MaineBiz (01/27/14) James McCarthy

Some staffing firms have found the requirements of the Affordable Care Act challenging to deal with. One question staffing firms are facing is whether to pass ACA-related costs on to the companies that contract with them. Annette Lefebvre, executive vice president and controller at Bonney Staffing in Portland, ME, credits the American Staffing Association with helping to convince the Obama administration to alter rules for variable-hour employees. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and U.S. Internal Revenue Service created a “look-back” provision that covers employees who may work full-time for just a portion of the year.

ASA senior counsel Edward A. Lenz welcomes the look-back provision but says it doesn’t go far enough in addressing the concerns of the Employers for Flexibility in Health Care (E-Flex) coalition, of which ASA is a member. Collectively, he says, E-Flex coalition members employ more than 30 million people. Among the unresolved concerns that he expects will be discussed with the Obama administration during the one-year delay in the ACA’s employer mandate are the definition of “full-time,” the definition of “large employer,” and the employer reporting rules.

USA Today (01/25/14) David Jackson

According to a presidential aide, President Obama will focus on jobs during his State of the Union address tomorrow. Proposals may include calls for an increased minimum wage and final passage of an immigration bill. In the ensuing days the president will address new efforts to aid the long-term unemployed.

“The president will lay out a set of real, concrete, practical proposals to grow the economy, strengthen the middle class, and empower all who hope to join it,” senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer stated.