Blog Post: HR Tampa Expo and the September SHRMA meeting – updates

For those of you that missed the September 9th SHRMA meeting, William E. Grob of Ford & Harrison, LLP, the SRHMA Legislative Chair, presented legislative updates. His message was that change is the one constant that we have – and the goal of HR is to prevent lawsuits by staying informed and taking preventative measures.

 He covered changes in Federal Employment Law, including:

 • Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments ( ADA )

• Family Medical Leave Act/NDAA

• Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA)

• Recent Supreme Court Opinions

• Proposed legislation currently on House/Senate agenda

Regarding ADA , Mr. Grob reviewed the history behind the ADA , definitions, and examples of cases. He discussed the changes in FMLA that went into effect January 2009, including new regulations and forms, the seven specific categories of qualifying exigency, the new military leave component of FMLA, as well as what falls under “Caring For.”  NOTE: Mr. Grob’s advice is to use job descriptions if you have them so that you make sure all essential functions are listed and check annually to make sure all changes are updated! We flew over Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) as no one in the audience indicated it was of interest. The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed by President Obama on January 29, amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964, stating that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay discriminations resets with each new discriminatory paycheck.

Mr. Grob also provided examples of cases for ADEA claims and the new standard for  Evaluating Disparate Treatment Claims. Current Federal proposals include the Fair Pay Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, Equal Remedies Act (introduced by Sen. Ted Kennedy) and Civil Rights Act of 2008. Delayed legislation included I-9 forms and E-Verify.

I was thrilled to win one of the door prizes, the book “Secrets of  Peak Performance”!

Moving on to the HR Tampa Expo on September 16, I wanted to thank all the vendors, sponsors and attendees for making this a great event! Speakers included:

 •  Kathy Potts (Owner, Oncore Performance Group, LLC) “Change Reactions: The Art of Taking Ownership in HR”

• HR Tampa President Ignacio “Iggy” Garcia (Attorney, Ogletree & Deakins)  “Wage and Hour Issues in the Current Economy”

• Alison Engelsman (Senior Strategist, Shaker Recruitment Advertising & Communications) “Social Networking… Cutting Through the Noise – Simplifying & Socializing”

• David Steffan (Attorney, Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP) “ Stormy Weather or Calm Seas ? Legislative Forecast for Human Resources Professionals”

•Gina Potito & Tony Gain (Anchor Consultant/National Account Manager, DBM) “Global HR Best Practices”

• Loren Murfield, Ph.D (CEO and President, Murfield International, Inc.)
“Making THE Difference by Helping Employees Unleash the Ultimate Entrepreneurial Attitude”

 You can follow comments and observations on the Expo on Twitter: #hrtampa

The October meetings of both SHRMA and HR Tampa will be a joint meeting on Diversity, October 14, 7:30am at the Marriott Hotel in St. Petersburg . There will be a panel discussion that includes a local employment lawyer, a humanities professor and a human rights activist. 

Hope to see you all there!