► Speaking [1] at the Transparency International-USA's Annual Integrity Award Dinner, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended the recent efforts of the United States to combat corruption around the world. She spoke of government initiatives to fight terrorism by thwarting corruption in volatile nations. She also defended the increased enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. “And of course, this Administration, like those before us, has taken a strong stand when it comes to American companies bribing foreign officials. We are unequivocally opposed to weakening the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. We don’t need to lower our standards. We need to work with other countries to raise theirs. I actually think a race to the bottom would probably disadvantage us. It would not give us the leverage and the credibility that we are seeking,” Clinton said.

► Almost 25 percent of those veterans returning from service have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) according to updated guidance [2] from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC has issued the guidance on the rights of veterans with disabilities under the ADA and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). The EEOC issued guidance for both employers and veterans. The guidance for employers discusses how the ADA and the USERRA protect veterans with service-related disabilities. For example, USERRA prohibits employers from discriminating against employees or job applicants on the basis of their military status while the ADA protects all employees with disabilities. The guidance is designed to help employers prevent disability-based discrimination against veterans and tells employers how to establish a plan to hire disabled veterans as part of a voluntary program.

► The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a final rule [3] designed to prevent the 500 workplace injuries and illnesses and 43 fatalities that occur annually at facilities that manufacture or use hazardous chemicals. The rule requires that employers update hazard information on chemicals and label them accordingly. The rule also requires that companies implement new training for employees to discuss the dangers of hazardous chemicals in the workplace.