The Nevada Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek has adopted temporary regulations on minimum wage, effective April 10, 2007.

 

After taking testimony during a March 5 public hearing to adopt regulations, Tanchek made several changes to the proposed regulations under consideration, the most significant of which were to:

·         Standardize waiting periods for health insurance coverage to 6 months;

·         Eliminate the requirement for signed insurance waivers as an absolute requirement for employers.

 

The temporary regulations do not address community training centers such as Opportunity Village, Ruby Mountain Resource Center and Washoe ARC, as the labor commissioner has concluded that the relationship between these entities and their clients is not an employer/employee relationship.

 

Speaker Barbara Buckley and Senator Barbara Cegavske have indicated that they plan to clarify this issue through legislation.

The new regulations also do not address other portions of the wage and hour regulations originally under public discussion — tip pooling, overtime, salaries and sleep time — in order to meet the statutory expiration of the emergency regulations adopted last December. Tanchek adopted the emergency regulations in response to employers’ confusion surrounding the constitutional changes to minimum wage and overtime. Under Nevada law, the emergency regulations can only be in effect for 120 days and will sunset in April 10.

 

Tanchek plans to reconvene public workshops on the remainder of the wage and hour regulations later this year as some of the issues, such as tip pooling, will also be addressed by the legislature.

To obtain copies of the temporary regulations, log on to www.laborcommissioner.com or call the Office of the Labor Commissioner, (702) 486-2650, Las Vegas, or (775) 687-4850, Carson City.