In a speech to Congress last night after a gloomy "Un-Labor" Day on Monday, President Obama announced his jobs plan, the American Jobs Act. (Watch video of the speech here.) The proposed $447 billion bill includes $175 billion in payroll tax cuts, as well as deficit reduction measures. The plan is designed to grow jobs through infrastructure projects and by encouraging small business growth and hiring. Claiming that there is "nothing controversial" about his plan, Obama repeatedly exhorted Congress to "pass this jobs bill." Obama promised to send his plan to Congress next week as a single bill and was anything but conciliatory: "I intend to take this message to every corner of the country," he vowed.

Health care reform news this week

PPACA 2, opponents 1. In a unanimous ruling on Thursday, a federal appeals court tossed out Virginia's lawsuit against health care reform, concluding that the state lacked jurisdictional authority to challenge the 2010 law because it does not have a "personal stake" in the issue. To date, two federal appeals courts have ruled in favor of PPACA, and one has ruled against it. The constitutionality of the controversial law will likely be decided by the Supreme Court in 2012. Kaiser Health News asked a group of experts this week, what happens if the Supreme Court kills the individual mandate on constitutionality grounds. The consensus: a health law with no teeth.

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United against health law. And Romneycare. The GOP debate took place on Wednesday, and Obama's health law figured prominently in the discussion. The event was held in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, causing some to reflect that this field of candidates makes Reagan look like a moderate. Amid much bickering, the candidates were able to find common ground in opposition against both Obama's and Romney's health laws, as well as the media. Kaiser Health News does a good job of dissecting the candidates' differences on health care, and the New York Times contrasts some of the candidates current views with their records as governors. In a seemingly random moment in the debate, Herman Cain advocated for a "Chilean model." Hey, I thought, that's something I can support. Then I found out he was talking about something else entirely.

This week's health care reform picks:

Want to build a CO-OP? (National Underwriter)

Retirement news this week

The "ferocious" anti-fiduciary lobby. Financial services companies are intensifying their lobbying efforts in an effort to forestall the Employee Benefits Security Administration's (EBSA) proposed expansion of the definition of "fiduciary." Benefits Pro blogger and fiduciary expert Chris Carosa offers insight on how the proposal is already impacting industry practioners.

This week's retirement picks:

A reference work built for you (Retirement Income Journal)

HR / Benefits news this week

Gen Y employees may not be who you think they are. Recruiting and retaining talented Gen Y employees is becoming increasingly important for companies facing a potential wave of retirements. Recently released findings suggest that, despite their tech-savvy reputation, Gen Y employees prefer personal communication, and many companies are dropping the ball when it comes to their benefits communications. Countering another common stereotype of Gen Y, another study this week suggested that Gen Y tends to be conservative investors – perhaps too conservative.

This week's HR / benefits picks:

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This week's BenefitsPro blog roll:

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