Information contained in this publication is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or opinion, nor is it a substitute for the professional judgment of an attorney.
As the year draws to a close, employers are assessing the next wave of labor and employment laws and regulations they will face in 2020 and beyond. Most new laws taking effect at the end of 2019 and throughout 2020 are at the state and local levels, presenting compliance challenges for employers with operations in multiple jurisdictions. This article highlights labor and employment activity at the federal level, and summarizes some of the key generally applicable laws and regulations that will affect employers in the year to come.
Federal Activity
The 116th U.S. Congress did not advance much legislation related to employment in 2019. Most federal employment law activity has been confined to agency regulatory developments. The most far-reaching of these developments is the Department of Labor’s final rule amending the regulations for “white collar” overtime exemptions for employees. The final rule increases the minimum salary level for exemption from $455 per week to $684, or $35,568 per year. The final rule also increases from $100,000 to $107,432 the total annual compensation required for employees to qualify under the shorter highly compensated employee test. In addition, the DOL is expected to issue a final rule on joint employment under the FLSA by the end of this year or early 2020.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was without a quorum for nearly half the year, resulting in fewer new case filings over the prior year. Notably, however, the EEOC announced on September 11, 2019 that it would not seek approval from the Office of Management and Budget to collect detailed employee compensation statistics on the Form EEO-1 next year, which had been a contentious issue. A public hearing on this issue currently is scheduled for November 20, 2019. Meanwhile, litigation surrounding the completion of this year’s collection of EEO-1 data continues.
The National Labor Relations Board, on August 12, 2019, issued a proposed rule designed to “better protect employees’ statutory right of free choice” regarding their union representation. Specifically, the proposed rule would make three amendments to the Board’s representation election regulations. The Board also issued a proposed rule to exclude from the National Labor Relations Act undergraduate and graduate students at private colleges and universities who perform services in connection with their studies. In September 2018, the Board issued a proposed rule revising the test for determining when two employers are considered “joint employers” under the NLRA. Final regulations are expected shortly. In addition, the Board issued a number of key decisions clarifying the administration’s position on various issues, including work rules, unilateral operational changes, nonemployee access to property, bargaining unit determinations, and withdrawing union recognition upon contract expiration, among others.
Immigration policy and enforcement remains a priority of the current administration. While no significant immigration legislation advanced in 2019, employers are likely to see continuing increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities, including workplace raids and I-9 audits. At the same time, visa denials have increased, putting a strain on many employers that rely on foreign labor to fill their workforce operational needs. Relatedly, the Social Security Administration vigorously renewed its practice of sending employment eligibility correction request notices (known as “no-match letters”) to employers, and SSA shows no sign of letting up in 2020.
State and Local Activity
While federal legislative developments were slow in 2019, state and local lawmakers picked up the slack. As the chart below demonstrates, states and municipalities have adopted new laws and ordinances that will take effect on a variety of topics, including sexual harassment training and anti-discrimination measures, paid leave, medical marijuana, and salary history inquiries.
Laws Taking Effect in 2020 – and Beyond
The chart below briefly recaps some of the significant laws and regulations that will become effective in the few remaining weeks of 2019, throughout 2020, and beyond. Although local and industry-specific laws may be listed, these samples are included primarily to highlight compliance challenges employers face. Further, this chart does not include all state and local minimum wage updates. A complete discussion of minimum wage rate changes for 2020 can be found in a separate Littler Insight. Because the below chart is only a summary and does not include all possibly applicable laws, employers are encouraged to discuss with employment counsel the local, state, and/or federal laws that will apply to their workplace in the future.
