Employment
A Puppy Lemon Law, Minimum Wages, Gas Taxes, Legal Marijuana Among New State Laws
Elaine S. Povich writes: A wide-ranging collection of new state laws went into effect Jan. 1, including legalized pot, a puppy "lemon law" and a ban on unauthorized drone surveillance. One new law protects the "Possum Drop," a Brasstown, NC, New Year's Eve event. According to the National Conference of State Elaine S. Povich writes: Legislatures, states enacted nearly 40,000 laws and resolutions during 2013 legislative sessions, and many of them take effect on Jan. 1. Many of the laws made headlines when they passed. Now state residents will feel the effects. more »
Are You Spending Down Your 401(k)? GAO Investigates Other Countries' Experiences That Offer Lessons of Spend-down Options
Strategies used by other countries include (1) communicating spend-down options to participants in an understandable and timely manner, and (2) helping participants see how their savings would translate into a stream of income in retirement by providing them with projections of retirement income in their annual benefit statements. Currently, 401(k) participants have difficulty predicting how long their savings will last because most benefit statements do not focus on the stream of income it can generate. more »
The Heart Breakers Strike: Esther Peterson, A Driving Force Behind the Equal-Pay Movement
Labor Secretary Perez inducts Esther Peterson into the Labor Hall of Honor on Tuesday, Dec. 10th, and Council of Economic Advisors’ Betsey Stevenson will moderate a panel on the status of women in the 21st century workforce. A live webcast of both events will be available at http://www.dol.gov/dol/media/webcast/live/ and recognize the 50th anniversary of the American Women report produced by JFK's Commission on the Status of Women, of which Peterson was Executive Vice Chairman. more »
Balancing: A Mother and Farmer, Part of a National Archives Exhibit The Way We Worked
Jean Schnelle participated in all aspects of farming life — sorting cattle, driving tractors, and weeding — while also raising seven children. The 3,000 acre Schnelle farm has been owned by the family for five generations. Now almost 70 years old in 2005 and a grandmother of fifteen, Jean still helps out with farm work. more »