Federal Spotlight: U.S. Senate passes new federal employer wage reporting requirements

On May 14, the U. S. Senate voted on a group of four bills related to trade. The Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation (UWC) organization informed associations and members that one of the bills, which related to customs, included a section that creates reporting for employers beginning in January 2017. For example, Section 913 (g)(1) of the bill directs employers to submit a report each quarter including wage and occupational information for each employee. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated new costs in the tens of millions of dollars for both employers and the state agencies who would administer these reports. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst voted to pass the bill. Click here to view the bill.