Des Moines, Iowa (May 24, 2016) Maria Brownell has joined Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. as an Associate Attorney. Maria is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Public Finance & Law practice areas, serving public entities including cities, city utilities, counties, school districts, special districts, and other local governments, as...
Recent guidance from the federal government has raised the question of what obligations public schools, colleges, and universities have with respect to transgender individuals. Since 2008, the Iowa Civil Rights Act has prohibited discrimination in employment and education based on an individual's "gender identity." However, federal anti-discrimination statutes have never...
An ever-increasing amount of our daily life is being conducted online. Does this provide a disservice to those individuals who cannot, for example, hear online videos or read webpage content? It might, and the ability of disabled individuals to access web-based services and information is receiving increased attention under the...
On May 18, 2016, the Department of Labor (DOL) published its long-awaited final regulations updating the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime requirements. The new rules become effective December 1, 2016. The major changes, discussed in more detail below, include: An increase in the salary threshold for "white collar" administrative,...
On March 18, 2016, the Iowa Supreme Court majority opinion in Hutchison et. al v. Warren County adopted a new standard for determining when a "meeting" occurs under Iowa's Open Meetings law. Prior to this ruling, a bright line rule existed for determining when a "meeting" was subject to the...
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has already entered into settlements with 72 underwriters as part of the Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation (MCDC) Initiative. The SEC now has started to contact issuers who may have made an MCDC filing and then will contact issuers who did not make an MCDC...
REGISTER NOW AHLERS & COONEY, P.C. HOT TOPICS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW CLIENT SEMINAR 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday, January 22, 2016 Des Moines Botanical Center 909 Robert D. Ray Drive Des Moines, IA 50309 REGISTER NOW Note: We are charging a nominal fee of $100 per person ($75...
The IRS has good news for many employers. IRS Notice 2016-4 extends the due dates for applicable large employers and other reporting entities to file 2015 information reporting required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Large employers are still required to file information returns and otherwise comply with the ACA,...
SAVE THE DATE November 13, 2015 AHLERS & COONEY, P.C. LABOR & EMPLOYMENT CLIENT SEMINAR 2015 Hilton Garden Inn 205 S. 64th Street West Des Moines, IA 50266 AGENDA 9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. – Welcome and Introduction Nathan Overberg 9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Jim Hanks: Social Media 10:00...
The Department of Labor (DOL) has published new proposed regulations on the classification of exempt workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which could dramatically affect overtime requirements starting in 2016. With the Wage and Hour Division of the DOL publishing the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for revisions...
