UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE / SOCIAL SECURITY
| Issues and Answers | ||
| Product testing can qualify as working condition tax-free fringe benefit | |||
|
| Summary of State Law Changes | ||
|
| |||
|
| Test Your Human Resources Knowledge | ||
|
| Labor Law Journal Submissions | ||
|
| Human Resources Links | ||
|
| Labor Arbitrators' Awards and Biographies | ||
Links within news stories display full text documents including legislation, regulations, court decisions, rulings and government reports.
The first time you click on a link you will be taken to the IRN login page, where you will need to enter your ID and password. Subsequent links will take you directly to the desired document.
Signing up for a 7 day free trial will allow you to click on the links within the news stories and see the full text documents.
The Utah law relating to payment of wages has been amended to permit automatic wage withholding as a contribution to a retirement fund if certain conditions are met. (S.B. 131, Laws 2008, approved March 17, 2008, effective May 5, 2008.) See Payroll Management Daily Document ¶3336aa.
Mississippi has enacted a law requiring employment verification of new hires. This law will require employers to register and use the status verification system to verify the status of newly hired employees. Contractors and subcontractors must also be registered and use the status verification system and can not enter into a public contract unless so registered and participating in the system. Further, employers are prohibited from discharging an employee working in the state who is a United States citizen or permanent resident alien while retaining a worker who is an unauthorized alien. This law applies to both public and private employers, but has various effective dates. (S.B. 2988, Laws 2008, approved March 17, 2008, effective July 1, 2008.) The complete story is found at Payroll Management Daily Document ¶3333aa.
Nevada Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek recently announced changes to Nevada's daily overtime requirement. Effective July 1, 2008, employees who receive qualified health benefits from employers and earn less than $8.775 per hour and employees earning less than $10.275 per hour who do not receive qualified health benefits must be paid overtime whenever they work more than eight hours in a 24-hour period. (State of Nevada, Department of Business and Industry, Director's Office Press Release, March 27, 2008; State of Nevada, Office of the Labor Commissioner, Daily Overtime 2008 Annual Bulletin, April 1, 2008.) Read the rest of the story at Payroll Management Daily Document ¶3335aa.
Contribution rates for employers with five or more years of experience will continue to range from 0.06% to 10.3% in 2008. The maximum rate of 10.3% includes a 6.3% maximum chargeable benefit component, a 3.0% maximum account building component and a 1.0% maximum nonchargeable benefits component. Note that if the employer has submitted no quarterly tax reports, that employer's maximum tax rate will be 10.3%, and the employer also will be assessed a penalty of 3.0%, which is separate from the contribution rate. See, CCH Unemployment Insurance with Social Security Daily Document ¶12,546.
In the wake of the recent release of the 2008 Trustee's Report by the Social Security Administration (see the story in Report 692, dated April 7, 2008), the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has issued an updated version of its report, "Social Security Reform: Current Issues and Legislation," which was originally issued on December 13, 2007. The current report reviews the solvency of the Social Security trust funds, identifies the basic debate for reform and areas of contention, and summarizes recent legislation.
The CRS report reviews the current debate over what strategy would work best for restoring solvency to the Social Security trust funds, including the goal of some people to transition to a system that places increased reliance on private accounts for retirement security. In the 110th Congress, only four reform measures have been introduced, all of which would establish some form of private account. One of the measures would make the accounts voluntary, while three would establish individual accounts funded with a redirection of current payroll taxes, among other program changes. One of the measures would also increase full retirement age from age 67 to age 68 for individuals born in 1963 or later. The full text of the April 1, 2008, analysis appears at CCH Unemployment Insurance with Social Security Daily Document ¶12,549. See, CCH Unemployment Insurance with Social Security Daily Document ¶12,548.
Unemployment Insurance Reporter with Social Security provides in-depth coverage of federal and state laws and regulations, including Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, and Disability. With all the facts and data about taxes and benefits under major subject categories, and expert “plain English” explanations, analyses and indexes, there is no other product that offers the same scope of coverage.
CCH® is the leading provider of information covering Human Resources, Employment and Labor Benefits, Pensions, Payroll, Safety, and Workers Compensation. For more information about our products and services, go to http://hr.cch.com/ or call 800-449-9525. This newsletter is copyrighted by CCH® and may be redistributed only for non-commercial purposes and only in its entirety, specifically including the CCH® headers, this paragraph and the CCH® copyright line. No other redistribution or re-purposing, including but not limited to use on a web site, intranet or extranet, is permitted without prior written permission of CCH®.
© 2008, CCH®. All Rights Reserved.
A WoltersKluwer Company
©2008, CCH. All Rights Reserved.
