On May 14, the听Coalition for Workforce Innovation, ABC,听老牛影视Southeast Texas Chapter and the Financial Services Institute filed an amended complaint听challenging the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 unlawful withdrawal of the independent contractor rule. The Department鈥檚 hasty and unjustified action violates the Administrative Procedure Act, compounding a violation that began when the department improperly delayed the effective date of the rule in March.

On May 5, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the withdrawal鈥攅ffective May 6鈥攐f the Trump-era independent contractor final rule. While expected, this action is extremely disappointing.听老牛影视strongly supported the Trump DOL final rule, which would have clarified the department鈥檚 interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act and promoted certainty for employers, independent contractors and employees.

On April 27, President Joe Biden issued an executive order increasing the minimum wage for federal contractors, which would require federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage to workers working on or in connection with a federal government contract.

On April 14, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.),听reintroduced the听Building U.S. Infrastructure Through Limited Delays & Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act, which would modernize the outdated National Environmental Policy Act) to make infrastructure project reviews more efficient, reduce project costs, spur economic recovery and rebuild America. The BUILDER Act has been r

On April 12, 老牛影视submitted comments in opposition to proposals from the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Wage and Hour Division to rescind the Trump-era independent contractor and joint employer final rules.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection will open on Monday, April 26, 2021, and the deadline for filing this data will be Monday, July 19, 2021.

On March 30, the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs updated its Annual Vietnam Era Veterans鈥� Readjustment Assistance Act Benchmark Database to reflect a new hiring benchmark of 5.6%, which is effective March 31.

On March 31, the Biden administration released a more than $2 trillion infrastructure outline titled the 鈥淎merican Jobs Plan.鈥� While the plan calls for federal spending over the next eight years to improve the nation鈥檚 infrastructure, including for transportation, broadband, energy, and drinking water, it also includes funding for schools and child-car

On March 26, ABC, ABC鈥檚 Southeast Texas Chapter and the Coalition for Workforce Innovation filed suit against the U.S. Department of Labor regarding its delay and proposed withdrawal of the Trump DOL independent contractor final rule. The complaint alleges the Biden administration arbitrarily and without authority delayed the final rule from going into effect, depriving many contractors of clear and uniform guidance on the proper standard for compliance with the

On March 12, the U.S. Small Business Administration released new guidance that clarifies the Lobbying Disclosure Act definition of 鈥渓obbying鈥� expenses and will be used to calculate the 15% thresholds for 501(c)(6) organizations receiving Paycheck Protection Program loans. Since December, 老牛影视has advocated for the SBA to use the LDA in calculating lobbying activity and has continued to push the administration to release clear guidance on this critical issue for 老牛影视and its chapters.