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
DOL Final Rule |
“White Collar” Overtime Exemption |
Raises the income level that employees must reach to $684 per week, or $35,568 per year, to qualify as exempt. Allows employers to pay up to 10% of compensation as bonuses or commissions (or $3,556.80 per year) for employees to still meet the threshold for exemption. |
1/01/2020 |
|
DOL Final Rule |
Electronic Payment of Penalties |
Allows payments of civil money penalties under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA), the H-2A provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (H–2A), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) to be made electronically. |
11/07/2019 |
|
DOL Notice |
Federal Contractor Minimum Wage |
Yearly update provides that for 2020, federal contractors must pay covered workers at least $10.80 per hour, and covered tipped employees performing work on or in connection with covered contracts a cash wage of at least $7.55 per hour. |
1/01/2020 |
|
DOL and DHS Final Rule |
Immigration |
Amends regulations governing DOL’s certification of nonagricultural labor or services to be performed by temporary foreign workers in H-2B nonimmigrant status (H-2B workers). Rescinds the requirement that an employer advertise its job opportunity in a print newspaper of general circulation in the area of intended employment, and expands and enhances the DOL’s electronic job registry. |
12/15/2019 |
Closing out his first year in office, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than 40 bills with labor and employment ramifications. While several of the major laws are identified below, employers interested in more information should review our earlier article concerning the onslaught of new regulations in the Golden State.
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
AB 5 and AB 170 |
Worker Classification: |
Adopts as law the ABC test from the Dynamex v. Superior Court1 case as a way to classify whether workers are employees or independent contractors, based on whether the hiring entity controls the work, if the worker does tasks outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business, and whether the worker performs similar work for other customers. Applies the ABC test to the wage orders, labor code, unemployment insurance code, and, effective 7/01/2020, workers’ compensation laws. Creates seven broad categories of exceptions – occupations and industries for which the ABC test is not applied. A related measure, AB 170, exempts newspaper distributors from these new requirements, but only until 2021. |
1/01/2020, in general
7/01/2020, for purposes of workers’ compensation |
|
AB 9 |
Discrimination Claims: Extension of Statute of Limitations |
Extends the statute of limitations from one year to three years for complaints alleging employment discrimination under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). For this measure, “filing a complaint” refers to filing an intake form with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Does not apply to previously lapsed claims. Leaves unanswered whether claims that arose in calendar year 2019 will be subject to a one- or three-year statute of limitations. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 17 |
Vote By Mail Ballot: Employee Protections |
Prohibits employers from requiring or requesting employees bring mail ballots to work and creates a $10,000 civil fine for violations. |
01/01/2020 |
|
AB 252 |
California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018: Exemption for Employment-Related Information |
Exempts from the coverage of the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) certain personal information businesses gather from employees or job applicants within the normal scope of employment or hiring. The exemption is scheduled to sunset on 1/01/2021. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 51 |
Waiver as Condition of Employment |
Bans employers from requiring employees or applicants to waive any right, forum, or procedure under the FEHA or Labor Code as a condition of employment. Further prohibits employers from retaliating or threatening employees who refuse to waive such rights. Applies to agreements entered into, modified or extended on or after 1/01/2020. Does not apply to postdispute settlement, or negotiated severance, agreements. |
1/01/2020 [effective date on hold due to litigation] |
|
AB 61 |
Gun Violence: Employer Restraining Order |
Amends gun violence restraining order law to allow employers, co-workers, and school employees to seek such an order. |
9/01/2020 |
|
AB 673 |
Failure to Pay Wages: Remedies and Penalties |
Authorizes employees seeking wages owed to bring an action either to recover statutory penalties against the employer or to seek to enforce civil penalties under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA)—but not both for the same violation. Also makes non-payment of wages under the Barbering and Cosmetology Act a recoverable offense. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 749 |
Settlement Agreements: Restraints in Trade |
