaid
leave to employees to address issues relating to domestic violence.
In committee
HR1338/S766 00
Paycheck Fairness Act 00Amend Fair Labor Standards Act to provide
more effective remedies of victims of discrimination in the payment
of wages on the basis of sex. In committee
27
Bills of Interest
HR 298 00u> Flexible
spending Accounts Growth and Opportunities Act of 2007 00Will
allow up to $1,000 in unused funds in FSA to carry over to the next
year.
HR506 00The
Health Partnership through Creative Federalism Act 00Bill provides
grants to states for health coverage for the uninsured.
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Bills of Interest
S334 00The Healthy
American Act 00Comprehensive Health Care Reform requires all individuals
to purchase health insurance. Subsidies provided to low income
families. Employer mandates included
HR 1645 00Security
through regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act 00Immigration
Reform
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Bills of Interest
S41 00Research
Competitiveness Act 00Simplify and make permanent the research
and development tax credit.
S239 00u> Notification
of Risk to Personal Data Act of 2007 00Data breach bill
S1038 / HR1748 00
Workforce Health Improvement Program 00Allows employer to deduct the
cost of subsidizing or providing off-site fitness center benefits for
their employees. A wellness benefit would not be taxable income
for employees.
30
Bills of Interest
HR853 00Wellness
and prevention Act 00Employers receive up to $200 tax credit per
employee that joins the wellness program.
S1141 00Automatic
IRA Act of 2007 00Requires employers with more than 10 employees
and in business for more than 2 years to provide each employee the option
to save for retirement through payroll deposit IRAs in exchange for
tax credits up to $250.
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Bills of Interest
S1178
00Identify Theft prevention Act 00Data Breach Bill
S495 00Personal
Data Privacy Security Act of 2007
00Privacy of data bill
HR1280 00Tax
Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act of 2007 00Extend exclusion
from gross income for employer provided health care coverage to certain
eligible beneficiaries, including domestic partners and their dependent
children.
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Federal Legislative
Crystal Ball
Good Support
Genetic Bill 00Good
support
FMLA additions for Service
Member Families
Probably Not
Ledbetter bill becomes law
Immigration Bill of substance
passes
Employee Free Choice Act
Mental Health Act
Health Care Additions
33
Regulatory Agencies
Update
Homeland Security announced
two actions on unlawful hiring or continued employment of unauthorized
workers
Social Security to look
at process to issue its numbers to prevent identity theft and fraudulent
use
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EEOC Trends
Race and color discrimination
(most charges)
Sex discrimination (2nd
most charges)
EEOC Priorities and Initiatives:
Systemic discrimination
E-Race (Eradicating
Racism And Colorism
from Employment)
d. The key thing is00/font>
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Magic Element00elationship
Building
Message Delivery Tips (Continued)
00ridge00to your message
a. Let me put it into perspective00/font>
b. What that means is00
c. Let me give you some background information00/font>
d. What00 important to remember00/font>
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Magic Element00elationship
Building
Interview Tips (what clothes
to avoid)
Body language Tips (use
open gestures, etc.)
Practice, breathe and relax
Remember that
you are speaking on behalf of your organization.
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Thanks!
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