Guns-in-trunks Passage Ends 4-year Battle Over Bill
Culminating a 4-year battle between business owners and gun rights advocates, Tennessee's legislature approved a National Rifle Association-backed measure letting handgun owners with permits carry their weapons in their cars anywhere they go. The so-called “guns-in-trunks” bill lifts criminal penalties on carrying a handgun into a parking lot, even a school, university, or workplace, so long as it remains in a locked vehicle. The vote comes as Congress debates tougher gun laws in the wake of the Newtown shooting in December. But in Tennessee’s Republican-led legislature, the movement has been toward letting law-abiding gun owners carry their weapons in more places. The bill has continued to draw fire from some gun rights activists, who argue it does not go far enough to protect gun owners. The bill also includes a provision meant to keep businesses from being sued in the event of a workplace shoot- ing or if the weapon is stolen. The measure removes criminal penalties for bringing a gun onto private property, but it is unclear whether businesses could continue to set policies banning firearms. It also is unclear whether schools and universities could ban firearms.
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Maryland House Passes Strict Gun-control Measure Crafted After Newtown Massacre The Maryland House of Delegates have passed what would be among the nation's most restrictive gun-control measures, voting to require fingerprinting of gun buyers, new limits on firearm purchases by the mentally ill, and bans on assault weapons and on magazines that hold more than 10 bullets. The 78 to 61 vote handed Gov. Martin O'Malley a major victory as Maryland joins the ranks of Democratic-leaning states passing broad gun-control restrictions in response to the December school shootings in Connecti- cut. The bill now returns to the state Senate, which passed a substantially similar version of the legislation. No state had sought to impose a licensing requirement in nearly 20 years. The National Rifle Association criticized the Maryland vote, complaining that licensing and fingerprinting amount to a fundamental infringement of a constitutional right. Marylanders would not need to get a license to buy hunting rifles and shotguns. Among other arguments, opponents of the bill said the state lacks enough firing ranges, firearms instructors and state police to process the licenses in a timely manner.
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Mental Disabilities – Managing Employee Conduct and Maintaining Workplace Safety Recent studies have shown approximately 4.2 million to 13.4 million working employees have mental disabilities. Employers must balance disabled employees’ legal protections with safety concerns. These employees have legal protections and may be entitled to reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA). Employers may require both disabled and non-disabled employees to comply with standards of conduct and performance that are job-related and consistent with business necessity. Employers may also exclude individuals who pose a direct threat. An employer must make an individualized assessment when determining if an employee poses a direct threat. The employer should seek medical judgments and rely on the most current medical knowledge and factual evidence regarding the employee’s potential to be a direct threat. Employers should also seek legal advice if they are unsure whether an employee poses a direct threat in the workplace.
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Sen. Murray: Protecting America’s Workers Act a “Long-Overdue” Update to OSH Act A senator is working to breathe new life into the decades-old Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act by reintroducing the Protect- ing America’s Workers Act (PAWA). Now, forty-two years since the OSH Act was signed into law, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. has reintroduced PAWA in an effort to strengthen the nation’s occupational safety protections. She calls the legislation “a long-overdue update to the OSH Act, and a good step towards making workplaces safer and healthier across America.” PAWA works to address workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. Specifically, PAWA would expand OSH Act protections to include state, county, municipal and U.S. government employees; increase whistleblower protections; and improve OSHA reporting, inspection and enforcement. These improvements will help OSHA ensure safe and healthful work environments in industries that have outpaced decades old government regulation, Murray said. “Every worker, in every industry, deserves to be confident that while they are working hard and doing their jobs, their employers are doing everything they can to protect them,” said Murray.
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