On March 26, 2012 I posted a blog cautioning employers from requesting social media password, most notably, Facebook. That practice may be short-lived as legislation has been introduced in both Houses of the United States Congress making unlawful for employers or schools to require employees, students and/or candidates to provide social media password. Although several states introduced legislation in March and April of 2012, the proposed legislation may impact employers and its employees throughout the country. Bill H.R. 5050 was introduced by House Representative Eliot Engel on April 27, 2012 and is titled Social Networking Online Protection Act (SNOPA). The  [ Read More ]

By WALTER BERRY Controversial lawman denies allegations of racial profiling PHOENIX — Federal authorities said Wednesday that they plan to sue Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio and his office over allegations of civil rights violations, including the racial profiling of Latinos. The U.S. Justice Department has been seeking an agreement requiring Arpaio’s office to train officers in how to make constitutional traffic stops, collect data on people arrested in traffic stops and reach out to Latinos to assure them that the department is there to also protect them. Arpaio has denied the racial profiling allegations and has claimed that allowing a  [ Read More ]

By: David Matthau | NJ 101.5 Jersey’s highest court has heard oral arguments on Kyleigh’s Law. The justices must now decide whether the law requiring new drivers to place red decals on their cars, to help police monitor their behavior, violates privacy laws. Rockaway attorney Gregg Trautmann says the case is really about his daughter Catherine – and thousands of other young women “that are going to be out there driving alone at night, having to place a decal on their car – and make them potential victims for any creep or stalker that wants to do them harm.” He  [ Read More ]

Obama: ‘I Think Same-Sex Couples Should Be Able to Get Married’ President Obama today announced that he now supports same-sex marriage, reversing his longstanding opposition amid growing pressure from the Democratic base and even his own vice president. In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, the president described his thought process as an “evolution” that led him to this decision, based on conversations with his staff members, openly gay and lesbian service members, and his wife and daughters. “I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and  [ Read More ]

Forced Retirement: Laws to Protect Workers While many people plan to work until age 65 when they become eligible for Social Security, others would prefer to retire at age 62 when their Medicare eligibility kicks in. For some long-time workers, retirement can also happen without warning. Unexpected health problems, companies going out of business, or a layoff can force you into retiring earlier than you might have planned. If an employee has planned to retire at 65, but then finds the quality of work atmosphere to be less than pleasant, their hours are repeatedly cut, or other (younger) employees are  [ Read More ]

By DEREK HARPER and HOA NGUYEN Staff Writers | Atlantic City Press The TRU-ID system New Jersey was to have rolled out new TRU-ID drive’rs license and identity cards starting Monday. Drivers born before Dec. 1, 1964, were to have been allowed to renew by mail through November 2014, although that time frame now remains in question, officials said. The new eight-year licenses would double in price to $48, and would have new requirements: One proof of identity: Current U.S. passport or passport card Certified U.S. birth certificate or consular report of birth abroad Permanent Resident (Green) Card Current Employment  [ Read More ]

Lawmakers sped the law’s passage in 2010 after the high-profile suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, whose roommate used a webcam to spy on Clementi’s intimate encounter with another man. Gov. Chris Christie has signed New Jersey’s tough anti-bullying legislation into law. The law — which requires schools to develop anti-harassment programs and review how bullying is handled — was set aside earlier this year after one small school district complained about the cost of training and materials. A local mandates council agreed the law created a financial burden. But lawmakers and Christie soon reached a deal for the  [ Read More ]

By: Karin Price Mueller/The Star-Ledger Since 2011, New Jersey has stopped more than $100 million in improperly paid unemployment benefits, according to the state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Each week, an average of 1,650 invalid claims are denied. Jim Holt’s claim was not one of them. In March 2010, Holt lost his job as a maintenance man for Diocesan Housing Services, an entity of the Catholic Diocese of Camden. He applied for unemployment and was approved for a weekly check of $227. Now the agency is asking him to pay it back. All $19,295 of it, thanks to  [ Read More ]

Written By Kenneth Schortgen Jr | The Daily Economist There is a new bill in Congress that is expected to pass that would allow the government to suspend your travel outside the country if you own taxes to the IRS. Senate Bill 1813 (Highway trust fund), which was passed by the Senate last week and is now pending in the House of Representatives contains a provision that would allow the IRS to order the State Department to refuse to grant, refuse to renew, revoke or restrict the passport of any US citizen which the IRS certifies owes the IRS $50,000  [ Read More ]

by Unfair Competition & Trade Secrets Counsel on March 30, 2012 By Jedd Mendelson and I. Michael Kessel A New Jersey district court recently held that an employee handbook provision could not be enforced as a valid confidentiality agreement between a company and a former employee. Metropolitan Foods, Inc. d/b/a Driscoll Foods v. Kelsch [pdf] involved a former employee of Driscoll Foods (Kelsch), who was accused of soliciting orders for his new employer while still working for Driscoll. Driscoll sued Kelsch under a number of causes of action, including breach of contract. This claim was based upon a provision in  [ Read More ]

Lawmakers sped the law’s passage in 2010 after the high-profile suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, whose roommate used a webcam to spy on Clementi’s intimate encounter with another man Monday, Mar 26, 2012 | Updated 9:00 PM EDT | NBC NEWS Gov. Chris Christie has signed New Jersey’s tough anti-bullying legislation into law. The law — which requires schools to develop anti-harassment programs and review how bullying is handled — was set aside earlier this year after one small school district complained about the cost of training and materials. A local mandates council agreed the law created a  [ Read More ]

A Minnesota mom was left a $12k tip by a customer The waitress turned the cash over to the authorities who then told her she could have it back if no one claimed it in 90 days Authorities told the waitress she might not get it back because a police dog detected the odor of drugs on the money Authorities have decided to return a $12,000 tip to a Minnesota waitress that police believed was drug money. Stacy Knutson of Moorhead, Minn., says a customer told her she could keep a takeout container left behind at the Fryn’ Pan restaurant.  [ Read More ]

Each year, millions of Americans travel by airplane. But you shouldn’t have to check your rights when you check your luggage. Whether for work or for pleasure, you should be able to reach your destination with your privacy and other civil liberties intact. Unfortunately, that is getting harder and harder. This resource is intended to serve as a guide to procedures and technologies you may encounter in your travels. Much of the information here is based on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) internal policy – not law – so it is subject to change and inconsistent application. If you  [ Read More ]

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer | Natural News (NaturalNews) An Idaho couple that was ordered recently by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop building a house on their own property and pay fines of up to $75,000 a day until the property was returned back to its original condition, has been granted due process and a hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court. The ruling is a first as it now allows property owners to challenge the EPA’s violation allegations prior to, rather than after, enforcement actions are taken. In 2005, Mike and Chantell Sackett  [ Read More ]

Wednesday, 28 Mar 2012 03:06 PM By Newsmax Wires The Supreme Court’s conservative justices are hinting that they might have to strike down Obamacare entirely because declaring the individual mandate unconstitutional would require nullifying the entire law. “The court’s conservatives said the law was passed as a package and must fall as a package,” the Los Angeles Times reported. Although the court is expected to rule by late June on the fate of the President Obama’s signature legislation, Justice Antonin Scalia hinted that the decision might be a fait accompli even at this point. “One way or another, Congress will  [ Read More ]