July 1, 2024 Express Update

The General Assembly recessed at the end of last week without passing the state budget. The deadline for its completion was June 30 which marks the end of the state’s fiscal year. In recent years, it has become somewhat commonplace for the budget not to be done on time. Although legislative leaders have indicated good […]

The new thresholds established by the Labor Department’s rule go into effect on July 1, 2024.  Currently, salaried workers making less than $35,568 annually qualify for overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours in a week.  Starting today, the threshold will increase from $35,568 to $43,888 per year.  It will then increase again […]

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on June 28th that significantly weakens federal agencies rulemaking authority. The Court overturned a landmark 40-year-old opinion that gave federal agencies broad regulatory powers to issue regulations in the absence of specific directions by Congress. The now overturned Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council opinion instructed judges to […]

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) HAZMAT registration for the 2024-2025 registration period began May 1, 2024. Registration must be completed by July 1, 2024, for all expiring HAZMAT certificates. PHMSA requires both hazardous material transporters and those who ship hazardous materials through common carriers to register and pay […]

A federal judge in the massive Visa/MasterCard swipe fee litigation denied preliminary approval of a proposed settlement of the injunctive relief component of the case, which would have lowered interchange fees by at least four basis points for three years, and for five years thereafter, would have required rates to stay at least seven basis […]