Employment Standards Administration 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Wage and Hour Division is soliciting comments concerning the revision to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the Information Collections: Application for a Farm Labor Contractor or Farm Labor Contractor Employee Certificate of Registration. A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this Notice.

The U.S. Department of Labor (the Department) is revising its interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA or Act) in order to promote certainty for stakeholders, reduce litigation, and encourage innovation in the economy.

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (the Department) is issuing this notice to announce the applicable minimum wage rate for workers performing work on or in connection with federal contracts covered by Executive Order 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors (the Executive Order or the Order), beginning January 1, 2021. Beginning on that date, the Executive Order minimum wage rate that generally must be paid to workers performing work on or in connection with covered contracts will increase to $10.95 per hour, while the required minimum cash wage that generally must be paid to tipped employees performing work on or in connection with covered contracts will increase to $7.65 per hour.

The Department of Labor (Department) is seeking information from the public regarding the regulations implementing the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA or the Act). The Department is publishing this Request for Information (RFI) to gather information concerning the effectiveness of the current regulations and to aid the Department in its administration of the FMLA. The information provided will help the Department identify topics for which additional compliance assistance could be helpful, including opportunities for outreach to ensure employers are aware of their obligations under the law and employees are informed about their rights and responsibilities in using FMLA leave.

In accordance with section 210(b) of the United States-Mexico- Canada Agreement Implementation Act, the U.S. Department of Labor is issuing regulations necessary to administer the high-wage components of the labor value content requirements as set forth in section 202A of that Act.

The Department of Labor (the Department) is revising its regulation for computing overtime compensation of salaried nonexempt employees who work hours that vary each week (fluctuating workweek) under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA or the Act). The final rule clarifies that payments in addition to the fixed salary are compatible with the use of the fluctuating workweek method of compensation, and that such payments must be included in the calculation of the regular rate as appropriate under the Act. The Department also adds examples and makes minor revisions to make the rule easier to understand.

Section 7(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA or Act) provides an exemption from the Act's overtime compensation requirement for certain commissioned employees employed by a retail or service establishment. In this final rule, the Department of Labor (Department) withdraws the ``partial list of establishments'' that it previously viewed as having ``no retail concept'' and categorically unable to qualify as retail or service establishments eligible to claim the section 7(i) exemption; and the ``partial list of establishments'' that, in its view, ``may be recognized as retail'' for purposes of the exemption. Removing these lists promotes consistent treatment when evaluating section 7(i) exemption claims by treating all establishments equally under the same standards and permits the reevaluation of an industry's retail nature as developments progress over time. This withdrawal will also reduce confusion, as the list of establishments that ``may be recognized as retail'' did not necessarily affect the analysis as to whether any particular establishment was, in fact, retail.

The Department of Labor published in the Federal Register on April 6, 2020, a temporary rule to implement public health emergency leave under Title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and emergency paid sick leave to assist working families facing public health emergencies arising out of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. The leave is created by a time-limited statutory authority established under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), and is set to expire on December 31, 2020. The FFCRA and the temporary rule do not affect the FMLA after December 31, 2020. Through publication of this document, the Department corrects certain preamble and regulatory text.

The Department of Labor is issuing this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek public comments on a proposal to establish a system of discretionary secretarial review over cases pending before or decided by the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals and to make technical changes to Departmental regulations governing the timing and finality of decisions of the Administrative Review Board and the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals to ensure consistency with the new discretionary review processes proposed in this rule and established in Secretary's Order 01-2020.

The Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved certain collections of information listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below, following the Wage and Hour Division's submission of requests for approvals under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). This notice describes the information collections that have been approved or re-approved, the corresponding OMB Control Numbers, and their current expiration dates.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Wage and Hour Division is soliciting comments concerning its proposal to extend Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the Information Collection: Disclosures to Workers Under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act. A copy of the proposed information request can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this Notice.

The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) is publishing this final rule to adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by the Department, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act). The Inflation Adjustment Act requires the Department to annually adjust its civil money penalty levels for inflation no later than January 15 of each year. The Inflation Adjustment Act provides that agencies shall adjust civil monetary penalties notwithstanding Section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Additionally, the Inflation Adjustment Act provides a cost- of-living formula for adjustment of the civil penalties. Accordingly, this final rule sets forth the Department's 2020 annual adjustments for inflation to its civil monetary penalties.