Swinerton Builders is to begin construction on a new 22,600-square foot Bay Bridge toll administration building in San Francisco, in the parking lot directly east of the existing toll administration facility. At the same time, Sausal Corp. will begin work nearby on a new 10,600-s …handyman insurance

Costain has been awarded an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) contract by Lancashire County Council (LCC) to develop and construct a major road decongestion and regeneration scheme. The route is a 4.8km long two-lane dual carriageway. Around 20 major structures will need to b …handyman insurance

Stewart Milne Construction has begun work on 30 new homes, as part of the first phase of Aberdeen City Council’s new-build housing programme. The Hayton Road properties will be a mix of home types and sizes, including two and three-bedroom family properties and will provide mu … handyman insurance

Trelleborg Engineered Systems’ Lifting Bags are unique reinforced polymer bags that when inflated can lift huge weights. Used for three decades in rescue work they are now launched to a broader range of applications in the industrial market.

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Tough talk and other recent developments could reveal an increasingly adversarial, “gotcha” approach to FLSA enforcement by the U.S. Wage and Hour Division.  A prior post covered both the We Can Help initiative and other intensified U.S. Labor Department enforcement measures.

The Division also announced this week that, as part of a broader DOL policy, it will disclose quarterly investigative information on its website.  This will show wage-hour violations found in specific investigations, as well as back-wage amounts, numbers of employees involved, and any civil money penalties assessed.

Then, on April 29, senior DOL officials said that they are developing “Plan, Prevent, Protect” rules to require employers (1) to create a plan for identifying and correcting non-compliance; (2) to implement the plan in concrete ways; and (3) to monitor the plan’s effects.  A New York Times account indicates that an employer will be required to disclose some or all of the plan to the Labor Department and to employees.  DOL believes that these rules are warranted because “too many” companies “are playing a dangerous game of catch me if you can”.  While it remains to be seen, we anticipate that failing to follow these Plan, Prevent, Protect requirements to the Division’s satisfaction could lead to civil penalties and perhaps other sanctions.

The FLSA can seem simple in the abstract, but it is often difficult and complex to deal with in the real world.  Any worthwhile compliance plan necessitates knowing exactly how the FLSA applies in innumerable situations.  But at the same time DOL is adopting a take-no-prisoners enforcement posture as to a no-excuses law, the Division is offering little guidance on the endless FLSA gray-area questions that exist.

In the past, some employers have asked for the Division’s official written explanation of how the law works in particular situations.  The Division’s reply educated both the inquiring employer and the many others who read it.  Instead of continuing to leverage its efforts in this way, the Division has announced that it will respond to interpretation requests by sending generalized legal citations instead of specific answers.  It has also demonstrated its willingness to change or withdraw prior interpretations without warning, thereby adding to uncertainty and unpredictability in FLSA matters.

The current atmosphere is likely to affect how the Division views investigations right now.  Employers should not wait for DOL compliance-plan rules to come out before systematically being sure that their pay policies and practices pass muster under the FLSA.

Accommodating up to 650 staff, the new regional office for the Welsh Assembly Government at Llandudno Junction has been engineered to promote design and architecture in Wales. It will be the Welsh Assembly Government’s largest office outside of Cardiff. It will house various dep …

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If your organization’s operational model includes an “independent contractor” contingent, it is more important than ever to ensure that this status can be successfully defended.  Enforcement officials are gearing up to challenge the classification across a variety of fronts.

Efforts continue at the federal and state levels to pass new laws affecting whether and when independent-contractor status will be valid. But a leading indicator of things to come appears in the U.S. Labor Department’s FY 2011 budget report.

In the Labor Department’s view, misclassifying individuals as independent contractors “denie[s] access to critical benefits and protections to which they may be entitled as regular employees” and “generates substantial losses to the Treasury and the Social Security, Medicare and Unemployment Insurance Trust Funds.” The Labor Department seeks “a joint Labor-Treasury initiative to strengthen and coordinate Federal and State efforts to enforce statutory prohibitions, [and to] identify, and deter misclassification of employees as independent contractors.”

