Politico (02/12/2012) Jake Sherman; Manu Raju

Talks between the two top tax writers in Congress this weekend failed to bridge partisan differences over the payroll tax cut package, increasing the odds of another Washington showdown ahead of an end-of-the-month deadline. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) exchanged offers throughout the weekend in an attempt to cut a deal on extending the payroll tax holiday and jobless benefits for millions of Americans. Talks appeared to turn sour late Sunday, with Republican aides accusing the Democrats of trying to scuttle the negotiations to provoke a crisis for political gain. Democrats dismissed that characterization, saying Republicans were holding up a deal by refusing to negotiate seriously over taxes and calling for unrelated policy riders.

HR Morning (02/10/12) Tim Gould

In its recently released draft strategic plan, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission indicates that it will maintain its aggressive approach to enforcing workplace discrimination laws despite budget cuts. The EEOC will continue to concentrate on “systemic discrimination,” in which a pattern of hiring or screening procedures could lead to a certain group of employees or applicants being discriminated against, and will take a holistic approach to investigating and litigating complaints, which means employers will need to provide more documentation earlier in the process. Additionally, the EEOC will turn its attention to “targeted, equitable relief” for “all employees and job seekers,” and observers believe relief will mean more than just additional training for supervisors and outside monitoring of employment practices.

Wall Street Journal (02/13/12) Miriam Jordan

Since passing legislation in 2010 that made being an undocumented immigrant a crime and required police to make inquiries about immigration status, Arizona may be easing its approach to illegal immigration. The “Arizona Accord,” rolled out by business, civic, and religious leaders in January, calls for solutions on the federal level, emphasizes immigrants’ economic contributions, supports keeping families together, and encourages inclusion. Some lawmakers who supported state measures to crack down on illegal immigration now question the effectiveness of such a law and believe state and federal agencies can collaborate on a solution.

Meanwhile, a measure being considered in the current legislative session would ease a 2007 law cracking down on employers of illegal immigrants, providing a safe harbor for businesses that use the E-Verify system to check a worker’s status. Business leaders say the 2010 law hurt the tourism and convention industry and put a damper on some businesses, which were questioned about the status of their employees.

Wall Street Journal (02/13/12) Joseph de Avila

The number of people in New York state earning minimum wage has risen significantly since the beginning of the recession, one of the factors driving a debate in Albany over whether to raise the rate. Last year, the number of workers earning minimum wage was about 91,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up sharply form 2008, when approximately 6,000 people earned the minimum wage. Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is backing a bill that seeks to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8.50 an hour, which would be indexed annually to the inflation rate.

Columbian (Washington) (02/12/12) Ray Legendre

Although three counties and 11 cities in Washington State have followed in the footsteps of Clark County in requiring that its contractors use the federal E-Verify system to make sure public works projects employ legal workers, state lawmakers are considering a bill that would prevent them from doing so. Under House Bill 2568, sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney (D-Seattle), cities and counties could not require the use of E-Verify.

Supporters of the legislation say mandating E-Verify would cost more than $2 billion and hurt industries that rely on migrant workers. Officials whose jurisdictions use E-Verify, however, say it ensures compliance with federal law. In 2009, a joint legislative task force said the state lost $111 million in revenue from the construction industry, amounting to 5% of total lost revenue, due to illegal workers.