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On November 13, 2025 the Internal Revenue Service announced the cost-of-living adjustments for the various qualified retirement plan limits.  Almost all of the limits shown below have increased from last year.
 

Qualified Plan Limit
Cost-of-Living Adjustments

401(k) and 403(b) elective deferral limit

2025 – $23,500

2026 – $24,500

$200,000 compensation limit

2025 – $350,000

2026 – $360,000

$160,000 defined benefit limit

2025 – $280,000

2026 – $290,000

$40,000 defined contribution limit

2025 – $70,000

2026 – $72,000

$80,000 definition…
Continue Reading 2026 Qualified Plan Cost of Living Increases, 2026 Social Security Taxable Wage Base

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A Florida district court (the “Court”) in United States v. AIMA Business and Medical Support, LLC held that a third-party medical billing company can be held liable under the False Claims Act (“FCA”) for pushing medically unnecessary genetic tests, even though it did not provide care directly to patients. This decision is important because it underscores that companies advising or facilitating health care providers’ billing practices can be targeted by the government if they knowingly encourage false claims, expanding…
Continue Reading Court Finds the Government Adequately Pleaded Its False Claims Act Complaint Against Third-Party Medical Billing Company

Assembly Bill 281 (Senate Bill 287) would require certain Wisconsin employers to participate in the federal E-Verify program. The proposed mandate would apply to state agencies and local government units within Wisconsin. In addition, bidders on state contracts subject to the low-bid process would be required to enroll in E-Verify to qualify to bid.

Insight from Ruder Ware Government & Public Affairs Team:

Assembly Bill 281 was recently approved by the Assembly Committee on Commerce, and its…
Continue Reading Wisconsin E-Verify Bill Poised to Pass Legislature

On October 20, 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) issued new guidance clarifying how the recent $100,000 H-1B fee proclamation would be implemented, notably:

  • The $100,000 fee does not apply to petitions filed before September 21, 2025.
  • The $100,000 fee does not apply to petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025, requesting a change of status, amendment, or extension of stay (beneficiary should not depart while petition is pending to ensure fee does not apply).

…
Continue Reading USCIS Issues New Guidance on $100,000 H-1B Fee Proclamation

This client alert provides updates on our previous guidance related to the September 19, 2025, Presidential Proclamation (the “Proclamation”), Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers. On October 20, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) published updated guidance on the applicability of the Proclamation. The update clarifies:

  • Who is subject to the $100,000 payment;
  • Who is NOT subject to the payment;
  • How to pay the new fee; and
  • How to request an exception in the National Interest.

    • …
    Continue Reading USCIS Clarification on Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrants

    State lawmakers across the country have been busy this year trying to curb the most consequential uses of AI in employment-related decisions. As those attempts moved from idea to legislation, two powerful forces have pushed back.

    The tech industry is concerned about a patchwork of state rules, and the Trump administration has prioritized removing barriers to AI use. States are reacting by shifting their strategies to narrow, revise, and/or delay legislation. Employers would be wise to stay abreast of…
    Continue Reading AI in Employment-Related Decisions Part 1: Big Tech and Federal Power

    On September 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the launch of Project Firewall, described as “an H-1B enforcement initiative that will safeguard the rights, wages, and job opportunities of highly skilled American workers by ensuring employers prioritize qualified Americans when hiring workers and holding employers accountable if they abuse the H-1B visa process.”
    Compliance and Penalties Under Project Firewall
    Through Project Firewall, where there is reasonable cause that an H-1B employer is not in compliance, the…
    Continue Reading Project Firewall Targets H-1B Employers: Best Practices for Compliance

    On August 22, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the federal government will pause issuing new visas for foreigners seeking to be commercial truck drivers.

    On X, Rubio said: “[T]he increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”

    The announcement came after a fatal accident involving an alleged undocumented immigrant who reportedly made an illegal U-turn with a commercial vehicle. According to

    …
    Continue Reading An Uncertain Road: The Trump Administration’s Pause on New Visas for Commercial Truck Drivers

    This post is the third part in a series on Minnesota Paid Leave. Feel free to check out Parts 1 and 2. The previous post talked about what types of leave are available under the program. This post focuses on the benefits. In other words, if I am an employee, and I am taking leave under the program, how much money am I getting? In short, it essentially depends on: 1) The State Average Weekly Wage, 2) the…
    Continue Reading Minnesota Paid Leave: How Big are the Benefits?

