Greetings GMA SHRM Members –

Thanks to everyone that attended our August Professional Development Summit! We had great attendance for an end of summer event. As a reminder, the Wisconsin State Conference is fast approaching on October 10^th – 12^th at Kalahari Resorts. If you haven’t yet registered, you can find all the information here: http://www.wishrm.org/2018-State-Conference
 
If you have an interest in additional educational opportunities, there are a variety of SHRM seminars being held in Chicago this fall. A couple of the topics that stand out to me are:

• HR Analytics: Using Data to Drive Results
• HR Business Partners: Enhancing Your Strategic Contributions

You can find details and how to register here. I would also like to share a discount for members. If you sign up, use the code 18FSEMCHI to save $200!
 
Several of our GMA SHRM Board members had the opportunity to learn and network with board members from all over the state at our annual leadership conference last month. We were able to gather ideas for our chapter based on what other chapters have done. We also learned about SHRM initiatives and heard updates from the state and national levels. I would like to share one of my takeaways. One project that is underway with the SHRM Foundation is an initiative to support veterans, specifically tied in with hiring and retention of former service members. They have several tools available for employers to help support us with Integrating & Engaging Veterans in the Workforce. I hope some of our members are able to take advantage of this information! Our chapter will continue to find ways to raise money for the SHRM Foundation so they can continue to support HR professionals with scholarships and their work on these types of initiatives. 



Take Care,

Tammy Wacek, SHRM-CP, PHR
President
GMA SHRM

Update on the “Workflex in the 21st Century Act"

Submitted by: Jeff Palkowski, Director of Government Affairs GMA SHRM and SHRM Advocacy Captain (Wisconsin 1st CD)

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has been supporting and advocating the “Workflex in the 21^st Century Act” for several years. If you are not familiar, this proposal (H.R. 4219) was introduced last year by U.S. Rep Mimi Walters (R-CA) and was created with input and support from SHRM. The basis for the proposed legislation would be to allow employers to voluntarily offer employees paid leave and a flexible work arrangement, in exchange for an exemption from some state and local paid leave laws. The proposal was developed to address a growing patchwork of state and local paid leave laws that create administrative challenges for employers that may have employees in multiple locations, subject to different paid leave laws.
 
On July 24^th, a U.S. House Education and Workforce subcommittee held a hearing to hear testimony for and against the proposal. SHRM CEO and President Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. provided testimony in support of the bill. He stated that this bill would help employers that are currently challenged with “outdated workplace rules and government mandated leave requirements” that make it difficult to attract and maintain a high-quality workforce. Those in support of the legislation believe that it is a “win-win” for both businesses and employees to find a common ground to address a current system with 10 separate state paid leave laws and over 30 local and municipal laws.
 
The hearing also provided testimony that was in opposition to the proposal, including from ranking subcommittee member U.S. Rep Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-Northern Marianas Islands) who expressed concerns that the bill could result in employees having fewer leave options as employers would be subject to a voluntary plan as opposed to government mandates. Rep Sablan also expressed concerns that workers would actually lose state and local protections regarding paid leave, that are currently in place or being developed.
 
In addition to the “Workflex in the 21^st Century Act”, other proposals are also under consideration in Congress.
 
The FAMILY Act (S.337) would provide employees with a paid family leave option, through the establishment of an Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Social Security Administration. Qualifying employees would receive paid leave benefits for up to 60 days within a 12-month period. The paid leave would be funded through an increase in the payroll tax.
 
The “Economic Security for New Parents Act” (S.3345) was recently introduced by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and has the support of the President’s daughter and advisor, Ivanka Trump. This paid leave option would only apply to new parents who would use a portion of their Social Security benefits to use paid parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child. Access to this paid leave would result in a 3 to 6 month delay in Social Security retirement benefits for recipients that utilize the paid parental leave benefit.
 
With only a few months left in the current congressional session, and with each proposal having no bipartisan support, it is unlikely that there will be anything passed and signed into law this year. As family leave continues to be an important issue for both employers and employees across the country, it remains a top issue to watch, as new proposals will likely be introduced soon next year once the 116^th United States Congress convenes on January 3, 2019.

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Bills Introduced in U.S. House and Senate Would Enable Employers to Help Employees Pay Off Student Loans on a Tax-Free Basis

Submitted by: Abigail Darwin, GMA SHRM Government Affairs Committee Member and Employee Benefits Attorney at Quarles & Brady LLC

Two bipartisan companion bills -- one in the U.S. House of Representatives and one in the U.S. Senate -- were recently introduced that would enable employers to help employees pay off their student loans on a non-taxable basis.  The bills, H.R. 795 (introduced by Congressmen Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Scott Peters (D-CA)) and S. 796 (introduced by Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD)) would expand Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code ("Code") to cover student loan repayment. 
 
