Camille Olson Quoted in the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)’s Online Publication
"Employment Law Transformed During Bush Administration"

Camille Olson was quoted in the article, "Employment Law Transformed During Bush Administration,” which appeared January 5, 2009 in the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)’s online publication. The article discussed how various employment laws, both through court interpretations and those signed by President George W. Bush, have significantly altered the interpretation of existing workplace statues. Camille noted that many of the employment laws signed by Bush were enacted in response to unforeseen catastrophic events. She further noted that although the lasting legacy of the Bush administration on employment law might be in the courts, the appointment of numerous judges has significantly reshaped workplace law and will continue to influence its development for years to come. 

According to Camille, some of the most significant laws passed in the past eight years, in addition to the Pension Protection Act of 2006, were: The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, The 2008 amendment of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), The PATRIOT Act, The Mental Health Parity Act of 2008, The Genetic Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, The Class Action Fairness Act of 2005, and The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. She explained that  “In a number of areas, the Bush administration actively sought to update and revise existing rules and regulations that had not been refurbished in years.” The Department of Labor’s (DOL) “willingness to take on the task of updating the overtime exemption rules and the FMLA regulations has, at times, placed this agency in the middle of a political firestorm,” she added. 

Camille concluded that employers can expect “to see a significant change in terms of enforcement at agencies” under the Obama administration. She predicted that the DOL and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) “will have more resources, even in these times,” and said employers can expect for there to be “more vigorous DOL audits, EEOC subpoenas and big cases.”