FORM I-9: MORE IS NOT BETTER!
The Employers Council
Employers' good intentions in verifying Form I-9 information, if overzealous, may lead to penalties. Here are several common so-called "document abuse" violations:
• Requesting documentation to verify an employee's personal attestation in Section 1.
• Specifying which work authorization and/or identity document an employee must present
(e.g., specifying that a Social Security card must be presented for documentation of work authorization).
• Rejecting an acceptable work authorization or identity document that reasonably appears on its
face to be genuine and to relate to the employee presenting it.
• Requesting more documentation than necessary to satisfy Form I-9 requirements (e.g., recording more info than minimally required in Columns A, B or C). More is not better – even if an employee voluntarily supplies additional documentation!
Today in Manufacturing
The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan will temporarily take pressure off of tightening global oil supplies, energy analysts said Monday ... continue
EU AGREES ON ECONOMIC REFORM DEAL
European Union
Leaders of the 17 eurozone countries agreed over the weekend to coordinate their economic policies more closely, with the aim of improving the competitiveness of their economies. In further tackling the sovereign debt crisis, the leaders also agreed to raise the effective lending capacity of the European Financial Stability Facility to 440 billion euros as well as allowing the facility to buy bonds directly from issuing countries. A permanent European Stability Mechanism, to be set up in 2013, will be able to lend up to 500 billion euros.
The agreement will have to be endorsed at a European Council summit at the end of March, but President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy said he was confident that "everything will come together" at that meeting and that "this should allow us to finally turn the corner."
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso hailed the agreement as a "response which is about restoring competitiveness so as to bring growth to Europe. And about restoring public finances so as to bring sustainability to Europe."
EU Finance Ministers meeting in Brussels today and tomorrow will further work out the details of the agreement.
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Will offer technical services and donate $5 million to relief efforts Click to continue
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U.S. trade representative calls ruling 'overreaching' by WTO appeals body. Click to continue
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Authorities arrested 3,001 people in latest crackdown on rampant product piracy and seized fake or counterfeit medicines, mobile phones and other goods ... continue
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Microsoft backed anti-software-and-hardware piracy measure is drawing sharp opposition from other giant technology companies and a group of big-name retailers ... continue
(Note: this same bill was floated at the Utah Legislature in the past two weeks but was killed by UMA and the Utah Retail Merchants Assn.)
LOCAL COMPANY ADVISORY TEAMS ENSURE STUDENTS GRADUATE WITH RELEVANT, EMPLOYABLE SKILLS
UCAT
Job placement, program completion and professional licensing are strong at Utah’s applied technology colleges, according to annual accreditation outcomes released last month by the Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT).
UCAT campuses reported that 78 percent of students who completed certificate programs were placed in related employment during 2010, significantly exceeding a national accreditation standard of 70 percent.
“With today’s high unemployment, these placement rates are a reflection of UCAT’s focus on training for the jobs and skills companies need most,” said UCAT President Rob Brems. “We have more students than ever before at our applied technology colleges, and most of them are getting jobs in their field of training. The campuses are right on track with our mission to meet the needs of Utah’s employers for technically skilled workers.”
UCAT also reported a 66 percent program completion rate and a 98 percent licensure rate. As a condition of continuing accreditation, the campuses must meet annual performance standards for program completion, job placement, and licensure established by the Council on Occupational Education, a national agency that accredits career and technical institutions.
To ensure that UCAT is offering training relevant to its students and currently needed by Utah companies, 951 employer representatives actively participated in advising UCAT programs in 2010. “That employer involvement is critical to getting students to work,” said Pres. Brems.
Dixie Applied Technology College President Rich VanAusdal agrees. “Our business community is involved with every program we offer at DXATC,” he said. “Industry experts form advisory teams to assure that each program’s curriculum is relevant and responsive to that industry’s current demand. Our programs are fluid and dynamic, changing to meet the need of employers.”
UCAT’s eight applied technology college campuses offer 291 accredited certificate programs statewide. According to the U.S. Department of Education, certificates are the fastest-growing credential in higher education nationally over the past 10 years.
Certificates and other post-secondary training at UCAT campuses will play a big role in helping Utah reach the goal recently articulated by the Governor’s Education Excellence Commission for 66 percent of Utahns to have a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2020. The commission’s goal is based on a 2010 study by The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce which projected that 66 percent of all jobs in Utah will require post-high school education by 2018.
