Form I-9 updated employer procedures and requirements.
On May 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released an announcement stating employers had 30 days to comply with Form I-9 requirements after the COVID-19 flexibilities sunset on July ’31, 2023. Employers must ensure that all required physical inspection of identity and employment eligibility documents for those individuals who were hired on or after March 20, 2020, and who have only received a virtual or remote examination under the flexibilities, are completed no later than August 30, 2023. Joining a PEO service provider will ensure you are in compliance with the new requirements.
E-Verify mandate for Florida.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed SB1718, requiring private employers in Florida with at least 25 employees to use E-Verify beginning July1, 2023. E-Verify is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) internet-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. Joining a PEO service provider will assist you with this process.
Minimum wage increases are going into effect for many states. In July 2023, minimum wage rate increases will impact several states, cities, and counties. These increases will apply to employers with employees working in the adjusted areas.
Some of those states include California, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, and Oregon. If you have employees within these states or if you have any questions regarding any updated state minimum wage rates, you should speak with your PEO client support representative. To ensure your companies is in compliance with these new minimum wage requirements, it may be necessary to increase the wage rate for any employees that are at the current minimum wage to at least the lowest new minimum wage rate for the respective state, city, and/or county.
Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). Effective June 27, 2023, employers with 15 or more employees must provide pregnancy-related accommodations to employees and applicants under the PWFA. In accordance with the PWFA,
employees are to be provided accommodations for conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.This applies to physical and mental conditions. Under the Act, pregnancy-related conditions include morning sickness, gestational diabetes, post-partum depression, and lactation.The PWFA expands upon previously established employer requirements within the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
These are some of the reasons that businesses that join a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) gain a valuable partner to help them navigate the ever-changing regulatory landscape for employers.