BW INSIGHTS

Direct Pay Election and Transferability of Certain Energy Credits

By Maggie S. Schild | 07.03.2023

On June 21, 2023, the IRS issued proposed regulations for Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Sections 6417 and 6418, which relate to an election for direct payments of certain energy-related credits and transferability of certain energy credits, respectively. Furthermore, the IRS released FAQs regarding elective pay and transferability on June 14,... Read More

Now is the Time for Plan Sponsors to Correct Plan Errors: IRS Issues Guidance on the Expansion of EPCRS and Self-Corrections

By Cynthia Boyle Lande | 06.21.2023

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued interim guidance, provided in Notice 2023-43, that explains the expansion of plan sponsors’ ability to self-correct errors in qualified retirement plans. The Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) sets forth the IRS’s guidance to plan sponsors on how to correct errors relating to qualified... Read More

Iowa Workforce Development Expands Registered Apprenticeship Programs

By Hannah C. Welch | 06.19.2023

Governor Reynolds continues to work towards creating new and expanding current opportunities for apprenticeships throughout the state. At the beginning of the 2023 Legislative Session, Governor Reynolds gave her Condition of the State address where she announced new funding that would be focused on growing Iowa’s Registered Apprenticeship (RA)... Read More

Child Labor Regulations Relaxed in Iowa

By Danielle Smid | 06.16.2023

On May 26, 2023, Iowa experienced a significant development in its child labor laws as Governor Kim Reynolds signed a new bill into law. This legislation, which had previously cleared the state legislature (House 60-34, Senate 29-18), was submitted to Governor Reynolds for her final approval on May 3, 2023. The newly enacted law modifies existing... Read More

ChatGPT - A Legal Client's Friend or Foe?

By Jordan E. Meggison-Decker & Jill M. Gastineau | 06.12.2023

ChatGPT was released by OpenAI in November of 2022. ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool that is powered by artificial intelligence. Stated another way, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot that can interact with users by answering questions; drafting essays, letters, or poems; generating artwork; and more. ChatGPT has been... Read More

Is Your Content Being Taken and Reposted Without Your Permission? Here’s How to Effectively Combat Copyright Infringement on Social Media

By Jordan Meggison-Decker | 06.06.2023

It is no secret that copyright infringement is becoming more and more common across all widely used social media platforms. Many online content creators with a significant following have probably experienced their copyrighted material being reposted online without their authorization. Indeed, they may have experienced this unpleasant phenomenon... Read More

Non-Compete Agreements Facing Additional Challenges

By Danielle Smid | 06.06.2023

On May 24, 2023, Governor Walz signed into law a significant change to the enforceability of employee covenants not to compete. In any employment agreement entered into on or after July 1, 2023, post-employment covenants not to compete will be void and unenforceable. Iowa employers conducting business with Minnesota employees, including remote... Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Greatly Narrows the Definition of Wetlands in the Clean Water Act

By Ellen M. Hames & James L. Pray | 06.05.2023

On May 25, 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued a much-anticipated decision in the Sackett v. EPA case. At issue was whether “Waters of the United States” (“WOTUS”) could include wetlands that are not directly and continuously connected to navigable waters. All nine justices were unanimous in finding that the EPA overstepped its statutory... Read More

EEOC Provides Guidance on Employers Using AI in the Workplace

By Danielle Smid | 05.24.2023

The convenience and efficiency of utilizing Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) to hire employees, observe performance, and make decisions about pay and promotion opportunities could run your business into issues with Title VII, if the employer does not have sufficient oversight measures in place to monitor these tools effects. On May 18, 2023, the... Read More

New Iowa Law Establishes Optional Workaround for Pass-through Businesses to the $10K Federal SALT Limitation

By Christopher L. Nuss & Maggie Simonson Schild | 05.22.2023

Late last week, Governor Kim Reynolds signed House File 352, which establishes an IRS-approved workaround to the federal limitation of deducting only up to $10,000 of state and local tax (SALT) for individuals who itemize their deductions effective retroactively to January 1, 2022. Under this new law, which will remain in effect for the duration... Read More