In today’s news and commentary, the Trump administration proposes expanding fertility care benefits, Connecticut passes employment legislation, and NFL referees ratify a new collective bargaining agreement.
First, the Trump administration announced a proposed rule that would expand employer-offered fertility benefits by extending the same Affordable Care Act exemptions that apply to vision and dental coverage to diagnosing and treating infertility. The DOL rule would place fertility treatments, including IVF, donor eggs, and medications, in the category of “excepted benefits” that don’t have to meet certain ACA requirements, making it easier for employers to offer standalone fertility coverage plans. DOL estimates the rule, if finalized, would roughly double the number of employers offering fertility benefits from around 268,000 to 523,000 and allow approximately 750,000 people to enroll annually. The proposed regulations leave it up to individual employers whether to extend coverage to same-sex couples.
Next, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed a sweeping omnibus employment bill into law that expands pay transparency requirements, broadens restrictions on training repayment agreements, creates new protections for service contract workers, and more. Under the new law, Connecticut joins at least 14 states requiring employers to include pay ranges in job advertisements, a measure aimed at reducing wage gaps for women and workers of color. The law also extends the state’s...
The President of the Association of Yorubas in Diaspora, South Africa, Dr Olusola Agbeniyi, has asked the senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, to desist from making what he described ...