Brian Dake

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has voted to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to rescind the requirement for employers and other covered entities to file an annual report with the EEOC summarizing aggregate data on their employees’ race and sex (reports known respectively as the EEO-1, EEO-2, EEO-3, EEO-4, EEO-5, and EEO-6 reports or EEO Data Reports), and the recordkeeping requirements related to these reports.

The EEOC’s regulations currently require all organizations covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act — including over two million employers — to file these annual reports, regardless of whether or not an employer or other covered organization has ever been accused of a Title VII violation via a charge of discrimination filed with the EEOC. According to agency estimates, the EEOC’s current data collection requirement imposes costs of almost $275 million on employers every year, as well as almost $4 million of costs on the EEOC to administer this data collection.

In the NPRM, the Commission determined that the EEO Data Reports are inconsistent with equal employment opportunity law, may raise constitutional concerns, and collect data that is not narrowly tailored or necessary to enforce anti-discrimination statutes. Under Title VII, the EEOC is not required to impose these reporting obligations and may eliminate them when they are inconsistent with the law, not useful, or counter to enforcement priorities. The NPRM concludes that any limited value of the reports is outweighed by the significant burdens they impose on employers and on the Commission — particularly because employers must submit them annually without any specific indication of a potential violation.

“The Commission’s proposal to rescind the EEO Data Reports is consistent with the text of Title VII and Supreme Court precedent,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “The proposed rescission of the EEO Data Reports reaffirms the founding principle that every individual is created equal and therefore is entitled to equal treatment under the law. Because the EEO Data Reports require all covered employers to categorize employees by race and sex annually, disconnected from any allegation of a Title VII violation or related Commission enforcement proceeding, the EEO Data Reports stand in direct tension with Title VII’s requirement that employment practices be colorblind. Collecting such data about employees’ race and sex — absent any specific allegation of discrimination — not only risks hindering effective enforcement of equal employment laws but also raises constitutional concerns. The Commission’s authority to request specific, tailored records relevant to a charge investigation, however, remains unchanged.”

The Trump administration is set to impose new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners beginning Friday as a temporary global tariff expires.

The move comes after the Supreme Court in February struck down President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs of 10% to 50% that were imposed last year. In response, Trump implemented a temporary 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 that expires at 12:01 a.m. ET Friday.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced Thursday that the new tariffs, imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, will take effect immediately after the temporary duties expire.

Canada, Mexico, India and the United Kingdom are among the trading partners that will face a 10% tariff.

Taiwan and the European Union, meanwhile, are slated to face a 12.5% tariff.

“The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a news release.

Many products will be exempt from the tariffs, including oil and gas, fertilizer, certain food products and goods already subject to Section 232 national security tariffs, including automobiles, steel, aluminum and copper.

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) today issued two opinion letters addressing how the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) applies to the commuter travel of employees who work part of their workday at home.

Opinion letters provide official written interpretations from the department’s enforcement agencies that address real-world questions from individuals or organizations. The letters explain how the laws the division enforces, including the FLSA, apply to specific factual circumstances and that may also help the public understand their rights and responsibilities.

“These opinion letters offer comprehensive guidance that allows employers to confidently make informed decisions regarding a wider variety of employee work arrangements,” said Wage and Hour Division Administrator Andrew Rogers. “By elucidating how the FLSA applies to various commuting situations, the division is enabling organizations to successfully implement compliant practices that support operational and employee needs, while ensuring that workers are properly compensated for all hours worked.”

The two opinion letters issued today are:

• FLSA2026-9: Whether mid-day travel between an employee’s home and work office is worktime that an employer must record and pay for under the FLSA, where the employee performs work at both locations and the mid-day travel is offered as a voluntary alternative to unpaid commuter travel that would otherwise occur before or after the employee’s workday.
• FLSA2026-10: Whether time spent by an employee receiving pages, calling clients and other workers to schedule appointments, and driving from home to the first client appointment is worktime that an employer must record and pay for under the FLSA.

In June 2025, the department announced the relaunch of the opinion letter program, which expands its longstanding commitment to providing meaningful compliance assistance that helps workers, employers, and other stakeholders understand how federal labor laws apply in specific workplace situations.

In collaboration with the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the suspension of 7,800 Wisconsin borrowers tied to $375 million in suspected fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) activity. The announcement comes as part of SBA’s ongoing state-by-state investigation into the abuse of taxpayer-funded programs intended to support small businesses and their workers during the pandemic.

To date, SBA has identified and suspended over 150,000 borrowers connected to over $10 billion in suspected PPP and COVID EIDL fraud. Suspended borrowers are prohibited from receiving future small business and disaster loans and are not eligible for other SBA programs, such as federal contracting in the 8(a) Business Development Program. Suspensions announced to date now include:

• 112,000 California borrowers tied to $8.6 billion in suspected fraud
• 27,000 Ohio borrowers tied to $1.1 billion in suspected fraud
• 6,900 Minnesota borrowers tied to $400 million in suspected fraud
• 1,500 Maine borrowers tied to $93 million in suspected fraud
• 7,800 Wisconsin borrowers tied to $375 million in suspected fraud.

In April, SBA launched its largest fraud enforcement action to date, and the largest referral package in agency history, by referring more than 560,000 suspected fraudulent borrowers tied to $22 billion in pandemic-era loans to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for collection.

President Donald Trump on Monday imposed 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, declaring that Canada has unfairly discriminated against American autos, alcohol and dairy products.

The new 50% tariffs would exclude energy products, potash, fish and critical minerals, but they would include goods that had previously been protected from import taxes by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.

The White House said in a fact sheet that the tariffs would go into effect in 30 days, meaning there is time for negotiations.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement that his government believes in the “benefits of free and fair trade,” having signed “more than 20 new economic and security partnerships.” He said Canada is prepared to negotiate with the Trump administration.