Prohibits employment settlement agreements from restricting a settling party from working for the employer or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate (“no rehire” agreements), unless the employer has made a good faith determination that the person engaged in sexual harassment or assault. Applies to agreements entered into on or after 1/01/2020. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 874 |
California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018: Definitions |
Expands the definition of “publicly available” information that is exempted from the CCPA to include information that is made available from government records. Also amends the definition of “personal information” to include information that could be “reasonably associated” with a specific individual or household, and to exclude deidentified or aggregate information. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 1130 |
Personal Information: Data Breaches |
Revises the definition of personal information in various consumer protection statutes to include biometric data, tax identification numbers, and passport numbers. Authorizes businesses notifying of a breach to include instructions on how to notify other entities that the breached data is no longer reliable for authentication. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 1223 |
Protected Time Off: Living Organ Donation |
Requires an employer to provide additional, unpaid leave time, of up to 30 days a year, to an employee who is donating an organ. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 1554 |
Health Savings Accounts/Flexible Spending Accounts: Annual Withdrawal Notice |
Requires that employers provide two forms of notice to employees participating in a flexible spending account (including a health savings, dependent care, or adoption assistance account) of upcoming withdrawal deadlines toward the end of a benefit year. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 1804 |
Occupational Injuries and Illnesses: Reporting |
Requires employers to report serious injury, illness, or death immediately through an online mechanism established by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health or to report by telephone. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 1805 |
Occupational Injuries and Illnesses: Expanded Definitions for Reporting Requirements |
Revises the definition of “serious injury or illness” in the workplace to remove the 24-hour minimum time requirement for inpatient hospitalization, for reasons other medical observation or tests. Also updates the definition of “serious exposure” as exposure to a hazardous substance that could realistically cause death or serious physical harm. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 83 |
Paid Family Leave |
Increases paid family leave from six weeks to eight weeks beginning 7/01/2020, and creates a task force to develop a proposal for further job protections, including an increased wage replacement rate. |
6/27/2019 |
|
SB 129 |
Health Care Coverage Reporting |
Requires all health care service plans or insurers to report enrollment data for products sold inside and outside of Covered California plans and any other business lines, and to include participant data for certain multiple employer welfare arrangements. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 142 |
Lactation Accommodation |
Obligates employers to provide a private, safe lactation room with a seat, electricity, and a surface, that is not a bathroom and is in proximity to the employee’s work station. Employers must also provide access to refrigeration or a cooler and running water near the workspace. Creates undue hardship exemptions for certain employers. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 188 |
Racial Discrimination: Hairstyles |
The CROWN Act expands the definition of prohibited racial discrimination, barring employers from banning racially associated hairstyles in dress codes or grooming standards. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 260 |
Health Insurance Enrollment |
Requires the California Health Benefit Exchange, beginning no later than 7/1/2021, to enroll an individual in the lowest cost silver plan or another plan upon receiving the individual’s electronic account from an insurance affordability program. As of 1/1/2021, health care plans and insurers must transfer information to the Exchange about individuals who ceased to carry coverage. |
1/01/2021 |
|
SB 530 |
Construction Industry: Harassment Prevention Training |
Instructs the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement to develop industry-specific harassment prevention policy and training standard. Delays harassment prevention training requirement for the construction industry, until 1/01/2021. Clarifies how employers with multi-employer CBAs may satisfy training duty. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 530 |
Staffing Agencies, Temporary Workers: Harassment Prevention Training |
Delays harassment prevention training requirement for seasonal, temporary, or other employees hired to work for less than six months, until 1/01/2021. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 688 |
Failure to Pay Wages: Restitution & Contract Wages |
