Article Title

 

Helpful Employment Law Websites

 

Author

 

Compiled by Katherine K. Hudman

 

Article Type

 

Articles

 

Article

 

How long does a plaintiff have to file an employment discrimination charge with the EEOC? What should an employer's family medical leave policy say? Are employees entitled to a lunch break? Answers to these, and many other employment law questions, can be found on the Internet. To facilitate attorneys efforts in quickly finding websites that will assist them in addressing employment law questions, the following tables compile helpful websites, organized by topic. The topics start with federal and state laws, courts/cases, and agencies, then move to general legal and employment topics, and finally turn to employment-specific topics that are alphabetically arranged beginning with benefits and ending with workers' compensation. The web address for each website is provided under the relevant topic, followed by a brief description of the website's content. So, next time your employer-client asks you whether they can ask applicants about their arrests or if they can run a credit check on an employee, you will have the secret weapon at your finger tips. Just refer to the table below, and you will be on your way to the answer in no time flat. Federal Government Laws: uscode.house.gov (U.S. Code) www.findlaw.com/casecode (table of contents for links to federal laws, federal courts) thomas.loc.gov (pending bills and past bills) www.findlaw.com/11stategov/ut/laws.html (provides link to view bills proposed by Utah congressional members) www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html (Code of Federal Regulations) www.washlaw.edu (links to federal laws, regulations) Courts/Cases: www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/opinions.html (Supreme Court opinions) www.uscourts.gov (provides links to Circuit and District Courts) www.findlaw.com/casecode (table of contents for links to federal laws, federal courts) www.washlaw.edu (links to federal courts) forms.lp.findlaw.com (provides links to federal court forms) Branches/Departments/Agencies: www.house.gov (U.S. House of Representatives) www.senate.gov (U.S. Senate) www.whitehouse.gov (White House/Executive Office)    - www.whitehouse.gov/government (links to various cabinet level departments such as Labor Department and Health and Human Services)    - www.whitehouse.gov/government/independentagencies.html  (index w/ links to federal agencies and commissions) www.fedstats.gov (access point for statistics collected by all federal agencies) Utah State Government Laws: www.le.state.ut.us/Documents/code_const.htm (allows for search of code and constitution by title or key word) www.le.state.ut.us/Documents/bills.htm (can search bills by number, subject, sponsor, etc. from here) www.rules.utah.gov (allows for search of Utah Administrative rules) www.findlaw.com/11stategov/ut/laws.html (provides links to Utah's Attorney General Opinions and various county codes) Courts/Cases: www.utcourts.gov/opinions (Utah Supreme Court and Court of Appeals opinions) www.findlaw.com/11stategov/ut/laws.html (provides links to search 10th Circuit, Utah Supreme Court, and Utah Court of Appeals opinions) www.ck10.uscourts.gov (United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit) www.utd.uscourts.gov (Utah Federal District Court homepage) forms.lp.findlaw.com (provides links to Utah state and federal court forms) Branches/Departments/Agencies: www.utah.gov (official Utah State website; links to government and other sites of interest) www.le.state.ut.us (Utah Legislature home page; links to constitution, code, bills, committee meetings, etc.) www.utah.gov/government/agencylist.html (index with links to all Utah government agencies) corrections.utah.gov/community/sexoffenders (from this page, can link to a form allowing searches of sex offender registry list) Other States Laws, Courts, Agencies, Forms www.findlaw.com/casecode (table of contents for links to states - scroll to bottom of page) www.courts.net (links to state courts and opinions) www.law.cornell.edu/opinions.html (links to state laws, agencies, courts) www.washlaw.edu (links to state laws, courts, etc.) www.hrcomply.com/index.law.html (updates on changes in state employment laws) forms.lp.findlaw.com (provides links to state court forms) General Legal Sites www.washlaw.edu (index for links to federal laws, state laws, court opinions, and various other subject matter) http://findlaw.com/01topics (index of legal topics on which findlaw.com provides legal information including contracts, constitutional law, tax law, etc.) http://public.findlaw.com (site targeted to the public; has multiple topic areas; provides articles and other writings on various topics including employment) http://lawcrawler.findlaw.com (legal web and database search; powered by google) http://dictionary.lp.findlaw.com (dictionary for legal terms) lawyers.findlaw.com (site to search for lawyers by practice area, state, name) General Employment Sites www.dol.gov (Federal Department of Labor)    -www.dol.gov/dol/topic/index.htm (index of topics available through DOL site including wage issues, FMLA, unemployment)    -www.dol.gov/dol/audience/aud-employers.htm (DOL index site of resources available to employers) www.findlaw.com    -biz.findlaw.com/employment_employer/ (lists of articles, FAQ's, forms)    -findlaw.com/01TOPICS/27labor/index.html (index for employment law resources accessible through findlaw.com including documents, web sites, laws, etc.)    -news.findlaw.com/legalnews/business/labor (links to current events concerning employment) www.nolo.com (click on employment on left hand side; provides helpful links to various topics, Q & A's., etc.) www.hrgopher.com (compilation of HR websites by topic) www.elinfonet.com/contracts.php (employment law articles, sample forms, sample policies, sample contracts, access to federal employment laws) www.ahipubs.com  contains featured stories about current employment topics; can sign up to get free newsletters about various employment-related topics; can download various sample policies by e-mail) http://fatty.law.cornell.edu/topics/employment.html (Cornell University provides broad coverage on employment law in the following areas: Collective Bargaining, Employment Discrimination, Unemployment Compensation, Pensions, Workplace Safety and Worker's Compensation. Like many of Cornell's Legal Information Institute sites, these pages have access to the United States Code, CFR, state laws, and recent U.S. Supreme Court Decisions on the given subject.) www.erieri.com/freedata/hrcodes/index.htm (contains helpful summaries of federal, state, and international employment laws) www.epf.org (Employment Policy Foundation; a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research and educational foundation based in Washington, D.C. focusing on workplace trends and policies; contains numerous papers regarding various employment issues such as immigration and employee benefits)    - www.epf.org/labor01/getpdf01.asp (Annual American Workplace Report; evaluates the "state of the workplace" by comparing the current condition of the economy to past years) www.employer-employee.com (site for employers and employees; contains many articles on various employment topics such as motivating employees, firing, sexual harassment, dating in work place, etc.) http://info.load-otea.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/federal_legislation/home.htm (Canadian Labour Law website) Benefits www.treas.gov/press/releases/200212101018476663. htm (Department of Treasury Press release on proposed regulations governing Cash Balance Retirement Plans. A cash balance pension plan combines the benefit formula of a defined contribution plan with the investment security of a defined benefit plan. A cash balance plan establishes a "hypothetical account" for each employee and credits the account with hypothetical "pay credits" and "interest credits." The proposed regulations would apply to cash balance plans - the same rule that applies to defined contribution plans. Consequently, a cash balance plan would generally satisfy the age discrimination rules if the pay credits to an employee's account are not less than the pay credits that would be made if the employee were younger) www.treas.gov/press/releases/docs/cashbalance.pdf (proposed regulations governing Cash Balance Retirement Plans) www.dol.gov/ebsa/regs/fedreg/final/2002026522.htm (interim final rule governing black out periods; generally, written notice is to be provided to participants and beneficiaries of individual account plans of any "blackout period'' during which their right to direct or diversify investments, obtain a loan, or obtain a distribution under the plan may be temporarily suspended) www.pbgc.gov (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; government insurance corporation for defined benefits plans)    - www.pbgc.gov/publications/SMBWEB2.PDF (Small Business Guide) www.ebri.org (Employee Benefit Research Institute is a nonprofit organization committed exclusively to data dissemination, policy research, and education on economic security and employee benefits; Members only site, but some information is available to nonmembers)    - www.ebri.org/publicpr/index.htm (index to facts, research, and studies) www.americanbenefitscouncil.org (advocate of employer sponsored benefit programs; provides legislative, regulatory, judicial, and policy papers regarding a variety of topics including HIPAA, 401k's, Medicare, Cash balance plans, etc.) www.bc.edu/centers/crr (research site maintained by Boston College; has numerous papers on retirement issues like IRA's and borrowing from 401k's) www.wiser.heinz.org (an independent nonprofit organization devoted to educating women about retirement issues; includes guide to job benefits and articles regarding the marriage tax penalty, social security, disability insurance, what to do if you get a divorce or become a widow, and retirement planning) http://cobrahelp.com (members only site, but contains general information and recent case citations regarding COBRA that that is accessible to nonmembers) Disabilities - Federal/State www.eeoc.gov (Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission home page; links to applicable federal laws (Title VII and ADA), publications