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Missouri Supreme Court
Upholds Paid Sick Time Law
The Missouri Supreme Court has issued a decision upholding the state’s earned paid sick time (EPST) law, which was passed by ballot initiative last November. The law took effect May 1, 2025, although notice provisions went into effect April 15.
EPST
The new law covers all employers other than the federal or state government. Certain types of employees are excepted from EPST—notably, retail service employees of a business with less than $500,000 in gross annual sales or business done, among others.
Accrual and Use
The law requires that all employees accrue at least one hour of EPST for every 30 hours worked, beginning May 1, 2025, and that employees be allowed to use EPST as soon as it is accrued. There is no cap on the accrual based on hours worked. Employers may cap the use of the leave as follows:
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Employers with 15 or more employees may cap employee use of the leave at 56 hours per year; and
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Employers with fewer than 15 employees may cap employee use at 40 hours per year.
To learn more about the following details:
- Employer and Employee Notice Requirements
- Carryover, Payout, and Frontloading
- Reasons for Use
- Recordkeeping
- Employer Paid-time-off (PTO) Policies
- Enforcement and Penalties
Click HERE
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DOL Issues Guidance on Independent Contractor Misclassification
On May 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) 2025-1 on how to determine employee or independent contractor status when enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The DOL’s guidance does not change existing regulations but reflects how the department is allocating enforcement resources during the review of the 2024 final rule. The FAB supersedes any prior or conflicting guidance provided to the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) staff on enforcement related to independent contractor misclassification. Until further action is taken, the 2024 final rule remains in effect for purposes of private litigation, and the FAB does not change the rights of employees or the responsibilities of employers under the FLSA.
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EEOC Breaks Silence on 2024 EEO-1 Filings
After a long silence, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has taken steps to move forward with the 2024 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection by submitting documents for approval to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Conclusion
Based on documents submitted by the EEOC, the 2024 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection site will open on May 20, 2024, and close on June 24, 2025. In addition, the proposed EEO-1 Instruction Booklet eliminates all references to non-binary employees. Due to the shortened filing period, down to five weeks, EEO-1 filers may want to consider working now toward gathering the data necessary for the filings.
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HSA/HDHP Limits Will Increase for 2026
On May 1, 2025, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2025-19 to provide the inflation-adjusted limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and high deductible health plans (HDHPs) for 2026. The IRS is required to publish these limits by June 1 of each year.
Employers sponsoring HDHPs should review their plans’ cost-sharing limits (i.e., the minimum deductible amount and maximum out-of-pocket expense limit) when preparing for the plan year beginning in 2026. Also, employers allowing employees to make pre-tax HSA contributions should update their plan communications with the increased contribution limits.
Click below for the updated limits and more details.
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OSHA Releases 2024
Injury and Illness Data
On April 17, 2025, OSHA released its 2024 workplace injury and illness data that was collected from its Injury Tracking Application (ITA). The data came from 370,000 reports submitted on the OSHA Form 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. In addition, OSHA has posted partial data from more than 732,000 OSHA Forms 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses and Form 301 Injury and Illness Incident Report records.
Background
Under federal recordkeeping rules, employers are required to submit injury and illness data to OSHA electronically. OSHA requires certain employers in designated high-hazard industries to electronically submit injury and illness information, which they are already required to keep. Establishments with 100 or more employees in certain high-hazard industries must electronically submit information from their Forms 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses and Forms 301 Injury and Illness Incident Report to OSHA once a year.
Key Takeaways
In 2024, the following totals were reported from the received data:
- Injuries: 1,312,738
- Skin disorders: 6,624
- Respiratory conditions: 30,064
- Poisonings: 875
- Hearing loss: 10,524
- Other illnesses: 60,840
When reporting this information to the public, OSHA stated it is also taking additional steps to protect worker privacy by reviewing the remaining data for certain personally identifiable information. Employers should review the newly released data and be aware that their injury and illness summary data is publicly available. They should also continue to comply with existing OSHA standards for recordkeeping and reporting.
More Information HERE
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Health Plan Deductibles &
Out-of-Pocket Maximums
Deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums (OOPMs) are important cost-sharing parameters for health plans.
While employers have a considerable amount of flexibility when it comes to setting deductibles and OOPMs each year, there are some important restrictions. For example, high deductible health plans (HDHPs) that are compatible with health savings account (HSA) contributions must comply with IRS limits for minimum deductibles and OOPMs. Also, all health plans must comply with the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) OOPM on essential health benefits (EHBs). Because these limits are adjusted for inflation each year, employers should carefully review their plan design before the start of each plan year for compliance.
For in-depth tips click HERE
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Executive Order to End Disparate Impact Discrimination
On April 23, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) calling for an end to disparate impact liability for discrimination and ordering federal enforcement agencies to stop enforcement of antidiscrimination laws based on disparate impact theories.
The Executive Order is the latest related to anti-discrimination and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, as the Trump administration seeks to refocus federal policy and eliminate “unlawful” racial preferences. However, the policies have faced over 200 legal challenges, and some aspects of the orders have been enjoined. It is likely that the latest EO could similarly be challenged. Further, while the EO seeks to stop the federal agencies from pursuing claims or taking positions that rely on theories of disparate impact, private individuals may still pursue such claims.
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