by CUPA-HR
This month, CUPA-HR General Counsel Ira Shepard provides details on cases including a Maryland legislature overriding a governor’s veto to become the tenth state to mandate paid family leave through a state funded program of employer and worker payroll taxes, the California Assembly considering passing a law protecting employees’ off hours marijuana use, increases in accommodations requests and mental health discrimination bias claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and more.
Over the last month, CUPA-HR’s government relations team joined the American Council on Education (ACE) and other higher education organizations in virtual Capitol Hill meetings to discuss tax priorities for the higher education community. Meetings have been held with staffers of Members of the House Ways and Means Committee to advocate for tax policies and proposals to alleviate various burdens placed on students, employees and institutions alike. 
Effective May 4, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a Temporary Final Rule (TFR) to increase the automatic extension period of expiring employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain renewal applicants from 180 days to 540 days. Specifically, the TFR applies to three groups of applicants in EAD categories currently eligible for the previous 180-day automatic extension of employment authorization and EAD validity. 
CUPA-HR’s Higher Education HR Region Awards program recognizes some of the best and brightest in higher ed HR and honors HR professionals who have given their time and talents to the association. Here are this year’s regional award recipients for the HR Excellence Award and the HR Rock Star Award. 
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are nothing new. In fact, 97 percent of large employers offer an EAP as part of their benefits package. Yet, the utilization rate of these programs is abysmally low, clocking in at an average of less than 5 percent even as concerns around mental health continue to grow. EAPs should be a key resource for struggling employees, so why isn’t anybody using them? Read how HR can help remove barriers to access and improve EAP usage. 
CUPA-HR has released its data on overall higher ed pay increases, as well as changes in workforce size for 2021-22. The data show that higher ed pay increases have not kept pace with inflation and overall workforce size has declined in the wake of the pandemic. 
On April 25, the Department of Homeland Security announced another extension of the Form I-9 compliance flexibilities that was initially granted in 2020. The guidance was set to expire on April 30 but has now been extended through October 31, 2022. 
Detecting bias can be a challenge, particularly when it comes to long-standing practices that are firmly rooted in our campus culture and systems. Left unchecked, these routine practices may create unintended barriers to inclusion and belonging. In the recent CUPA-HR virtual workshop, “Detecting Systemic Bias in Talent Practices,” presenters discussed methods higher ed HR practitioners can use to pinpoint these barriers to inclusion. One method is to audit the DEI experience at your institution by reflecting on the following questions to determine who is present, who is participating and who holds the power.