The Labor Department plans targeted investigations and stepped-up litigation. It also envisions competitive grants made to states for similar initiatives which are designed to “reward the States that are most successful at detecting and prosecuting employers that fail to pay their fair share of taxes due to misclassification.” The Labor Department also favors legislation that would compel employers to prove that independent contractors are classified correctly and would impose federal Fair Labor Standards Act penalties for misclassifying workers.

The FLSA definition of “employee” has been characterized as the broadest of all federal employment laws. What a worker is called, whether he or she would be considered an employee under other laws (like tax laws), and whether the individual has signed an independent-contractor agreement do not in themselves determine whether the person is truly an independent contractor for FLSA purposes. Relevant questions include these:

•  Are the individual’s services an integral part of the organization’s activities?

•  Does the individual have any significant investment in facilities or equipment?

•  Does the individual have an opportunity for profit and loss other than just working hard?

•  Does the individual exercise a businessperson’s initiative, judgment, or foresight?

•  Is the relationship is permanent or indefinite, rather than for a determinable time?

•  Does the individual have meaningful and predominant control over the work’s details?

If the answers leave you feeling uncertain about the status of your independent contractors, it’s time to take a hard look at things.

Fisher & Phillips participated last week in a Washington, D.C. “Stakeholder Forum” conducted by the U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division.  A recurring theme during this session was the Division’s focus upon industry- and sector-wide compliance initiatives under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

The Division is particularly concerned about what it calls “fissured” industries, a term it uses to refer to arrangements it sees as resulting in a dilution of both the employment relationship and the responsibility for FLSA compliance.  Examples the Division gave included:

•   Construction, in which the participants might include the property owner, a general contractor, and multiple subcontractors;

•   Pyramided retailing and manufacturing carried out at different levels by a variety of contractors or subcontractors;

•   Prepared-food retailing conducted through local establishments, some of which are company-owned and others of which are operated by franchises or under similar arrangements; and

•   Branded hotels operated under a host of different business relationships through the brand owner, franchises, or independent companies with or without an ownership interest in the property.

As one representative put it, the Division will be looking for ways to “tie these levels or parts together” for purposes of asserting compliance responsibility under the FLSA.  For instance, Division investigators will be gathering industry- and company-specific “structural information” as a part of their audits.  They are also likely to be looking for opportunities to assert that different entities exercise sufficient control over (or are so operationally integrated with one another with respect to) a group of employees that each component is those workers’ joint-employer for purposes of complying with the FLSA.

Even if there is no joint-employment, the Division will be searching for other avenues to “bring pressure to bear” upon brand owners or others at the highest levels of an industry. The goal will be to induce topmost officials to insist upon and monitor FLSA compliance by others with whom they share a business relationship.  Exchanges between presenters and participants suggested that the Division will be open to relying upon adverse publicity and collaboration with consumer groups if it feels that this is necessary.  The Division hopes that those with the power to do so will “care enough about the brand” to work toward causing others in the industry to fall in line.

Lurking in Senate and House “misclassification” bills are expansive changes in the Fair Labor Standards Act’s civil money penalties.  The impact of these revisions would extend far beyond U.S. Labor Department investigations involving independent-contractor status.

Today, the FLSA permits DOL to impose a civil penalty of up to $1,100 for each violation of the minimum-wage or overtime provisions, but only if the violation was either repeated or willful.  The law currently authorizes penalties for “each such violation”.  DOL tends to apply these on a per-employee basis, and the total fines can be more than the wage underpayments.  If the pending proposals are adopted, the potential exposure will broaden substantially.

For one thing, fines of up to $1,100 could be imposed for violations that are neither repeated nor willful.  That is, infractions would be punishable in this way even if the employer had never before violated the FLSA and had the best of intentions.  Furthermore, any question about the proper multiplier would be resolved:  The employer would be exposed to the penalty “for each employee or other individual who was the subject of” a violation.  If violations were repeated or willful, then the per-person penalty ceiling would jump to $5,000.

