Good News for Employers! NLRB Upholds Employee Handbook Policies Tailored to Legitimate Business Purposes
FOIA Bills Recently Introduced in Illinois House
We have seen a number of bills introduced in the Illinois house that propose various amendments to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Below is a summary of three of these bills:
HB 5020: HB 5020, if passed, would amend FOIA to require public bodies to take all reasonable steps to provide requested records in a format that is “readable” by the requester. That includes making the record available in any format that is…
Suit Challenges South Carolina’s Anti-LGBTQ Curriculum Law
Three advocacy organizations filed suit yesterday in a South Carolina federal district court challenging the constitutionality of S.C. Code §59-32-30(A)(5) which prohibits public school sex education programs from discussing “alternate sexual lifestyles from heterosexual relationships including, but not limited to, homosexual relationships except in the context of … sexually transmitted diseases.” The complaint (full text) in Gender and Sexuality Alliance v. Spearman, (D SC, filed 2/26/2020)contends that the law violates the equal protection…
Bill Would Require Recording of All Public Meetings Under OMA
A bill was introduced earlier this month that would require all public bodies in Illinois to audio record all of their meetings and retain those recordings for a period of a year. The Open Meetings Act already requires public bodies to take minutes of all meetings. The OMA also requires public bodies to record its closed or executive sessions and retain those recordings for 18 months. Finally, the OMA authorizes members of the public to…
Trump Praises Modi’s Efforts On Religious Freedom In India
At his press conference (full text) in New Delhi, India yesterday, President Donald Trump responded to a question about religious freedom in India:
Q While you’ve been here in the country, in the capital, the northeast part of Delhi, there have been violent clashes. Police have been killed, some demonstrators. Nine deaths so far, we hear, and about 100-plus injured. What did Prime Minister Modi say to you about this amended citizenship…
Religious Discrimination Suit Dismissed As Moot
In Fiedor v. Florida Department of Financial Services, (ND FL, Feb. 24, 2020), a Florida federal district court dismissed a state government employee’s lawsuit alleging religious discrimination. The court describes the facts of the case:
This case arises from a state agency’s regional manager’s mistaken view that agency policy prohibited employees from discussing religion at work or posting church-related materials on an office bulletin board. After the mistake came to light as a result…
IRS Takes First Steps to Implement Carbon Capture Tax Credit
Bill Would Require Posting or Publishing of Vendor Information
Yesterday, we reported on a bill that, if passed, would require public bodies to post a list of government employees, consultants, and contractors who are paid $1,000 or more in a year. A companion bill was introduced on the same day that would also require public bodies to post on their websites a list of all entities who are paid more than $3,000 for products or services in a year, and that information would have…
2nd Circuit: Chinese Christian Convert Does Not Have Reasonable Fear of Persecution Upon Deportation
In Wang v. Barr, (2d Cir., Feb. 24, 2020), the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the denial of asylum to a Chinese citizen who had converted to Christianity. It held that she failed to prove a well-founded fear of future persecution. The court said in part:
Wang argues that there is a reasonable possibility that the Chinese government will become aware of her religious practice because she intends to attend an underground church, and…
2nd Circuit: Chinese Christian Convert Does Not Have Reasonable Fear of Persecution Upon Deportation
In Wang v. Barr, (2d Cir., Feb. 24, 2020), the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the denial of asylum to a Chinese citizen who had converted to Christianity. It held that she failed to prove a well-founded fear of future persecution. The court said in part:
Wang argues that there is a reasonable possibility that the Chinese government will become aware of her religious practice because she intends to attend an underground church, and…