This week is the Fourth of July holiday in the U.S., and my kids are finally old enough to stay up late without turning into gremlins, so I’m taking them to see the fireworks for the first time.

Meanwhile, there were different fireworks in Washington yesterday. The Senate passed the sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill along party lines. It now heads to reconciliation, where lawmakers will work out the differences between the House and Senate versions before it can become law.

At nearly 1,000 pages, the bill is massive—and packed with provisions that will directly impact workers and employers across the country. Among the most notable:

• Overtime Pay Tax Exemption: Fully exempts the overtime wage premium (the extra pay for hours worked beyond 40 per week) from federal income tax.

• Tip Income Tax Exemption: Eliminates federal income tax on reported tip income, up to $12,500 for individuals or $25,000 for joint filers (the House version includes no cap).

• Expanded 529 Savings Accounts: Broadens the use of 529 education savings accounts to cover skilled trades and career-focused technical education.

• Workforce Pell Grant Program: Traditionally, Pell Grants have only been available for students enrolled in degree-granting programs, usually lasting a full academic year or more. The Workforce Pell Grant changes that by making federal financial aid available to students in short-term programs that prepare them for jobs in high-demand industries.

Taken together, these provisions shift the focus toward supporting blue-collar and technical careers—just as the latest Pew Research Center survey finds that only one in four U.S. adults now believe a four-year degree is essential to landing a well-paying job.

But the most important development? The Senate overwhelmingly rejected a proposed 10-year moratorium on state AI regulation, stripping it from the bill in a near-unanimous 99–1 vote.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, a number of U.S. states – most notably Colorado – have begun passing AI regulations. The moratorium—pushed heavily by tech lobbyists—would have blocked states from enacting or enforcing their own rules on how AI is used in hiring, work surveillance, and other employment decisions. It was an attempt to preemptively exempt a transformative industry from oversight for an entire decade at a time when AI is advancing at breakneck speed.

AI is already reshaping the workforce, as companies warn their employees of fundamental change and fewer jobs in the future. An ADP survey of over 38,000 working adults last year found that 31% feared they would be replaced by AI—and that number would almost certainly be higher today.

To even consider a blanket ban on state-level AI regulation for 10 years was reckless. Lawmakers made the right decision in rejecting it.

— David

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Featured Story

Thumbs Down for Disability: AI Bias in Resume Screening

Exhibit A in why lawmakers should not be abdicating their oversight role when it comes to AI—Raghav Singh writes about a study that explores the implicit bias and ableism in the AI algorithms. (ERE)

More Recruiting Insights

Is the Programmatic Job Ad Market Ready for What’s Next? AI is transforming recruitment marketing, raising questions about what happens next for the programmatic job ad market. (WorkTech)

VONQ Launches CPA+, an Agentic AI Cost-Per-Application Hiring Solution. As the WorkTech article points out, programmatic is in a state of change—and Vonq’s launch of CPA+ is a clear example. Billed as the first agentic AI cost-per-application solution, CPA+ uses LinkedIn data and adaptive targeting to optimize for actual applications, not just clicks. (VONQ)

How AI is Reshaping Executive Search. David Creelman digs into how some executive search firms are leveraging AI in their businesses, with real-world examples at TopGun Ventures and Bespoke Partners. (ERE)

An OpenAI exec on Meta's poaching spree. Turns out that you can get people to jump ship for a $100 million signing bonus. Who would have guessed? Meta has an estimated $70 billion cash on hand, so they can continue making these offers indefinitely, and OpenAI is facing a serious brain drain problem. (Quartz)

Whatchado and Jobiqo Announce Partnership. As traditional job boards face declining engagement and evolving candidate expectations, Jobiqo and Whatchado have announced a new partnership to enable job boards to offer short-form, mobile-first video content and distribution. The integration will help customers of those job boards reach candidates more effectively across platforms like TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram. (Jobiqo)

Why Women Are Leaving Male-dominated STEM. A 12-year study of 700,000 freelance job applications found that women rejected from IT and programming gigs were less likely than men to reapply or continue job-seeking. The research suggests that rejection has a more discouraging effect on women in male-dominated fields, contributing to their underrepresentation. (Knowledge at Wharton)

Metaview raises $35 million Series B. The company plans to use the new funds to grow their team and continue iterating on a suite of AI agents that will capture and utilize conversational data in the recruiting process. (Metaview)

CareerBuilder + Monster Bankruptcy Filings Reveal Debts and Complex Structure. Filings detail unpaid debts, asset sales, and ownership structure as CareerBuilder and Monster head into liquidation under Chapter 11. (ERE)

Conferences

ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit

San Diego, CA

November 4-5, 2025

The ERE Recruiting Conference is the premier independent, practitioner-led event designed to deliver actionable insights for talent acquisition professionals. Join your peers to explore practical ideas, proven best practices, and case study solutions from leaders who’ve tackled the same recruiting challenges you face.

Register now and save $400 with preview pricing — available only until the agenda goes live.

(ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit)

Webinars

AI-Era Candidate Risks: How TA Leaders Protect Quality of Hire (and Their Jobs)

July 16, 2025 | 2:00 PM EDT | 1 Hour

AI in hiring enables candidates to game resumes and interviews, making it hard to understand the skills of the person behind the screen. We will discuss balancing automation with human oversight, using automated checks across public sources to uncover red flags like threats or fraud, and preserving the integrity and safety of hiring processes. (ERE)