And for the first time, civil penalties would apply to violations of DOL’s recordkeeping requirements.  The DOL investigator says that employees’ time records are not accurate, but you say they are?  Can’t meet an investigator’s demand to get two years’ worth of payroll records from Los Angeles to Nashville within 72 hours?  Don’t have the time, staff, or resources to “make such extension, recomputation, or transcription of the records” a DOL investigator says you must?  Didn’t put a “symbol, letter or other notation” on the pay records to show that certain employees were paid in a particular way (even though it was obvious how they were paid)?  Employees sometimes forgot to punch in or out?  Didn’t record the birthdate of every employee under 19 years old?  Numerous situations could put an employer to the choice between paying or fighting substantial fines, even if the recordkeeping violation resulted in no FLSA wage underpayments or child-labor problems.

When one’s chosen tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.  This will be particularly apt here, where the law calls for penalties collected to be used to fund more DOL enforcement.  Employers should do all they can to avoid having these changes swept through under the radar.

UPDATE (05/14/10): Fisher & Phillips has now called these proposed changes to the attention of Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson, a member of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

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The U.S. Labor Department has now provided additional, disquieting insight into its “Plan, Prevent, Protect” program that we first reported on in our April 30 post.  Part of DOL’s Spring Regulatory Agenda 2010 announces an intention to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) proposing significant amendments to the FLSA recordkeeping regulations.

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There are as yet no details.  But DOL says that its new rules will, among other things, seek to require employers:

•    To notify workers of their FLSA rights (apparently, the longstanding requirement to display DOL’s prescribed poster somehow does not accomplish this);

• To provide currently-unspecified “information” about hours worked and wage computation; and

• To perform and document some kind of “classification analysis” for a worker whom the employer will “exclude . . . from the FLSA’s coverage”, to disclose this analysis to the worker, and to provide the analysis to a DOL investigator upon “request”.

DOL’s amendments will also undertake to “address burdens of proof when employers fail to comply with record and notice requirements.”  It will be interesting to see whether and to what extent DOL will presume to instruct the courts as to what proof burdens they must apply and how and when to apply them.

These proposals are likely to raise a host of substantial and troubling questions.    For instance, must a “classification analysis” be done for each worker, rather than simply for a group of similarly-classified ones?  What level of detail will be necessary?  Must the analysis directly or indirectly reflect the advice of in-house or outside counsel so as to implicate the attorney/client privilege?  Must it contain confidential business information where this might be linked to a decision to treat an employee as being exempt from the FLSA’s minimum-wage, overtime, and timekeeping requirements?  What assurance will DOL give (indeed, what assurance can it give) that a written analysis turned over in response to an investigator’s demand will not be disclosed outside of DOL?

We recommend that employers remain on the alert for this NPRM.  Once the document is published, each proposed amendment and its potential ramifications should be closely scrutinized and carefully considered.  We strongly suspect that there will be provisions as to which comments, and perhaps even strenuous objections, will be advisable before any revisions are adopted.

Keep in mind also that, as we have noted earlier, pending legislation would attach potentially burdensome penalties to an employer’s being found not to have complied with whatever any final recordkeeping amendments turn out to be.

As we previously reported, the U.S. Wage and Hour Division says that it will no longer provide substantive responses to fact-specific requests for interpretation submitted by employers or other individuals.  At the recent DOL “Stakeholder Forum” in which Fisher & Phillips participated in Washington, D.C., officials indicated that this position includes requests that were pending at the time the new policy was announced.

Instead, from time-to-time the Division intends to release wide-ranging “Administrator Interpretations” announcing its general positions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and related provisions on topics of interest to enforcement officials.  The Division will then apply these AIs across-the-board to all employers and employees affected by the views expressed. Wage and Hour Deputy Administrator Nancy J. Leppink issued the first Administrator Interpretation (stating that the “typical” Mortgage Loan Officer is a non-exempt employee) simultaneously with the Division’s announcement.

The position of Wage and Hour Administrator remains vacant, so Fisher & Phillips immediately inquired about both the source of Ms. Leppink’s authority to take such positions on the Division’s behalf and the status of these AIs as authoritative Division pronouncements.  Acting Deputy Administrator for Enforcement Thomas M. Markey has now advised us (in the letter linked below) that, in the Division’s view:

(1)    In the absence of an Administrator, Ms. Leppink is authorized to issue official rulings and interpretations on the Division’s behalf; and

(2)    The initial AI (and presumably every future one issued by Ms. Leppink, or an Acting Administrator, or whoever is eventually confirmed as Administrator) is an official ruling of the Division.