Extends the authority of the Labor Commissioner to cite an employer’s failure to pay minimum wages under a contract. “Contract wages” means wages based on an agreement in excess of the applicable minimum wage for regular, nonovertime hours. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 778 |
Harassment Prevention Training |
Amends last year’s SB 1343 to revise the deadline for expanded training requirements of new employees on antiharassment state law guidelines to 1/01/2021. Does not modify the training timeline for supervisory employees, or the threshold requirement that employers with 5 or more employees must provide training. |
8/30/2019 |
|
San Francisco Health Care Expenditure Rate: Annual Announcement |
San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance: 2020 Expenditure Rate |
Raises San Francisco's health care expenditure rate to $3.08 per hour for employers with 100 or more employees and $2.05 per hour for employers with 20-99 employees. |
1/01/2020 |
|
San Francisco Health Care Salary Exemption Threshold: Annual Announcement |
San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance: Exempt Employees |
Provides that managerial, supervisorial, or confidential employees who earn $104,761 or higher are exempt from the HCSO. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 1210 |
Anti-preemption: Minimum Wage |
Repeals state prohibition that prevented local governments from enacting local minimum wages and allows up to 10% of local governments to set minimum wage requirements. |
1/01/2020 |
|
HB 1267 |
Wage & Hour: Classification of Employees, Wage Theft Penalties |
Amends key definitions, enhances criminal penalties for wage theft, and clarifies how to classify workers as employees or independent contractors. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 85 |
Equal Pay & Salary History Inquiries |
Amends pay equity law to state that employers cannot discriminate in wages among employees based on sex, or based on sex combined with any of the state’s other protected classes for employment purposes, unless the employer can demonstrate a difference based on seniority, merit, location, experience, or other specified reasons. Further clarifies that “sex” includes gender identity, prohibits salary history inquiries, and protects employees who ask about, disclose, compare, or otherwise discuss employee wage rates. |
1/01/2021 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
SB 3 |
Antiharassment Training |
Requires employers with 3 or more employees to provide 2 hours of sexual harassment training to all employees. Training must be complete for new hires within 6 months of hire, and for existing employees by 10/1/2020. Smaller employers must provide training to supervisory employees, by 10/1/2020 or within 6 months of assuming the role. |
10/01/2019 |
|
SB 72 |
Employer Tax Credit: Student Loan Payments |
Creates a tax credit totaling 50% of student loan payments that qualified employers pay directly on qualifying employees’ student loans. |
1/01/2022 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
SB 37 |
Background Checks: Criminal Record Expungement |
Allows an individual to apply to have criminal history expunged; if expunged, the individual need not disclose offenses or records related to offenses for any reason. |
12/28/2019 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
The Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015 |
Paid Leave: Notice Requirements |
Pursuant to the Paid Leave Act, employers will be responsible for posting and maintaining a notice explaining employees’ right to paid leave benefits and the terms under which such leave may be used. |
1/01/2020 |
|
The Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015 |
Paid Leave: Employee Use |
Eligible employees may begin to access PFL program benefits on July 1, 2020. |
7/01/2020 |
|
Tipped Wage Worker Fairness Amendment Act of 2018 |
Minimum Wage: Tips |
Employers of tipped employees (except for hotel employers) must use a third-party payroll business to prepare payroll. Third-party payroll processor for non-hotel employers of tipped employees will be required to submit the quarterly wage reports to the mayor. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Atlanta Ordinance No. 19-O-1205 |
Smoking |
Bans smoking and using vapor products in all places of employment, including outdoor areas of employment, as well as bars and restaurants. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 252 |
Workplace Discrimination: Illinois Human Rights Act Coverage |
Reduces the number of employees needed for an employer to be covered by the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) from 15 employees to 1. Exempts only places of worship. |
7/01/2020 |
|
HB 1438 |
Marijuana: Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act |
As of 1/01/2020, authorizes individuals age 21 and over to legally possess, use and purchase limited amounts of cannabis for personal use. Prohibits employers from discriminating against workers who lawfully use cannabis off premises, during nonworking and non-call hours. |
6/25/2019 |
|
HB 2557 |
Privacy: Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act |
Provides that an employer that asks applicants to record video interviews and uses an artificial intelligence analysis of applicant-submitted videos must notify each applicant in writing before the interview and obtain consent. |
