Restaurants can breathe a little easier now. The Obama administration’s decision in July to delay enforcement of employer penalties until 2015 gives the industry a one-year reprieve to figure out how they’re going to comply with Affordable Care Act rules. But the delay’s ultimate impact will likely be modest at best.
The National Restaurant Association praised the move, calling it "transition relief." But restaurants shouldn’t stop preparing for the law. The employee mandate remains in place—meaning the law will still go into effect. Thus, the impact of the delay is "likely to be minimal," Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Kelter said in a note. "We do not believe this delay will meaningfully change the ultimate impact of the legislation."
New rule for marketers
Beware, franchisors that specifically market to children under the age of 13. Tighter rules are now in effect regarding information they can and can’t collect.
As of July 1, an amendment to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act is in effect. It tightens up the rules around parental notice and consent requirements. The amendment is aimed at closing what the Federal Trade Commission perceived to be a loophole through which third parties were able to skirt those notice requirements. They would not collect the child’s name and address as the act prohibits, but instead use plug-ins, kid-directed apps and other websites to collect personal identifiers.
Franchisors "should review the information they collect from children under the age of 13, and make certain their protocols are broad enough" to comply with the revised rule, advise attorneys at Cheng Cohen in Chicago.