It remains to be seen whether as a practical matter this new approach will result in what amounts to rulemaking that should instead take place within the framework of the federal Administrative Procedure Act.  And while AIs will affect how DOL seeks to enforce the FLSA, courts are not required to follow them.

In Skidmore v. Swift & Co., 323 U.S. 134 (1944), the U.S. Supreme Court said that these sorts of interpretations represent “a body of experience and informed judgment” guiding courts as to the FLSA’s meaning and application.  However, it also said that their weight as guidance varies according to things like:

•   The thoroughness of the interpretation;

•   The validity of the interpretation’s reasoning;

•   Whether and to what extent the interpretation is consistent with other DOL positions; and

•   Other factors giving the interpretation “power to persuade, if lacking power to control”.

In the future, there might well be occasions when it is appropriate to challenge an AI on the basis that it should carry no weight, or that it is outside the bounds of the DOL’s interpretative purview.

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On May 18, President Obama named Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA, to head the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). He is the first architect to lead the agency since its creation in 1966.

Summer is approaching quickly, so employers should be up-to-speed on the federal Fair Labor Standards Act’s child-labor limitations.  These rules apply to any employee who is under 18 years old.  The regulations are strictly applied; there is little or no room for error; and the U.S. Labor Department takes the requirements seriously.

What the restrictions are depends largely upon how old the person is, and employers bear the risk of misjudging a minor’s age.  If a person is illegally employed because he or she turns out to be younger than the employer thought, it is usually not a defense that:

•     The minor “looked” old enough to do the work,

•     The circumstances led someone to think the person was old enough, or

•     The minor misled the employer about whether he or she was old enough.

The only reliable protection is to have on file a DOL-sanctioned, valid, unexpired age certificate.

The FLSA allows the employment of minors who are at least 16 in any work not falling within one of DOL’s 17 “Hazardous Occupations” orders.  There is no FLSA limitation upon their times or hours of work.

By contrast, 14- and 15-year-olds may work only in limited occupations.  Even then, they may work only within specific total-hours and times-of-day restrictions (including on weekends).  They may not work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (except that they may work until 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day).  They may not work more than 3 hours on a school day; 18 hours in a school week; 8 hours on a non-school day; or 40 hours in non-school week.

For the most part, FLSA restrictions do not permit the employment of anyone under 14.  There are a few, tightly controlled exceptions, such as delivering newspapers to the consumer.

Some special rules apply to agricultural employment.  For example, in particular situations, there are age-12 and age-13 minimums for work outside school hours, provided that a parent gives consent or is employed on the same farm.

Child-labor restrictions must be followed even if the minor is employed as a “favor” to his or her parent, and even if the parent is a supervisor or manager and will oversee what the minor does.  An exception for minors employed outside of manufacturing, mining, or a “hazardous” occupation by a parent or someone standing in the parent’s place is extremely narrow and rarely applies.

Furthermore, as an earlier post underscores, even “interns” can turn out to be employees for these purposes.

The FLSA authorizes civil penalties of up to $11,000 per illegally-employed minor.  For a violation resulting in such an employee’s death or serious injury, the penalty can be up to $50,000 and can double to $100,000 in the case of a “repeated” or “willful” violation.

Many states and other jurisdictions have stricter limitations.  Employers must also take these provisions into account when deciding whether to employ a minor.

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A spate of recent developments signals potential trouble for organizations allowing unpaid internships, particularly profit-seeking entities. The kickoff was an April 2, 2010 New York Times piece, the tenor of which was that many such internships amount to illegal unpaid employment.  The article quoted the U.S. Wage and Hour Division’s Deputy Administrator Nancy J. Leppink as saying, “If you’re a for-profit employer or you want to pursue an internship with a for-profit employer, there aren’t going to be many circumstances where you can have an internship and not be paid and still be in compliance with the law.”

This was followed by the April 5 release of a similarly-toned report from the labor-side Economic Policy Institute.  And, on April 7, California’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement issued a letter opinion outlining its views about under what circumstances these relationships are permitted by that state’s laws.