1/01/2020 |
|
HB 2830 |
School Activities Leave |
Amends school activities leave law to allow employees to take up to 8 hours of unpaid leave to attend school conferences or behavioral or academic meetings. Prohibits employers from terminating employees absent for covered reasons. |
8/01/2020 |
|
HB 3405 |
Minimum Wage: Tips |
Amends wage law to clarify that gratuities may not be kept by employers. Requires gratuities owed to be paid within 13 days after the end of the pay period when gratuities were earned. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 753 |
Workplace Discrimination: Workplace Transparency Act, Hotel and Casino Employee Safety Act, Sexual Harassment Victim Representation Act, and Amendments to IHRA |
Creates three new laws and amends others that relate to sexual harassment and discrimination. New provisions generally preclude agreements that would prohibit employees from reporting or seeking remedies regarding unlawful employment practices; mandate panic buttons for hotel and casino workers; and ensure that a union member who has been harassed has a different union representative during proceedings than the accused. Amends IHRA to require annual employer reporting of judgments or rulings finding sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination. Also mandates annual sexual harassment prevention training for employees and requires certain employers (bars, restaurants) to adopt written antiharassment policies. |
Varies |
|
SB 86 |
Wireless Telecommunications Devices and Driving |
Amends ban on use of cell phones while driving to clarify that drivers may not use a wireless communication device to watch videos. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 161 |
Wage & Hour: Worker Protection Unit |
Creates a Worker Protection Unit under the state attorney general to initiate, enforce, and defend all criminal or civil legal matters related to violations of wage and hour law. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 556 |
Gender-Neutral Restrooms |
Requires single-occupancy restrooms in public accommodations or public buildings to be identified for all-gender use and designated for use by one person at a time or for a family or assisted use. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 1624 |
Data Security Breach Notification |
Expands the data security breach notification statute to include a requirement to notify the state attorney general if more than 500 residents are affected by the breach. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 1780 |
Background Checks: Workplace Discrimination |
Bans employers from inquiring into or using a criminal arrest as a reason to refuse to hire an applicant, discriminate against an applicant or employee, or take other negative employment actions. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Chicago Ordinance No. O2019-3928 |
Wage & Hour: Predictive Scheduling |
Requires employers of 100 or more employees to provide predictability pay and two weeks' advance notice of work schedules. |
7/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Waterloo Ban-the-Box Ordinance |
Background Checks: Administrative Enforcement Procedures |
Prevents employers from inquiring about an applicant’s criminal history until an offer of employment has been made. |
7/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
LD 369 |
Paid Leave |
Entitles employees to accrue one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked for an employer with more than 10 employees. Excludes employees under collective bargaining agreements between January 1, 2021 and the expiration of the agreement. |
1/01/2021 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Montgomery County Bill 30-19 |
Discrimination: Hairstyles |
Provides that for purposes of the County's anti-discrimination law, the definition of race includes traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles |
11/05/2019 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Grand Rapids Ordinance No. 2019-43 |
Discrimination |
Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived membership in a protected class such as race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or medical condition. |
12/01/2019 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Minneapolis Ordinance No. 2019-00697 |
Wage Theft |
Prohibits wage theft and enacts requirements for employers to issue pre-hire notifications to employees of their start dates, sick and safe time rights, overtime policies, and applicable gratuity policies. Also prohibits retaliation against employees exercising their rights under these sections and creates new penalties for non-compliance. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Duluth Final Earned Sick and Safe Time Rules |
Paid Leave |
Implements Duluth’s Earned Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, which takes effect January 1, 2020, for employers with five or more employees, regardless of whether they work in Duluth. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
AB 132 |
Hiring: Drug Testing |
Prohibits employers from refusing to hire applicants based on a positive screening test for marijuana and allows new employees to ask for a second test to rebut the results of the first test. Employees with safety-sensitive positions are excluded from this protection. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 170 |
