Many departments and agencies in the federal government provide helpful information for individuals, businesses and health care providers on responding to pandemic flu and developing plans to deal with contagious diseases and other emergencies. The following is information from the federal government directed toward businesses.

ADA-Compliant Employer Preparedness For the H1N1 Flu Virus – EEOC compliance guidance for employers on the H1N1 swine flu

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President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Craig Becker and Mark Pearce to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in a White House press release issued Friday, April 24, 2009. Congress created the NLRB in 1935 to administer the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the principal law that governs relations between labor unions, employers, and employees in private-sector workplaces.

The governing NLRB, which decides labor issues, is one of the two major parts of the NLRB. The President appoints Board members to five-year terms with the Senate’s consent, and one member’s term expires each year. Currently, Wilma B. Liebman is the chair of the NLRB, Peter C. Schaumber is a member, and there are three vacancies.

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On April 22, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) offered employers new guidance and best practices on avoiding discrimination against workers with caregiving responsibilities. The best practices document is available online at www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/caregiver-best-practices.html and illustrates proactive measures employers can take that go beyond federal non-discrimination requirements.

It supplements a 2007 EEOC guidance document on unlawful disparate treatment of employees/caregivers. The new guidance suggests language for a written policy addressing caregiver protection and offers best practices in recruitment, hiring, promotion, and terms and conditions of employment.

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Does your organization offer or plan to offer employees online or electronic personal health records (PHRs)? Can employees enter their personal health information into online programs that help them evaluate and improve their health, such as weight loss applications?

If you’ve answered yes or if your organization provides electronic PHR programs to others, you should be aware of proposed rules on the topic from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The extent to which employees will embrace new health information technologies and wellness-type applications (and to which your organization may save on health-related expenses) may depend on their faith in the security of sensitive health information.

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Update: E-verify deadline moved to September 2009

The deadline for federal contractors and subcontractors to begin using the E-Verify system has once again been delayed –- this time to June 30.

The rule requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to agree to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their employees went into effect in January, but the applicability date of the final rule has been delayed three times: It originally was to take effect on January 15, then it was delayed to February 20, then to May 21, and now the latest delay pushes the date out six more weeks to June 30.

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I’m going to break with my usual business-oriented notes from the editor this week to write about something near and dear to my heart — dogs.

Bo Obama photo from the White House blog

After months of anticipation and speculation, the Obama family finally got their new dog, Bo (pictured on the left), this week and introduced him to the world. While the White House is a home for the first family, it’s also a workplace for hundreds of people. Incorporating pets into the workplace can be tricky — just ask the reporter bitten by President Bush’s Scottish terrier, Barney.

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On April 1, 2009, the Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission (ERC) adopted a draft of the City of Milwaukee Paid Sick Leave Ordinance Administrative Rules. These rules establish the standards and procedures the ERC will use for both the implementation and the enforcement of the ordinance by the ERC should the current legal challenge to the ordinance by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce fail.

As a result of the filing of this legal challenge, there is a temporary injunction in place prohibiting the city of Milwaukee from implementing the ordinance. It appears the city is proceeding on creating and approving the administrative rules as required under the ordinance so that they will be in place should the legal challenge fail or the injunction be lifted.

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In a remarkable about-face from the past few years, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced today that after a week of receiving petitions for H-1B nonimmigrant visas, the 65,000 cap for the coming fiscal year hasn’t been reached. For the past several years, the USCIS has received far more petitions for H-1B visas on the first day applications were accepted for the coming year than it could issue.

Also, the 20,000 cap on petitions for visas for applicants with a U.S. master’s degree or higher has not been reached.  As a result, the USCIS continues to accept FY 2010 H-1B petitions. The agency stated on its website that it will continue to monitor the number of H-1B petitions received and issue an update announcing that the H-1B visa caps have been met.

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Update Dec. 16: House Passes COBRA Subsidy Extension and Expansion

The IRS has issued guidance on the COBRA premium assistance or subsidy provisions of the economic stimulus bill recently passed in Congress. Under the provisions, eligible employees who were involuntarily terminated from their jobs between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009, and their qualified beneficiaries are entitled to up to nine months of COBRA health insurance coverage at a 65% reduction over what they would normally pay. The 27-page guidance (IRS Notice 2009-27) was issued late on March 31.

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