Forty-one percent of the jobs needing postsecondary education will require the kind of certificate and skills training offered by UCAT’s applied technology colleges. The study also shows that many workers with licenses and certificates earn more than those who have traditional college/university degrees.
These education trends were apparent during the recent recession and current recovery as many workers found that they had to seek additional training, or re-training, in order to re-enter the workforce or remain competitive. UCAT’s annual report reflected that trend showing that adult students at UCAT logged a record-setting increase of 21.7% in membership hours in 2010.
Last year, 42,524 students took advantage of UCAT’s open-entry, open-exit, competency-based technical education training.
For more information about UCAT and its programs, go to http://www.ucat.edu/.
Forbes
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testified in Congress Tuesday, acknowledging that sustained increases in the price of oil are a serious concern for the American economy.
WORKERS COMPENSATION FUND ANNOUNCES CENTRAL UTAH BRANCH
News Wire
WCF announced the scheduled opening of a branch office in Utah County to better serve their clients throughout the central region of Utah. The WCF Central Utah Branch will be located at 580 South State Street in Orem. WCF currently has its main headquarters in Sandy with branch offices in Ogden and St. George.“This new branch has been under consideration for the last couple of years for several reasons. The branch offices in St. George and Ogden have been extremely valuable in building community relationships, retaining and servicing existing customers and helping customers obtain the coverage needed. We are confident that this new branch office in Utah County will allow us to provide a higher level of customer service and become better connected to our existing and potential customers throughout the central Utah region as well as becoming a partner in the community,” said Peggy Larsen senior vice president of Marketing.Brian Morris has been named manager of the Central Utah Branch. Brian has a diverse and extensive background in many areas of workers compensation insurance. The Central Utah Branch will offer marketing, underwriting, auditing and loss prevention services. The branch is scheduled to open May 2, 2011.
GOVERNOR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE WELCOME ESTONIAN OIL SHALE COMPANY TO UTAH
UB Daily
One of the world’s leading companies in oil shale development, Eesti Energia/Enefit of Estonia, purchased a 100% interest in Oil Shale Exploration Company (OSEC) of Alabama, which has significant oil shale interests in Utah. This puts Utah on the leading edge of development of oil shale resources. “We want to welcome Enefit to Utah,” said Governor Gary R.
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UCAT PRESIDENT REPORTS LEGISLATIVE SUCCESSES TO TRUSTEES
In a letter to UCAT Trustees, UCAT President Rob Brems reported the outcome of the 2011 Legislature as it relates to career and technical education in Utah.
Dear Trustees:
The Utah Legislature ended at midnight on Thursday. UCAT is fortunate that our budget situation will remain the same as last year with no cuts. While the session began with talk of 10% additional cuts to budgets, UCAT's initial base budget was set at a 5.9% cut. During the course of the session, those cuts were reduced to 3.9%, then to 2%. Finally, our entire budget was restored to FY 2011 levels. We feel very fortunate.
Some very good news is that we were able to make significant progress on our capital facilities needs. Our top capital development priority, Southwest ATC, was not funded by this session of the Legislature, nor were we able to secure programming and design funds. Our second capital development priority, a new 9 acre, 66,000 SF Tooele ATC campus was funded with the help of a $5M infusion of funds from Tooele City and the donation about $1M in land by Utah State University. Additionally, the Davis ATC was able to obtain an additional 120,000 SF at the Freeport Center in Clearfield as part of a multi-agency effort. Legislative approval was also given for the construction of an 8,000 SF UCAT Administration and Training facility at Thanksgiving Point, next to the new Front Runner station.
UCAT made considerable strides in getting the Higher Education Appropriations Committee (HEAC) to recognize the important education and training being provided by UCAT campuses across the state. For the first time, UCAT was able to present first in the HEAC and in addition to the overall UCAT presentation, each campus was able to share successes, concerns and specific information about each of the eight UCAT campuses. Each of the presidents did an outstanding job and I'm sure that was one of the significant factors in our success this year. I also appreciate the support and work of our two UCAT vice presidents and staff in providing the data, developing the presentations and back-up materials required for telling UCAT's story and in tracking the budgetary information as the session progressed. Special thanks to Co-Chairs Senator Steve Urquhart and Representative Michael Morley and the other HEAC members for their support of UCAT.