Health Insurance |
Aligns state law with federal law to require all insurers to offer health benefits regardless of the health status of a person and to prohibit insurers from denying coverage or requiring some insureds to pay higher premiums based on their health status or their spouses’ health. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 271 |
WARN: Call Centers |
Mandates that businesses with call centers that have received any incentive from the state agency for economic development notify the state and the employees at least 90 days in advance of moving the call center to a foreign country. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 290 |
Construction Industry Safety and Health |
This new law governs courses in construction industry safety and health hazards. Specifically, this new law requires the Division of Industrial Relations of the Department of Business and Industry to establish a registry to track the completion of these courses and to track the people authorized to train and provide the courses. The Division must also publish the names of the workers who have completed OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 courses online so that the public can verify completion. This requirement applies also to entertainment industry workers and supervisory employees. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 348 |
Hospital Workplace Violence Plans |
Creates a Nevada OSHA standard requiring health care employers to create comprehensive workplace violence prevention plans and track violent incidents in hospitals and other medical facilities. |
7/21/2021 |
|
AB 472 |
Health Insurance Coverage |
Amends state health insurance laws to require that maternity and pediatric health care be covered by applicable health insurance policies to include a pregnancy for a gestational carrier. |
1/01/2020 |
|
AB 533 |
Marijuana |
Expands Nevada’s medical and recreational cannabis laws to provide additional oversight and regulation. |
7/01/2020 |
|
SB 119 |
Workplace Safety: Convention Industry Safety Training |
Requires workers and supervisors working at exhibition sites, convention centers, or trade show locations to attend safety training including an OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 course within 15 days of being hired. |
1/01/2021 |
|
SB 166 |
Discrimination: Penalties |
Gives the Nevada Equal Rights Commission: (1) the ability to award back pay up to two years before the filing of the complaint until the day the Commission issues an order on it; (2) the ability to order payment of lost wages or other economic damages for cases arising from sex discrimination; and (3) the ability to order a civil penalty. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 192 |
Definition of Health Benefits for Minimum Wage Purposes |
Clarifies what type of health benefits an employer must provide in order to pay its employees the lower-tier minimum wage under the Minimum Wage Amendment (MWA) Act. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 263 |
Smoking |
Revises the state ban on smoking in indoor places of employment to include vaping and vapor-releasing smoking devices. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 312 |
Paid Leave |
Requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide employees with up to 40 hours of paid leave per year for any reason. With limited exceptions, covered employers must provide paid leave to their employees in proportion to the number of hours worked. The law makes no exception for part-time employees. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 381 |
Workers’ Compensation |
Amends workers’ compensation law to clarify that an injured employee has a right to select their treating physician or chiropractor and requires insurers to provide at least 12 doctors from which employees can choose for treatment within 19 specified practice areas. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 481 |
Health Insurance |
Revises health insurance laws to follow federal rules allowing more small employers to participate in health plans, such as multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) plans. |
1/01/2021 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 4 |
Health Insurance |
Modifies funding and loss reserves requirements for self-funded insurance arrangements and alters certain definitions under the state’s small employer health risk adjustment program, formerly known as the small employer health reinsurance pool. |
Varies |
|
HB 628 |
Public Access: Universal Changing Stations |
Requires the installation of universal changing stations for use by persons with physical disabilities in public places with the capacity to serve 1,500 or more persons per day. The new law applies to public buildings or facilities built on or after January 1, 2021. If the building code review board does not adopt, and the legislature does not ratify, a building code rule to incorporate the new law’s requirements, then the new law will not take effect.* |
1/01/2021* |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
AB 1094 |
Salary History |