Then last week, the U.S. Wage and Hour Division released its Fact Sheet No. 71 in which it listed six criteria that it said “must” be applied, “all” of which must be met, in order for an unpaid internship not to violate the federal Fair Labor Standards Act where for-profit, private-sector organizations are concerned.  These factors, which have not been the subject of notice-and-comment rulemaking, are (with some editing):

•  The internship is similar to training given in an educational environment, even if it includes actual operation of the employer’s facilities,

•  The internship is for the intern’s benefit;

•  The intern does not displace regular employees but instead works under the existing staff’s close supervision;

•  The employer derives no immediate advantage from the intern’s activities, and its operations might occasionally actually be impeded;

•  The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the internship’s end;and

•  The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

Whether public-sector and non-profit internships will be viewed with skepticism similar to that running through this document remains to be seen (although the Fact Sheet implies that they might not be).  The Wage and Hour Division says that it is “reviewing the need for additional guidance” in these areas.  Even those sectors should therefore proceed with caution.

Maybe all of this is remarkable happenstance.  Or maybe instead it reveals a focused coordination of efforts aimed at coming enforcement initiatives.  Either way, any for-profit organization that is still willing to take on unpaid internships should structure and handle them so as to maximize the chances that they will be found not to create employment relationships for wage-hour purposes.

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As Congress debates creating insurance “exchanges” as part of a health-care overhaul, the failure of a similar effort in California may offer important insights, former participants in the program say.

From 1993 to 2006, small businesses in California could buy health insurance through an exchange run initially by the government, and later by a nonprofit group.

The plan was undermined when some businesses with relatively healthy workers bought policies more cheaply directly from insurers, bypassing the exchange. That left the exchange with a shrinking pool of less-healthy workers, forcing rates higher and prompting many insurers to withdraw. Managers chose to shut the program in 2006 when one of three remaining insurers withdrew.

“There are definite lessons to be learned,” said John Ramey, who as former head of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board helped implement California’s exchange. “We learned them the hard way out here.”

Among those lessons, he and others said: Employers and individuals who qualify must be required to obtain health insurance through the exchange. Failing that, John Grgurina, who ran California’s exchange from 2002 until it ended, said government must impose rules governing rates and eligibility to protect the exchange from attracting a disproportionate share of high-risk people.

An exchange aims to get better prices for coverage by banding together businesses and individuals. Insurers would have an incentive to join an exchange because they would gain access to more potential customers. Individuals and employees of businesses that participate in an exchange would be able to chose from the available plans and pay the same rate.

Exchanges, either on a regional basis or a single national one, are likely to be a part of any final health-care legislation. Late Friday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved its health-care bill, though a full House vote won’t come until the fall.

President Barack Obama on Saturday praised the House committee’s action and urged lawmakers to “build upon the historic consensus.”

The compromise proposal agreed to in the House Friday exempted more businesses from the mandate to provide coverage to their employees and offered subsidies to fewer individuals to buy insurance through an exchange, which would shrink the number of potential participants.

Each of the three major bills — one in the House and two in the Senate — would create one or more exchanges. The specifics vary, but most of the proposals would impose more regulations than the failed California program, which analysts say would help the exchanges compete.

Despite California’s struggles, insurance exchanges are still the most effective way to expand coverage, said Elliot Wicks, a health-care consultant who wrote a report on the California program. The report, released last month, was commissioned by the California HealthCare Foundation, a private independent nonprofit.

Veterans of the California effort said the ultimate effectiveness of any exchange would rest on details that have yet to be worked out. They said the pool of people in an exchange should be as broad as possible, to spread both risk and administrative costs.

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Consider the following scenarios when deciding to purchase life insurance as a handyman:

Were recently married or divorced
Have a child or grandchild who was recently born or adopted
Provide care or financial help to a child or parent
Want to ensure that financial resources are available to provide assistance or long-term care for a loved one
Purchased a new home recently
Have children or grandchildren who are about to enter college
Refinanced your home mortgage in the past six months
Receive an inheritance
Retired or your spouse has retired
Have started a business
Need the tax advantages of life insurance.

