The Custody Battle Round 2, or 3, or 4

Getting through a child custody case the first time is hard enough. More often than not emotions have run high, feelings have been hurt, and a family begins to adjust to the new normal. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon that those same families will return to seek legal assistance. In such situations a child custody arrangement can be modified.

FLSA Exempt Employee Salary Changes

On May 18, 2016, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued final rules relating to the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) that updated the minimum salary amount that is required for an employee to be considered “exempt” under the FLSA. Under the final rules, which will go into effect on December 1, 2016, the DOL increased the minimum salary amount for employees performing certain duties to be considered exempt from $455 per week ($23,660 per year) to $913 per week ($47,476 per year). The DOL also put into place a mechanism by which the minimum salary amount will be updated every three years.

DE Guidance Relating to Transgender Students

On May 13, 2016, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague letter that summarized a school district’s Title IX obligations regarding transgender students. While the Dear Colleague letter provides guidance on what the Department of Education has determined to be required practices relating to transgender students, Iowa laws and policies already required similar practices.

Employer-provided Leave as a Reasonable Accommodation

On May 9, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a memorandum entitled “Employer-Provided Leave and the Americans with Disabilities Act”. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), any employer with 15 or more employees must provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities that require such accommodations due to their disabilities.