On December 17, 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a plan to increase the frequency and effectiveness of criminal prosecutions of safety and environmental violations affecting workers − the “Worker Endangerment Initiative.” A new “Memorandum of Understanding” between the DOL and the DOJ explains how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the Wage and Hour Division (WHD), and the DOJ will cooperate more closely to investigate and where appropriate, refer employers for criminal prosecution. Only the DOJ can seek criminal prosecutions in the federal courts. 

Many of us have experienced this: you want to use an image in your online account, but it just won’t fit into the box provided. Perhaps you have a rectangular logo, and the box is square. Perhaps the size of your image is too big for the box.

There are many ways to fix these issues, but one easy solution is available with Canva. The site is free and hosted online, so there’s no software to download. Colorado Green NOW has created a tutorial to help you through this simple process.

According to OSHA’s standard regulations for recording and reporting occupational injuries and illness, it’s time for business owners to review their 2015 records. Their recordkeeping regulations state that at the end of each calendar year, a company executive must:

The Internal Revenue Service issued the 2016 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

As of Jan. 1, 2016, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

On January 19, President Obama vetoed Senate Joint Resolution 22, Congress's attempt to nullify the Waters of the US (WOTUS) rule, using the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

On Thursday, opponents of the WOTUS rule attempted to override the President's veto. The effort did not garner the 60 votes needed, ending with a 52-40 vote in the Senate.

Read the President's veto statement here.

Read the statement from Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) regarding his vote on Thursday to override the veto.

Previously on the LAB:
House to vote disapproval of WOTUS rule
WOTUS Resolution Passes Senate, Moves to House
What is a WOTUS?

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ALCC has announced its legislative priorities for 2016. You can follow the development of these issues in real time at www.coloradocapitolwatch.com. The priorities are:

The following was posted last week by the US Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification regarding the H-2B visa program:

The Department's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) is making this public service announcement to employers who participate in the H-2B temporary nonagricultural visa program. We have received a number of inquiries and correspondence concerning recent changes and delays in processing H-2B applications at the Chicago National Processing Center (NPC). The Department takes your concerns seriously and strives to support U.S. small businesses, consumers, and communities.

National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) had the following response to a recent EPA announcement:

Last week EPA announced a preliminary pollinator risk assessment for the neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, which shows a potential threat to hives when the pesticide comes in contact with certain crops that attract pollinators. The assessment was highly preliminary and simplistic and the focus was primarily on agricultural crops. Nevertheless, we are concerned because EPA could go beyond the targeted crops listed to include the landscape site and landscape plant application rates.

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The Pesticide Applicators’ Act (S.B. 15-119), renewed in early 2015, included new provisions on training for limited commercial and public applicators. Those new regulations are now in effect (as of January 1, 2016). They are:

In order for a landscape business to be profitable, they need qualified, reliable staff. With Colorado experiencing a shortage of labor in many areas, the biggest challenge for many companies is finding, retaining and developing employees.