State Employment Law Articles

On May 2019, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (PRDOL) revised and updated its Protocol on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination pursuant to Act No. 22 of 2013 (Protocol). The new Protocol contains guidelines to assist private and public employers on how to interpret and implement

Connecticut continues to add to its roster of employee-friendly laws, leaving businesses throughout the state to figure out how best to address the resulting changes. The legislative session closed on June 5, 2019, with laws pertaining to paid family leave, sexual harassment training, whistleblower

Starting on July 1, 2019, the District of Columbia will begin collecting taxes from most of the District’s private sector employers and non-profit organizations to fund a new Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefit.

In 2006, Nevada’s Constitution was amended to establish a two-tier minimum wage system dependent upon whether an employer provides “health benefits” to its employees.

This week, Governor Steve Sisolak signed a law requiring private employers with 50 or more employees in Nevada to provide 0.01923 hours of paid leave for each hour an employee works. Employees must be permitted to use up to forty hours of available paid leave “without providing a reason to his or he

Nevada’s minimum wage will increase to $12.00 per hour (or $11.00 for employees offered health insurance) by mid-2024, based on a new bill signed into law by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak. Beginning July 1, 2020, Nevada’s current minimum wage rates of $8.25 (without health insurance) and $7.25 (with

Yesterday, Alabama’s Governor, Kay Ivey, signed a new law that would prohibit employers from paying less for the same work on the basis of gender or race. After both the House and the Senate approved the bill, it was sent back with an executive amendment from Governor Ivey on May 30, 2019. Upon appr

On May 28, 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) signed into law a groundbreaking new statute requiring Maine employers (even small businesses) to provide paid time off beginning January 1, 2021. The law is the first of its kind in the nation to require paid time off, for any reason, including vacati

On July 1, 2019, a new amendment to Virginia Code Section 8.01-413.1 will take effect. For the first time, all Virginia employers will be required to provide copies of employment records to employees upon written request. Records reflecting dates of employment, wages or salary during employment, job

Colorado has joined the ban-the-box legislative trend. Ban-the-box laws prohibit employers from asking applicants about criminal history on the employment application, thereby banning the once-common checkbox for applicants to disclose their ex-convict status. These laws also generally impose other

The Illinois General Assembly passed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (“the Act”) (HB 1438) on May 31, 2019, legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. Governor J.B. Pritzker has stated he will sign the bill and it will take effect on January 1, 2020. The Act will allow anyone over the age o

Governor Charlie Baker, Senate President Karen Spilka, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo issued a joint statement on June 11, 2019, agreeing to amend the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) and delay the required contributions until October 1, 2019. Support for delaying the contribu

In a late night statement issued from Beacon Hill on June 11, 2019, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, along with state house and senate leadership, announced that they agreed to implement a three-month delay to the state Paid Family and Medical Leave program. In the joint statement, the leaders

As we recently noted, Washington state amended its data breach notification law on May 7 to expand the definition of “personal information” and shorten the notification deadline (among other changes). Not to be outdone by its sister state to the north, Oregon followed suit shortly thereafter—Senate

You generally know the drill: a plaintiff has limited time to file suit. Generally, the statutory period begins when the plaintiff knows or reasonably should know that she has been harmed and that the defendant caused that harm.

On June 10, 2019, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that state wage and hour laws do not apply to certain drilling rig employees working off the California coast. The rig workers argued that California law required employers to pay them for off-work time spent on the platform, includ

The Illinois General Assembly passed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (“the Act”) (HB 1438) on May 31, 2019. Governor J.B. Pritzker has stated he will sign the bill. The Act legalizes marijuana for recreational purposes. The Act, which takes effect on January 1, 2020, will allow anyone over the a

In one of the most significant pieces of legislation affecting employers in many years, the Minnesota Legislature passed, and Governor Walz signed, the Jobs and Economic Development Omnibus bill that includes new wage theft protections for employees and new requirements for employers. The wage theft

Under the amended New Jersey the Public Works Contractor Registration Act (PWCRA Amendment), all contractors and subcontractors must certify participation in an apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) in order to bid on or perform any construction-related public works

As we discussed here, New York State passed an amendment to its election leave law as part of the state’s 2020 budget. This law is now in effect and provides that: (i) registered voters must be granted leave of up to three hours to vote without loss of pay; (ii) employers must allow employees to tak