Section 127 is the provision of the Code that currently enables employees to exclude from income up to $5,250 per year in tuition assistance from their employers for educational courses the employees take at the undergraduate, graduate or certificate level.  It also enables employers to receive a tax deduction in the same amount.  If Section 127 were expanded to include student loan repayment, employers could take a tax deduction, and employees could exclude from income, up to $5,250 in employer-funded student loan repayment benefits. 
 
Under current law, any money that an employer provides to an employee to help pay off student loan debt is considered to be taxable income to the employee, and the employer cannot take a tax deduction for the amount.  Consequently, only 4% of employers currently offer student loan repayment programs, according to the Society for Human Resource Management's ("SHRM") 2018 Employee Benefits survey.  If the benefit could be provided on a tax-free basis to both employers and employees, however, it seems highly likely that many more employers would offer this benefit.
 
Student loan repayment benefits could be useful as both a recruitment and a retention tool by companies looking to hire and keep top talent.  In addition, if employees have assistance to pay off their student loan debt, they will have increased opportunities to buy a home and save for retirement.  Passage of H.R. 795 and S. 796 would therefore have a tremendous impact on both employers and employees. 
 
SHRM supports these bills and has put together a letter of support for including language from H.R. 795 in House Tax 2.0 legislation.  We will keep you apprised of further developments related to these bills.

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2019 WI SHRM Day on the Hill Planning Begins

Submitted by: Jeff Palkowski, Director of Government Affairs GMA SHRM and SHRM Advocacy Captain (Wisconsin 1st CD)

While it’s only September, your GMA SHRM Government Affairs committee is already getting started providing programming input for the 2019 WI SHRM Day on the Hill event to be held on February 13^th and 14^th next year.
 
If you have not attended a previous Day on the Hill event, it is held here in Madison on the Capitol Square at the Premier Park Hotel.  The morning is filled with HR legal updates, legislative speakers, or other topics of interest to the human resources community. In addition to an annual Legal Update from Bob Gregg of Boardman & Clark, LLP past speakers have included Wisconsin DWD Deputy Secretary Georgia Maxwell, Marquette Law School Pollster Charles Franklin, Capitol Times Government Reporter Jessie Opoien, and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch.
 
As we begin committee discussions to share ideas with the WI SHRM Day on the Hill Planning Committee, we would welcome any programming and/or speaker suggestions from both those that have either attended previously or those that are considering attending for the first time in 2019. While it seems like a few months away, we will need to reach out to potential speakers very soon to confirm their availability next February.
 
If you have any speaker or topic recommendations that you would like to share, please email them to me at jeff.palkowski@wisc.edu

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Professional Development

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in July 2018!

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Movin' Up

Have you started with a new company? Has your organization recently promoted you to a new position? Or do you want to recognize a new person or promotion within your department? If so, we want to hear about it. Send us an e-mail, and we’ll publish your good news in the next HR InTouch!  
 

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In Transition

If you are a member who is in between jobs, or who is currently employed but seeking new positions or career paths, write us a brief description of your skill set, areas of expertise, what you’re looking for, etc. Send us an e-mail. We’ll publish your information in the next HR InTouch.

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HR InTouch Guidelines

Article Writing:

Do you have an interest in writing for the HR InTouch? We have an interest in learning more about your area of expertise!

Why should you volunteer? Top three reasons: 1) to share your knowledge and experiences to educate others; 2) to become more connected in the HR and Dane County communities; and 3) to contribute towards the advancement of GMA SHRM and the HR profession.

The first step is for you to choose a submission option: you can pre-submit an article to GMA SHRM at any time for us to use in any of the upcoming newsletters, you can sign up to write for a particular month, or we can put you on a list of people to contact in future months whenever we need articles.

Article length:

Because the HR InTouch is now in an online format, the size is flexible. The article should be engaging and hold readers’ attention. Include the core information in your article, and we will advise if it is too lengthy.

Solicitation:

GMA SHRM is conscious not to allow solicitation through the articles, in an effort to protect the interests of our partners and members. The nature of the article should be educational (i.e., what are the business advantages of having a product like yours) or informational. Otherwise, if you truly are interested in advertising through the HR InTouch, you can work with our Marketing Committee. As a rule of thumb for article writing, if the submission relates to a for-profit event, or specifically markets your company (vs. your industry), it is an advertisement, and should be purchased. If it is a not-for-profit event that your company is hosting, or an announcement (i.e., a SHRM member recently joined your company), it is an acceptable addition to the HR InTouch content. If you have any questions related to the appropriateness of your submission, please contact us.

If you have questions, or to submit an article, contact GMA SHRM at chapteradmin@gmashrm.org .