HR professionals assist their organizations by ensuring compliance with a wide range of federal statutes and implementing regulations. The following federal law digest brings together the fundamentals of federal employment laws that HR professionals working in the public or private sector need to be familiar with.
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
- American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
- Black Lung Benefits Act (BLBA)
- Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA)
- Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1986
- Copeland Act of 1934
- Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) of 1968
- Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA)
- Davis Bacon Act of 1931
- Dodd-Frank Act of 2011
- Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988
- Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) of 1988
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974
- Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA)
- Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963
- Executive Order 11246 of 1965
- Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT)
- Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) of 1969
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993
- Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA)
- Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA)
- Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) of 1935
- Federal Mine Safety and Health Act (Mine Act)
- Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008
- Health Care Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996
- Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA)
- Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
- Jury Service and Selection Act
- Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA)
- Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
- Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA)
- McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA)
- Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008
- Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA)
- National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1947
- Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act of 1996
- Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932
- Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) of 1970
- Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990 (OWBPA)
- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010
- Pension Protection Act of (PPA) 2006
- Pregnancy Discrimination Act
- Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- Section 503 Rehabilitation Act as amended in 2013
- Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002
- Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures of 1978
- Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994
- Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act (VEVRA) of 1974
- Walsh-Healey Act of 1936
- War Hazards Compensation Act of 1942
- Women's Health & Cancer Rights Act of 1998
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) of 1988
- Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014
Federal Agency Guidance
Department of Labor Ruling, Interpretation and Opinion Letters
Please consult with an attorney before you rely on any DOL Opinion Letter, ruling, or interpretation as the DOL issues new regulations and guidance from time to time.
DOL rulings and interpretations cover the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), as well as various other labor and wage and hour related matters.
You can access them at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/opinion-letters/request/existing-guidance.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Informal Discussion Letters
These letters are answers to companies that have posed specific questions to the EEOC, and they are intended to answer only that question for that company. The opinions expressed by the EEOC in these letters are not meant to provide legal opinions for the general public.
The letters cover Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), as well as various other federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
You can access them at https://www.eeoc.gov/informal-discussion-letters.
An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.