    FinCEN (the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) is a subdivision of the U. S. Department of the Treasury and is tasked with combating money laundering and other financial crimes.

    Recently, FinCEN made headlines related to their proposed rule that would have instituted stringent beneficial ownership reporting requirements for many U.S. companies and their attorneys, accountants, and advisors. However, following strenuous objections to the proposed rule, FinCEN ultimately exempted U.S. companies from the reporting requirements.

    FinCEN is now back with a

    …
    Continue Reading FinCEN’s New Real Estate Reporting Rule: More Traps for the Unwary

    Doctors and nurses working at the hospital
    Group of doctors and nurses working at the hospital and walking around the entrance hall - healthcare and medicine concepts

    On August 7, 2025, the Wisconsin State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 257, known as the “APRN Modernization Act.” This legislation, approved by Governor Evers, creates a new advanced nursing licensure category for “advanced practice registered nurses” (“APRNs”) and, for the first time, allows qualifying APRNs to practice independently without the need for a collaborative practice agreement with a physician. The new law is set to take effect on September 1, 2026.

    Prior to this bill, Wisconsin law provided for…
    Continue Reading Wisconsin’s APRN Modernization Act: Key Changes for Advanced Practice Nurse Prescribers and Their Employers

    Once viewed as a leading contender for an early trade “deal” as part of President Trump’s effort to conclude bilateral trade deals with trade partners, U.S.-India trade relations have strained. This tension culminated in Trump imposing an additional 25 percent “penalty” tariff on imports from India for its alleged purchase of Russian oil and military equipment. This additional tariff became effective on August 27, 2025.

    The Tariff Is Imposed Under IEEPA
    Like the reciprocal tariffs, the “penalty” tariff

    …
    Continue Reading What Businesses Need to Know About Trump’s New Penalty Tariffs on India

    In July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Evers v. Marklein that reshapes how administrative rules are created and implemented in the state. The Court struck down the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules’ (JCRAR) authority to indefinitely suspend or block regulations, finding those powers unconstitutional.

    In response, Governor Tony Evers sent a directive on August 12 to his cabinet secretaries, instructing agencies to “proceed without delay” in finalizing rules that had already cleared hearings,…
    Continue Reading Capitol Connection: Wisconsin Supreme Court Shifts Rulemaking & Regulatory Landscape

    The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Division of Quality Assurance (DQA), Bureau of Assisted Living (BAL), released updated guidance regarding the use of electronic recording, video monitoring, and filming equipment (collectively, “Monitoring Devices”) in assisted living settings. The goal of this guidance is to balance the use of emerging technologies with residents’ rights to privacy in their homes. This guidance applies to Wisconsin Adult Family Homes (AFHs), Community-Based Residential Facilities (CBRFs), and Residential Care Apartment Complexes (RCACs).

    Key…
    Continue Reading Wisconsin DHS Issues Updated Guidance on Use of Electronic Monitoring in Assisted Living Facilities

    In July 2025, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that it had issued “more than 20 subpoenas” to health care providers involved in the provision of gender affirming care to minors. On August 18, 2025, one of these subpoenas—issued to a children’s hospital in Pennsylvania (the “Hospital”)—was included in a court filing that became public (the “Subpoena”).

    The Subpoena demanded that the Hospital produce extensive documentation from the period ranging from January 1, 2020, to the date…
    Continue Reading Update on DOJ Subpoenas Regarding Gender Affirming Care for Minors

    In United States ex rel. Sedona Partners LLC v. Able Moving & Storage Inc., the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals (the “Court”) recently reversed a district court’s ruling that relators could not use materials obtained during discovery to satisfy the heightened pleading requirement under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) (“Rule 9(b)”). 
    Background
    The False Claims Act (“FCA”), codified at 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733, empowers private individuals, known as relators, to bring qui tam lawsuits on behalf of…
    Continue Reading Eleventh Circuit Permits Use of Discovery Material in Filing FCA Complaints