| News & Notes 
Democrat leaders in Congress and the White House are moving forward aggressively with proposals to reform our country's health care system. NPELRA, through Josh Ulman, the NPELRA lobbyist in Washington D.C., is tracking the health care debate. Mr. Ulman has put together the policy brief below outlining some of the key issues and the current state of debate. OHPELRA will continue to provide you with information as those updates are sent to us from NPELRA.
Policy Brief
OHPELRA MEMBERSHIP TURNS OUT FOR ANNUAL TRAINING CONFERENCE
Board of Directors Begin Work Planning Future Programs
OHPELRA celebrated its silver anniversary with its Annual Training Conference, entitled, Finding the Silver Lining as OHPELRA Celebrates 25 Years, held February 1-3, 2009, at the Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark, Ohio. In these trying times when budgets are tight, the membership displayed the value it holds for the Annual Training Conference with 186 in attendance at the conference.
The conference was a terrific success beginning on Sunday, February 1, with a mock arbitration using a case from the City of Columbus, followed by a reception where the approximately 100 attending enjoyed one of the best Super Bowls seen. The next two days were filled with tremendous education and information to help prepare those in attendance for the daily trials of human resources and labor relations.
During the conference, OHPELRA held its board elections, where Marsha Jordan-Smart, a charter member and two-time OHPELRA President, passed the presidential torch to Kevin Williams.
The Annual Training Conference closed with an inspiring presentation by Sarah Weddington to bring home that we need to remember to celebrate many things no matter the current situation we are in. OHPELRA once again demonstrates a value of support to its membership that is immeasurable.
The newly aligned board will next meet soon to plan its Spring/Summer programs and begin plans for its Fall program. Stay tuned for more information regarding the upcoming programs.
View the Slide Show from the Annual Conference
TIMELY TOPICS AT FALL SEMINAR
On the heels of OHPELRA's Fall Seminar, featuring the Dan Guttman, Esq., attorney with Baker Hostetler, explaining the proposed changes in the FMLA regulations, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) its final draft of revised Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations, which could be published in the Federal Register this month. These would be the first new FMLA regulations since 1995, when the current regulations were issued. The FMLA itself was enacted in 1993. OHPELRA will continue to provide you with up-to-date information as the issue develops.
The Fall Seminar also featured attorneys Jeffrey Mullins, Esq. and Timothy Pepper, Esq. from OHPELRA's newest sponsor, Taft, Stettinius & Hollister explaining the changes in ADA brought by the ADA Restoration Act signed by President Bush September 25, 2008 and the proposed Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007.
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