As mentioned, the state requirements will not pay for damages to the insured’s vehicle and the motorist would have to purchase a policy which includes Comprehensive and Collision to cover property damage; this will compensate the policyholder if their automobile is damaged minus the amount of the deductible chosen when coverage was purchased.

Adding this additional protection may not be beneficial to all; if a vehicle’s value is low it may be a better idea to opt not to purchase this coverage if the annual premium and deductible exceeds the automobile’s worth. On the other hand, some motorists may be in need of this additional coverage; those who own a high end car may want to insure it due to the fact that it can be quite expensive to repair or replace it and those who are financing automobiles will usually be required by their financial institution to maintain comprehensive and collision on their policies during the length of the loan as part of the loan agreement.

Getting insured in the Tar Heel State is a must if a motorist intends on operating an automobile legally, but getting properly insured and at a decent rate comes down to much more than just picking up the phone and calling the first auto insurance carrier that comes to mind; finding the right policy and insurer can take a little bit of research and shopping around.

The main reason for this is because there are many options that an individual has when insuring themselves and their vehicles and there is no single policy that can fit the needs of every motorist and there is no company that can offer everyone the best price for the coverage needed.

Obtaining proper North Carolina auto insurance should start with making sure that the legal requirements are fulfilled before all else. Currently the state requires that motorists carry policies with minimum liability limits in the amounts of $30,000 for bodily injury for one person, $60,000 for bodily injury per accident and $25,000 for property damage; higher limits may be purchased for an additional premium and the individual would need to evaluate their personal situation and budget to see if they would benefit from more extensive protection.

In addition to the minimum liability requirements, motorists must also purchase Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverage in amounts no less than the required liability limits. These types of coverage do not cover the policyholder’s vehicle for any damage that it may sustain and it is not required by law for individuals to do so, but may be beneficial for some.

Life Insurance is priced based on your health, family history and goals.  Premium rates for life insurance are typically based on factors such as:age, sex, height, and weight, health status, including whether or not you smoke, participation in high-risk activities or occupations.

Finding affordable life insurance coverage when you have a preexisting medical condition can be quite difficult.  As you get older, and closer to retirement, it’s not a bad idea to consider taking out a life insurance policy to protect your loved ones financially after you’re gone.  One of the keys to securing affordable life insurance rates is staying healthy.   Finally, keep in mind that your health will play a key role in determining what your life insurance rates will be.

Teens usually find it quite difficult to find automobile coverage at an affordable rate and in some cases it may be almost impossible for a young person to have the financial capability to pay for car insurance, but the bottom line is that if a youth wishes to operate a vehicle they must be insured.

For this very reason it is important that these youthful drivers take the time to understand and learn the multiple ways that they can use on how to locate the cheapest rates to ensure that they are covered at all times while behind the wheel.

When it is time for an individual to buy auto insurance for teenagers and they begin to shop around they will quickly realize that the premiums asked for by insurers can be quite high and there are many reasons for this. First off, these youths have very little experience driving an automobile which leads to vulnerability; as a matter of fact, studies show that motorists between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times more likely to be involved in an accident than older drivers and 16 year olds almost three time more likely than 18-19 year olds.

In addition, automobile accidents are the number one cause of death for this age group; for these reasons policies may be more expensive, but fortunately there are a few ways to keep the cost of coverage down.

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is the primary registrant database for the U.S. Federal Government. CCR collects, validates, stores, and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions, including Federal agency contract and assistance awards. Please note that the term “assistance awards” includes grants, cooperative agreements and other forms of federal assistance. Whether applying for assistance awards, contracts, or other business opportunities, all entities are considered “registrants”.

Both current and potential federal government registrants are required to register in CCR in order to be awarded contracts by the federal government. Registrants are required to complete a one-time registration to provide basic information relevant to procurement and financial transactions. Registrants must update or renew their registration at least once per year to maintain an active status. In addition, entities (private non-profits, educational organizations, state and regional agencies, etc.) that apply for assistance awards from the Federal Government through Grants.gov must now register with CCR as well. However, registration in no way guarantees that a contract or assistance award will be awarded.