Prohibits employers from requesting applicants’ previous salary or wages and bans employers from requiring that a previous salary meet any minimum or maximum threshold. Exempts voluntarily shared information, confirmation of salary history after an offer, positions where federal law requires such disclosure, and acquisition of salary history that is publicly available. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Bernalillo County Ordinance 2019-17 |
Paid Leave |
Allows employees to earn one hour of paid time off for any purpose for every 32 hours worked in Bernalillo County. New local businesses are exempt for their first 12 months of operation. Also obligates employers to keep records of paid time off accrued and used by each employee. |
7/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
SB 659 |
Comprehensive Contraception Coverage |
Amends state insurance law to mandate that health insurance policies provide coverage of FDA-approved contraceptives and related follow-up services without cost sharing. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 660 |
Discrimination: Reproductive Health |
Prohibits discrimination based on an individual's or a dependent's reproductive health decision making. The law also includes notice requirements, which take effect 1/7/2020. |
11/08/2019 |
|
SB 1040 |
Discrimination: Domestic Violence |
Amends the New York Human Rights Law to prohibit discrimination against employees who are victims of domestic violence and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to known victims of domestic violence. |
11/18/2019 |
|
SB 1650 |
Accommodation: Closed Captioning |
Adds a public accommodation requirement for closed captioning on televisions in public areas upon request during regular business hours. Does not apply if the provided televisions are not equipped with closed captioning capabilities. |
7/01/2020 |
|
SB 6549 |
Salary History |
Prohibits employers from asking job applicants for wage or salary history, relying on past wages to determine whether to make an offer, or refusing to interview or hire someone based on prior wages. |
1/06/2020 |
|
New York City (Int. 136-A-2018) |
Human Rights: Contingent Workforce |
Clarifies that employers with four or more employees are covered by the city’s human rights law, and includes freelance workers and independent contractors. |
1/11/2020 |
|
New York City (Int. 0342-A-2018) |
Workplace Signs: Accessibility Ramps |
Requires building owners to post signs that a portable ramp is available for inaccessible building entrances and to post an indication of the route to the nearest accessible entrance. |
1/01/2020 |
|
New York City (Int. 0799-2018) |
Discrimination: Retaliation |
Prohibits retaliation against individuals who request reasonable accommodations under the New York City Human Rights Law, including for disability, pregnancy and childbirth, medical conditions, or as a victim of domestic violence or sex offense. |
11/11/2019 |
|
New York City (Int. 1445-2019) |
Hiring: Drug Testing |
Prohibits New York City employers from requiring an applicant to test for marijuana as a condition of employment, but exempts safety and security sensitive jobs and those associated with federal or state contracts or grants. |
5/10/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Cincinnati Ordinance No. 2019-01418 |
Discrimination: Protected Classifications |
Expands prohibited discrimination to include discrimination based on natural hair types or styles commonly associate with race. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Cincinnati Ordinance No. 83-2019 |
Salary History |
Bans employers from inquiring into applicants’ past wages or salary to use as a basis for their compensation or to screen applicants based on minimum or maximum salary criteria. |
3/12/2020 |
|
Toledo Ordinance No. O-173-19 |
Salary History |
Bans employers from inquiring into applicants’ past wages or salary to use as a basis for their compensation or to screen applicants based on minimum or maximum salary criteria. |
7/04/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 1095 |
Worker Classification |
Amends the Employment Security Act to codify the IRS 20-factor test to determine whether an employer-employee relationship exists. |
1/01/2020 |
|
HB 2424 |
Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements |
Amends the law on multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWA) to require that MEWAs must be a nonprofit and must apply to the state insurance commissioner with various documentation to obtain a license. |
11/01/2019 |
|
HB 2601 |
Smoking |
Amends ban on smoking at indoor workplaces to include smoking tobacco or marijuana or vaping marijuana. |
11/01/2019 |
|
SB 288 |
Prohibiting Firearms |
Allows individuals to carry firearms under concealment without a permit or training, but clarifies that employers are allowed to prohibit firearms at the workplace. If a business prohibits firearms, it must post signs that carrying firearms on the premises is prohibited, but firearms are allowed inside a locked vehicle in parking areas at a workplace. |
11/01/2019 |
|
SB 715 |
Workplace Harassment |
Permits an employer to file for an injunction to prohibit workplace harassment if there is a credible threat of violence, or a pattern of contact that would cause a reasonable person emotional distress. |