by EEOC, summary sheets, etc.) www.labor.state.ut.us/Utah_Antidiscrimination ___Labo/utah_ antidiscrimination___labo.htm (Utah Labor Commission Home Page; provide links to Utah discrimination laws and other relevant information) Discrimination - Federal/State www.eeoc.gov (Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission home page; links to applicable federal laws (Title VII and ADA), publications by EEOC, summary sheets, etc.) www.labor.state.ut.us/Utah_Antidiscrimination___Labo/utah_ antidiscrimination___labo.htm (Utah Labor Commission Home Page; provide links to Utah discrimination laws and other relevant information)    - www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r606/r606-002.htm  (pre-employment inquiry guide) Drug Free Workplaces/Testing www.drugfreeworkplace.gov (information on drug testing, drug free workplaces, substance abuse - links will take to www.usdoj.gov/dea/demand/dfmanual/index.html that has sample policy) www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE34/34_10.htm (link to Utah's Drug and Alcohol testing statute) Fair Credit Reporting Act www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcrajump.htm (Federal Trade Commission index page for resources available to assist w/ Fair Credit Reporting Act compliance)    - www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/credempl.htm (Using Consumer Reports: What Employers Need to Know)    - www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/fcra/summary. htm (A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act) Fair Labor Standards Act/Payment of Wage/Employment of Minors www.dol.gov/esa/whd (Department of Labor, Wage and Hour division) www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE34/34_04.htm (link to Utah's Employment of Minors law) www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE34/34_12.htm (link to Utah's Minimum Wage law) www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE34/34_09.htm (link to Utah's Payment of Wages law) Family Medical Leave Act www.dol.gov/dol/topic/benefits-leave/fmla.htm (Department of Labor, summary page w/ links to other sources of information)    - www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_825/toc.htm (FMLA regulations - written in question/answer format) Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa (Office of Civil Rights link for HIPAA information) www.hipaadvisory.com (provides HIPAA news, articles, whitepapers, regulations, etc.) Immigration www.immigration.gov    - www.immigration.gov/graphics/lawsregs/handbook/hand_ emp.pdf (handbook for employers regarding I-9 forms completion) www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=23 (provides links to Department of Homeland Security's pages on naturalization, lawful permanent residency, temporary visitors, visas, and necessary forms) www.oalj.dol.gov/public/ina/refrnc/dbtc.htm (Judge's Benchbook on Labor Certifications)  - www.oalj.dol.gov/public/ina/refrnc/bbsupp95.htm        (95-96 Supplement to Judge's Bench Book) findlaw.com/01topics/20immigration/index.html (provides index to all immigration resources available through findlaw.com including articles, journals, government agencies, etc.) NLRA/Unions www.nlrb.gov (National Labor Relations Board's index page; provides links to forms, rules, regulations, and decisions) www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE34/34_0E.htm (link to Utah's Right to Work Statute) www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE34/34_0C.htm (link to Utah's Deductions for the Benefit of Labor Organizations law) OSHA www.osha-slc.gov (Federal government OSHA site) www.uosh.utah.gov (Utah government web site for Utah laws, regulations, and other relevant information) Social Security/Medicare www.ssa.gov    - www.ssa.gov/cola/colafacts2003.htm  (fact sheet on tax contributions, income limits, etc.)    - www.ssa.gov/employer/ (employer wage reporting instructions)    - www.ssa.gov/employer/ssnv.htm (discusses social security verification service)    - www.ssa.gov/retirement.html (information on how to apply for social security retirement benefits)    - www.ssa.gov/disability.html (information on how to apply for social security disability benefits)    - www.ssa.gov/notices/supplemental-security-income  (information on supplemental security income)    - www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/ssa-hbk.htm  (comprehensive guide of Social Security's benefit programs - updated for 2001) www.medicare.gov (Medicare information) www.cms.hhs.gov  (Medicare information) Unemployment www.dol.gov/dol/topic/unemployment-insurance/index.htm (Department of Labor index page for unemployment sources) www.jobs.utah.gov (Utah Department of Workforce Services; Information regarding unemployment, submissions of reports online, etc.)    - www.jobs.utah.gov/ui/Handbook/index.asp (Employer's Handbook) Workers Compensation www.labor.state.ut.us/indacc/indacc.htm  (Utah Labor Commission site for workers' compensation/industrial accident laws, regulations, and other relevant information)    - www.labor.state.ut.us/indacc/Pamphlets/Employers__ Guide/ employers__guide.htm (Employer's guide to workers' compensation)