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On April 5, 2016, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an ordinance granting new parents 6 weeks of paid leave to bond or care for a new child (by birth, adoption or fostering). The new San Francisco law (SF PPL) is intended to supplement the California Paid Family Leave (CA PFL) which currently pays workers 55% of their normal wages to take time off to care for a new child.

As a result of the Budget Act of 2015 OSHA fines will increase for the first time in nearly 25 years. The new budget eliminated the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 exempting OSHA from increasing penalties to account for inflation. The potential increase will raise fines nearly 80 percent.

It’s concerning but true: workplace violence, including assaults and homicides, made up 16 percent of all work-related fatal occupational injuries in 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the US Department of Labor (DOL) reports that every year, approximately 2 million people throughout the country are victims of non-fatal violence at the workplace.

“Social engineering” losses have officially come into corporate prominence, though the term does little to explain the mechanics of these claims. There are many forms of these types of losses, but most involve wrongdoers who impersonate an employee, vendor or customer by phone or email and induce someone within your company to wire funds, purchase equipment or release personal private information.

For the first time in 2016, all applicable large employers (generally those with 50 or more full-time equivalents) are required to provide a Form 1095-C to any employees who were full-time for at least one month during 2015. And all employers, regardless of size, offering coverage under a self-funded plan during 2015 must provide either a Form 1095-B or Form 1095-C to any individuals covered under the self-funded plan.

Reps and warranties insurance, particularly in the US and most especially on the West Coast, was just a novelty for too long. More recently, however, the rise of reps and warranties coverage is well documented. Reps and warranties insurance is now a standard part of private equity transactions and an increasing part of the strategic buyers and sellers’ tool kits.

Effective January 1, 2017, the WCIRBs proposed variable split point experience modification formula will replace the current single split point formula.