Another interesting occurrence in this year's session was legislative interest in UCAT's completion, placement and licensures (CPL) rates. Because of our accreditation with the Council on Occupational Education (COE) and with each campus being fully-accredited by COE, we were able to use our most recent CPL reports to help legislators understand the high levels of efficiency across UCAT and at each campus. We were also able to get out the message that many UCAT programs are currently impacted by waiting lists as long as 12-15 months because of reduced funding over the past several years and dramatically increased enrollments because of the recent economic challenges and higher unemployment. We saw indications that some legislators would like to eliminate those waiting lists and programs with higher placement rates were often prioritized for additional funding when that becomes available.
Unfortunately, we saw an important part of statutory language stricken from public education which allowed school districts to continue to receive average daily membership funding (WPU) when students attend UCAT programs during a part of their school day. UCAT worked hard to try to reinstate the language, as did many public education groups. In the end, the language was not restored and $5M in public education funding (the estimate of what the school district WPU funding would be) was first cut from the public education budget and then restored for a different purpose. That becomes a major concern as UCAT continues to strive to include secondary students in its programs. While this is a system-wide concern, perhaps the most significant concern is in the Uintah Basin where a very high percentage of high school students have historically received their high school career and technical education at the Uintah Basin ATC.
May I reiterate my appreciation to you as Trustees, the campus boards of directors, the UCAT administrative staff, the campus presidents and all who worked so well together to bring about the positive results at the close of the 2011 legislative session?
Thanks again for all you do in support of UCAT.
Rob
HOUSE ENERGY SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVES BILL BLOCKING EPA FROM REGULATING CO2 EMISSIONS
Kathleen Hart
On a voice vote, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee's Energy and Power Subcommittee approved a bill on March 10 that would block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating emissions of CO2 from power plants and other stationary sources under the Clean Air Act.
With 16 Republicans and only 11 Democrats on the subcommittee roster, the Energy Tax Prevention Act, H.R. 910, easily passed the panel. The bill now moves to the full committee, where it is expected to be approved. Republicans outnumber Democrats on the full committee by 31 to 23. The bipartisan bill is widely expected to pass in the House of Representatives, as well. However, its fate is far less certain in the Senate, where Democrats enjoy a majority.
The legislation was first released as a discussion draft in February by Reps. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the full committee, and Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., who chairs the subcommittee. The bill was formally introduced in the House on March 3 by senior officials from both parties. In addition to Upton and Whitfield, sponsors of the bill include Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee; and Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., ranking Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Upton and Whitfield insisted that the language of the Energy Tax Prevention Act will ensure the EPA's ability and obligation to regulate air pollutants such as particulates that cause soot, ozone that causes smog and almost 200 other pollutants. "H.R. 910 merely ensures that the Clean Air Act is not misused for a carbon cap-and-tax purpose it was never designed for," the Republican congressmen said in a news release.
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., introduced the legislation in the Senate, with more than 40 co-sponsors, including Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. Manchin argued that regulations proposed by the EPA to limit emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the United States "could hurt our fragile economy. The simple fact is that the EPA is trying to seize more power than it should have, and must be stopped. I hope that Democrats and Republicans can come together to stop the EPA's jobs-destroying power grab."
Responding to the vote, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said, "Today, a House subcommittee moved forward on legislation that blocks EPA from protecting our children and families against dangerous pollution. We need to stand with American families and doctors who tell us that these landmark safeguards are needed to make the air cleaner and safer for the children to breathe. I will do everything in my power to stop attacks on the Clean Air Act that threaten the health of our families."
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said that the House energy panel "took a huge step backwards today, voting to tear down critical environmental protections and put big polluters above human health. If the House Republicans get their way, the air won't be clear — but their priorities will be. This short-sighted scheme helps polluters and hurts our children, and we won't let that happen."
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., called the Upton-Inhofe bill a "combination of bad science, bad policy and bad ideas. I intend to do everything I can to make sure that it is never enacted."
The Union of Concerned Scientists reacted swiftly to the House subcommittee action, calling the vote "an insult to all Americans." Lexi Shultz, legislative director for the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the "subcommittee vote is a triumph of fiction over fact. This bill ignores the vast body of scientific evidence that carbon emissions are leading to climate change and harming public health."
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