Proposed Law Would Subsidize Employers' English Classes
Last week, the proposed Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Skills Act (SUCCESS) was introduced in both the House and Senate during the week of July 20 that supporters say would help immigrants integrate into U.S. society and workplaces and includes tax breaks for businesses offering English literacy programs to their employees. The bill was introduced by Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA.) Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and has several co-sponsors in both houses. Click here to read Rep. Honda's press release on SUCCESS.
Key features of the SUCCESS Act include:
- Businesses that provide English language courses to their employees could receive a 20 percent tax credit for those expenses, up to $1,000 per employee.
- Teachers who teach immigrants English language skills would receive tax breaks up to $750 per year for the first five years of teaching and $500 for each year after that, up to a maximum of 10 years.
- The bill would double the amount of funding for English language programs the Department of Education provides for states from about $70 million to $200 million in fiscal year 2010, with the majority of the funding going to states with the largest and fastest-growing immigrant populations.
If it becomes law, SUCCESS will encourage businesses to invest in educating their non-English speaking workforce, a laudable goal. What we don't understand, however, is the acronym. SUCCESS? Really? Shouldn't it be SUCCEES? While technically correct, it wouldn't spell a catchy word and would doom the bill to a slow death in committee.
Stoel Rives to Host Employee Free Choice Act Seminar in Portland June 11
If passed in its proposed form, the Employee Free Choice Act ("EFCA") will revolutionize federal labor laws by allowing unions to organize without a secret-ballot election. Other onerous provisions include shortening the time to negotiate a first contract and, if the parties do not agree, allowing an arbitrator (a judge) to decide the terms of the first contract. While Congress is debating several compromises over EFCA, just about any version of the law will tilt the playing field sharply in favor of labor unions. Union and non-union employers must be prepared to face new organizing tactics in light of EFCA and the unions’ sophisticated use of the Internet.
Please join Labor & Employment attorneys Victor Kisch and Dennis Westlind for a seminar about EFCA and the do’s and don’ts for remaining union-free in the new environment. We will also discuss other likely changes to labor laws. The seminar will cover:
- How will EFCA make it easier for unions to organize? What can a non-union employer do under EFCA?
- How do unions organize in the age of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, chat rooms, websites, text messages, email and so on?
- Effective no solicitation policies;
- What key issues make a work force vulnerable to union organizing? How can an employer address employee concerns?
- Salts -- If union organizers seek employment at your company, what can you do?
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When: |
Thursday, June 11, 2009 |
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Cost: |
Complimentary (lunch included) |
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Where: |
Stoel Rives LLP |
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Parking: |
We will validate parking for most nearby parking garages. |
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RSVP: |
Space is limited! Click here to register online by June 9. |
Stoel Rives Offers ADA Amendments Act Seminars in Boise, Portland and Seattle
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The ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) will become law on January 1, 2009, substantially expanding the Americans with Disabilities Act, and increasing employers' obligations to accommodate disabled employees. To help you get ready to comply with this important new law, Stoel Rives is offering free ADAAA seminars in its Seattle, Portland and Boise offices on December 2, 2008. To register, see the links below:
For more information on the ADAAA from the comfort of your desk (or easy chair, or beach if you have an Iphone), check out the World of Work's ADAAA coverage here.