“This trade dispute has raised costs for families, particularly in the U.S.,” Carney said. “Canada stands ready to engage intensively to address outstanding issues with the U.S. to the mutual benefit of our citizens.”

President Trump noted in his autos proclamation that Canada maintained, starting in April 2025, a 25% tariff on the imports of U.S. motor vehicles that did not qualify for preferential treatment under the USMCA.

The White House said that, regarding alcohol, all but two Canadian provinces and territories halted the purchase and retailing of American alcoholic beverages beginning last year.

But Trump has long objected to Canada’s treatment of U.S. cheese, saying in his proclamation that Canada discriminates against the U.S. compared to Europe on dairy products.

Wisconsin’s single-family housing market remained steady through the first half of 2026, with new home construction permits edging up 1.1% statewide compared to the same period in 2025, according to data released by the Wisconsin Builders Association (WBA).

Municipalities across Wisconsin issued 7,034 single-family housing permits during the first six months of 2026, up from 6,960 permits during the same period last year. While second-quarter permit activity dipped 3.6% compared to April through June of 2025, the year-to-date numbers indicate continued demand for new housing across much of the state.

“Despite ongoing affordability challenges and economic uncertainty, Wisconsin’s housing market continues to demonstrate resilience,” said Andy Selner, President of the Wisconsin Builders Association. “The modest year-to-date increase is encouraging, but it also underscores that demand for housing continues to outpace supply in many communities. Wisconsin must continue advancing policies that support home construction and expand housing opportunities for families across the state.”

Several counties experienced particularly strong year-to-date growth, including: Barron County (+63.2%)Racine County (+58.7%)Fond du Lac County (+47.0%)Sheboygan County (+48.9%)Bayfield County (+44.4%)Portage County (+38.3%)Columbia County (+35.4%)Green County (+34.1%)Calumet County (+27.8%)

Meanwhile, some of Wisconsin’s largest markets posted slower permit activity during the first half of the year, including Outagamie (-22.8%), Milwaukee (-38.7%), Kenosha (-48.6%), and Jefferson (-37.6%), illustrating the uneven pace of residential construction across the state.

The permit data is compiled using information submitted by municipalities to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), as required under 2015 Wisconsin Act 211.

On Wednesday, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC), released the final Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access annual report.

In 2020, Governor Evers created the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access through Executive Order #80 to advise the governor and Legislature on broadband actions, policies, and strategies to successfully expand high-speed internet in Wisconsin

According to the 2026 report, in the last year alone, 97,000 locations received new or improved broadband service that gave them access to 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload (“100/20”) or faster internet for the first time. Additionally, Wisconsin saw an expansion of fiber, which has supported both new served locations and upgrades to existing served locations, with a total of 234,000 more locations able to access fiber compared to one year ago. Further, the broadband adoption rate in Wisconsin, meaning the number of households with internet subscriptions, has reached over 93 percent—the highest it has ever been.

The report also describes the status of various state and federal broadband expansion grant programs and identifies that approximately 31,000 locations are currently unserved, with no project in progress. The Task Force made recommendations to help connect the hardest-to-reach locations while also prioritizing internet affordability and adoption efforts.

In addition, the report also provides a comprehensive list of recommendations to continue building upon the state’s broadband expansion progress to date that focus on key themes, including infrastructure and future proofing, outreach, partnership, and accountability, workforce development, digital skills and sustained affordability, and emerging technologies

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Tuesday that the consumer price index (CPI) – a broad measure of how much everyday goods like gasoline, groceries and rent cost – declined 0.4% on a monthly basis in June and was up 3.5% from a year ago. The monthly decline was the largest since a 0.8% decrease in April 2020.

So-called core prices, which exclude volatile measurements of gasoline and groceries to better assess price growth trends, were unchanged from a month ago and up 2.6% from last year.

Energy prices fell 5.7% on a monthly basis – the energy index’s largest monthly decline since April 2020 – and are up 15.7% from a year ago. BLS noted that the energy index was the largest contributor to the decline in headline inflation, more than offsetting increases in indexes for food and housing.

Food prices rose 0.2% in June and are up 3% in the past year. The food at home index is 2.7% higher than a year ago, while the food away from home index is up 3.4% in the last year and both rose 0.2% on a monthly basis in June.

Housing prices rose 0.1% on a monthly basis, which was the smallest one-month change since January 2021, and are up 3.3% from a year ago. Tenants’ and household insurance costs rose 0.2% from a month ago and are up 5.9% in the last year.

A brand new report released by Forward Analytics finds that Wisconsin’s workforce has reached a tipping point: for the first time, healthcare and social assistance professions have surpassed manufacturing as the state’s largest employment sector.

From 2001 to 2025, manufacturing employment fell from 560,000 jobs to fewer than 460,000 today, while healthcare and social assistance employment grew from 321,000 to more than 463,000 over the same time period. Wisconsin joins the 46 other states that have made this transition, following national trends.

Manufacturing in Wisconsin is still a vital sector, employing nearly 460,000 workers at an average annual wage of $75,117 and contributing an estimated $74 billion to state GDP. The transition follows shifting demographics and economic patterns, driven by the needs of an aging population.

What the transition means for living standards, however, depends heavily on where growth within the healthcare sector occurs. Annual pay ranges from around $30,000 in social assistance to more than $92,000 in ambulatory care. The report finds that the lowest-paying sector — social assistance — has grown at the fastest rate, while higher-wage clinical roles lag behind. More concerningly, while the demand for nursing and residential care services has increased, the subsector most tied to Wisconsin’s aging population has seen a decrease of 5,000 jobs since 2019.