The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council and the U.S. Department of Labor issued a second extension for submitting comments on the proposal implementing President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673, commonly referred to as the “blacklisting” executive order, by 15 days to Aug. 26. The extension comes as a result of Republican leaders of three congressional committees requesting an extension of the comment period.

ABC filed a letter July 23 with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) requesting an extension of the comment period on the department’s Wage and Hour Division’s (WHD) Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees proposed rulemaking. Commonly referred to as “the overtime proposal,” the notice of proposed rulemaking was issued June 30. 

On Aug. 3, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the final Clean Power Plan, which will cut power plant carbon emissions 32 percent below 2005 levels, by 2030. The rule is among several released by EPA that will increase compliance and transaction costs while creating uncertainty for America’s small businesses.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ABC-supported Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2015 (H.R. 427) July 28. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and was cosponsored by an additional 171 representatives. 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ABC-supported Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Act of 2015 (H.R.1734) July 22. The bill was sponsored by Rep. David McKinley (R-W. Va.) and was cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 44 representatives. 

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released new guidance July 15 related to employers’ use of independent contractors. In the Administrator’s Interpretation and an accompanying blog post, Wage and Hour Division Administrator Dr. David Weil laments the “problematic trend” of deliberate misclassification, and considers the guidance part of a “multi-pronged approach” to combat the phenomenon.

Republican leaders of three congressional committees sent a letter July 15 to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council, and other Obama administration officials, requesting that the proposed guidance and regulations for the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673 (known as the Blacklisting EO) be withdrawn. This letter was sent a few days after the DOL and the FAR Council announced a two-week extension of the notice and comment period for the Blacklisting proposal to August 11.  

ABC members have more time to respond to a proposal implementing President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673, known as the “blacklisting” EO, signed July 31, 2014. The public comment deadline for a proposed rulemaking issued May 28, by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council and proposed guidance by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implementing the blacklisting EO has been extended from July 27 to August 11.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced July 9 a 60-day temporary enforcement policy of its Confined Spaces in Construction standard, effective Aug. 3. The announcement postpones full enforcement of the new standard to Oct. 2 in order to allow for additional time to train and acquire the equipment necessary to comply with the new rule.

President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673, known as the “blacklisting” EO, was signed July 31, 2014. A proposed rulemaking issued May 28, by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council and proposed guidance by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implementing the blacklisting EO is open for public comment until July 27.