VEChannel Event Profile

Katrina Aftermath: Federal Compliance for Rebuilding Contractors

A wide array of businesses will become involved in the massive clean up and rebuilding process across the Gulf Coast following Katrina. This seminar will provide uptodate compliance information on the practical issues that employers face in hiring and employing workers in the cleanup and rebuilding efforts. Many employers will become federal contractors for the first time as a result of new government contracts, and these employers must fully understand the obligations that are incurred. Onsite job applications may lack the I9 employment documentation, and employees may be exposed to storm deposited toxic residues. The federal agencies have begun announcing that some compliance requirements may be suspended to enable employers to respond more promptly, and a wide array of work training and other grants and funding are becoming available. Employers need timely assistance in understanding and mastering these changes. Learn from nationwide experts on workplace compliance matters, including Robert Brame from McGuireWoods LLP and David Fortney from Fortney & Scott, LLC in Washington, DC – both of whom held senior appointed federal agency leadership positions – about these developments and how to navigate them. Key topics will include: * WARN plant closing and mass layoff notice requirements following Katrina * Suspension of federal prevailing wage requirements * Coverage under and compliance with federal contractors affirmative action and nondiscrimination obligations enforced by DOL/OFCCP * OSHA workplace health and safety requirements in light of possible toxic storm residue * Wage and hour compliance, including how housing allowances or lodging is treated in calculating overtime * Compliance with I9 requirements when hiring hurricane victims and others * Mass hiring challenges and pitfalls * Using temporary employees and independent contractors * Extension of pension plan filing requirements * Accessing federal funding for job training and business operations The seminar also will provide written materials that can be used for future reference on these key compliance areas. Who should attend HR Professionals, Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, Directors and Managers of Risk Management and Corporate Security. About Your Speakers: David S. Fortney, coeditor of the national newsletter Federal Employment Law Insider, is the cofounder of the law firm Fortney & Scott, LLC, in Washington, D.C. He formerly was the chief legal officer of the U.S. Department of Labor, where he had significant responsibilities for the enforcement of the FLSA and overtime requirements. Today he uses his extensive wage and hour expertise while representing clients before the Wage and Hour Division of the DOL. Mr. Fortney has testified before Congress regarding the new whitecollar exemptions, and is counsel to the national employerbased Overtime Coalition on these matters. He has been interviewed by Fox News and CNN because of his expertise in employmentrelated issues. He also frequently represents clients before the U.S. Department of Labors agencies, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board. J. Robert Brame, coeditor of Federal Employment Law Insider, is a partner in the law firm of McGuireWoods in Washington, D.C. He assists clients facing significant employmentrelated challenges, representing them before the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the AntiTrust Division of the United States Department of Justice, and before other grand juries, trials, and appellate courts. He combines 30 years of litigation and counseling experience with three years as a member of the National Labor Relations Board.

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