On March 11, 2024, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division’s (WHD) final rule for determining whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor became effective. The final rule rescinds DOL’s 2021 regulation that was published at the end of the Trump administration and establishes a new test to determine worker classification. […]
Memo_DOL Final IC Rule_2024
On January 31, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a final rule to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit-request fees. Effective April 1, 2024, these changes increase fees for employment-based petitions postmarked on or after this date. Specific to the tree care industry, these changes will increase program-use […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) utilizes various strategies to mitigate workplace hazards and ensure compliance with safety standards. One approach is the implementation of Regional Emphasis Programs (REPs). REPs are primarily targeted enforcement and inspections in specific high-risk industries or for particular hazards within a region. As of the end of 2023, OSHA […]
On December 6, 2023, the Biden administration released its Fall 2023 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, providing a detailed glimpse into the initiatives under development across approximately 67 federal departments, agencies and commissions. These semi-annual regulatory agendas report on what these agencies plan to issue in the near and long term. Target dates […]
