It is that time of year again. Blow the dust off your favorite space heater, plug it in and go about your day. Not so fast! Space heaters cause more than 65,000 fires each year and these account for 43% of home fires and 85% of fire-related deaths.

The Department of Labor (DOL) announced its final rule updating the earning thresholds for exempt employees and allowing employers to count a portion of bonuses and commissions toward meeting the exempt employee salary level.

Starting Jan. 6, 2020, all employers — including counties — who employ drivers with commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) will be required by federal law to use the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) Commercial Driver's License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

Several bills passed by the Texas Legislature during the 86th legislative session that affect counties pertain to human resources and workers compensation. Five of those bills are summarized below with links to each bill.