CCR validates the registrant information and electronically shares the secure and encrypted data with the federal agencies’ finance offices to facilitate paperless payments through electronic funds transfer (EFT). Additionally, CCR shares the data with federal government procurement and electronic business systems.

Please note that any information provided in your registration may be shared with authorized federal government offices. However, registration does not guarantee business with the federal government.

See for additional information: http://www.mbda.gov/?section_id=4&bucket_id=156&content_id=3676&well=entire_page

Probably one of the biggest days in a youth’s life is the day they are able to drive a vehicle on their own. As soon as a child blows out the candles on their sixteenth birthday cake they are eager to ditch the driver’s permit and run down and take their driving test to get their overprotective mom or dad out of the passenger seat.

Once they pass the exam and the teen gets their driver’s license the first thing they want to do is jump behind the wheel and pack the vehicle with friends and head out to the local hot spot; this is usually the first taste that a youth has of being a grown up and some independence.  Unfortunately, there is one small matter that must be attended to before driving off, auto insurance.

A proud parent of a newly licensed driver is probably not as enthusiastic about paying for coverage because they are well aware that car insurance for 16 year olds can be quite expensive. There are many reasons for this, mainly because youthful motorists have little experience behind the wheel. With insurers, experience goes a long way and unfortunately teens do not show a past of being the most responsible while operating something as important as a vehicle.

From a statistical standpoint, a sixteen year old is three times more likely to be involved in an accident than 18 and 19 year olds and teenagers as a whole are four times more likely than more mature drivers. Therefore, insurers will charge higher premiums to protect against a potential loss.

Although it may take a little extra time and effort to find affordable premiums for a newly licensed sixteen year old, getting these youths insured at a reasonable price can be done by evaluating a few options and diligently shopping around. Since these young drivers are considered to be associated with higher risks to insure, the most vital step to finding cheaper rates is to obtain as many quotes as possible from multiple companies.

There are car insurance carriers that specialize in insuring high risk motorists and may be able to offer coverage at a rate that is lower than insurers who target a “standard” and “preferred” clientele base with lower risks. As these teenagers being shopping around they will quickly see the difference in prices from one company to the next based on the way the provider structures their pricing; therefore shopping around is extremely important in order to locate an affordable premium.

Insurance might not be the first thing someone thinks about when running a business, but it should be an important consideration. Handyman insurance is another requirement if you are thinking about starting a handyman business.  Handyman insurance includes several types of coverage; each one offers a specific kind of protection for your business.

Find the best Handyman insurance quotes from some of the finest and solid insurance companies who compare liability coverages based upon your own personal choices.  This website provides important insurance information on Handyman Insurance Coverage and quotes.  Handyman insurance includes several types of coverage; each one offers a specific kind of protection for your business.

Many individuals have no idea what the price tag will be when they begin to shop around for car insurance policies and sometimes they are pleasantly surprised with the amount asked by insurers, but then there are others who find premiums to be shocking. While there is no set price for every driver, what a person will pay to cover themselves and their automobile will vary from person to person because insurers have a formula that they use to calculate the rates they will charge for coverage based on applicants and the vehicles to be insured; since everybody’s situation is unique, the cost of a policy can vary substantially with each insurer.

When looking to see how much does auto insurance cost it is important to understand what an insurer is analyzing to determine premiums. Probably the biggest factor used to calculate a premium is a driver’s record; this is a big indication of a motorist’s driving habits and their likelihood to be involved in a loss and ultimately cost the carrier monetarily. Therefore, if a driver has a history of tickets and accidents they will probably end up paying more in premiums than those that do not because they are viewed as a higher risk to insure due to their previous incidents.

Other Factors that Affect the Cost of Insurance

Aside from a driver’s record there are many additional factors that will reflect what a person will pay for their auto insurance. For instance, age plays a big part because the ages of motorists are broken down into groups and each group has a certain level of risk associated with them. Drivers under the age 25 are considered to be “younger motorists” and will likely pay more for coverage than mature drivers and this is especially true for teenagers; statistics show that motorists between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times more likely to be involved in a traffic accident than older drivers and 16 year olds are three times more at risk than 18 and 19 year olds.