In the State of the Union Address tonight, President Obama pronounced several areas of focus that may affect employers.
He urged the House to pass a bill that the Senate passed today: the Violence Against Women Act. He also asked Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that he said ensures “that woman [w]ould earn a living equal to their efforts.”
He asked for the minimum wage to be increased to $9.00 per hour and to tie future increases to the cost of living.
Finally, he proposed incentives for hiring workers that have been out of the job market the longest and partnerships with the communities that were hit hardest by the recession in helping them put their out-of-work citizens back to work, rebuilding their communities.