11/01/2019 |
|
SB 943 |
Health Insurance |
Clarifies Small Employer Act with technical changes to better define a bona fide association health plan and explain associated requirements. |
11/01/2019 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 2341 |
Accommodations: Pregnancy |
Requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees for issues related to pregnancy or childbirth, unless it would cause an undue burden. Employers must also notify employees of these protections. Creates employee remedies, including filing a complaint or bringing a civil action for relief. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Final Rule on Pregnancy Accommodation (OAR 839-005-0026) |
Accommodations: Pregnancy |
This final rule amends the Bureau of Labor & Industries pregnancy accommodation regulations. It removes the requirement that to determine the physical ability of pregnant women, they should be treated the same as males, non-pregnant females and other employees with off-the job illnesses or injuries. It also makes the regulation’s language more gender-neutral. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Final Rule on Rest Procedures for Expressing Breast Milk (OAR 839-020-0051) |
Lactation Accommodation |
Oregon amended its statute governing the requirements for providing rest breaks to employees for expressing milk. The amendments make the lactation accommodation requirements applicable to employers of all sizes and removes the temporal requirement for rest periods. |
1/01/2020 |
|
HB 2992 |
Noncompete Agreements |
Amends state law on noncompete agreements to require that employers give employees a signed and written copy of any noncompete within 30 days of termination. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 123 |
Equal Pay |
Amends equal pay law to add exceptions for collective bargaining agreement compensation levels, and for employees performing modified work due to an injury or medical condition. Adds a safe harbor against liability for equal pay violations if the employer conducts an equal pay analysis in good faith. The amendments also make several changes to the equal pay law’s enforcement provisions, adds requirements for a valid equal pay analysis, and amends the damages provisions. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 250 |
Health Insurance |
Prohibits an individual from being excluded from participation in or denied benefits based upon race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or preexisting conditions. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 519 |
Garnishment |
Increases the amount of wages exempted from garnishment and execution. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 684 |
Data Security Breach Notification |
Expands the definition of “personal information” under the state’s data security breach notification law, and requires vendors to make certain notifications in the event of a breach. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 796 |
Organ and Tissue Donation |
Includes donation of organs or tissue in the definition of “serious health condition” so that employees can use family or medical leave to donate organs or tissue. Prohibits insurers from discrimination against an insured person based solely on status as a living donor. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Wage & Hour: Predictive Scheduling |
Requires large retail, hospitality and food service establishments to: (1) give existing employees the right of first refusal to work additional hours before hiring new employees; (2) post and provide advance written notice of work schedules; (3) provide predictability pay for any departures from the posted schedules; and (4) permit a rest period of nine hours between shifts. |
4/01/2020 |
|
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 6019 & SB 698 |
Noncompete Agreements |
Renders unenforceable any noncompetition agreement against certain workers, including those nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, undergraduate or graduate students in an internship, employees 18 or younger, or low-wage employees. |
1/15/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 164 |
Cell Phones and Driving |
Amends law prohibiting mobile telephone use while driving to extend to all drivers, except for adult drivers using a hands-free device while driving. |
1/01/2020 |
|
HB 539 |
Worker Classification |
Codifies the IRS 20-factor worker classification test to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor under certain state statutes |
1/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 4390 |
Data Security Breach Notification |
Amends breach notification law to require notification within 60 days after the determination of a breach and to notify the state attorney general within 60 days if 250 or more residents’ data was affected. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 2296 |
Workers’ Compensation |
Amends Texas workers’ compensation law to add that the “employing unit” definition now includes a common paymaster, as defined in 26 U.S.C. Section 3306(p). |
1/01/2020 |
|
San Antonio Ord. No. 2019-10-03-0795 |
Paid Sick Leave |
Allows employees to earn 1 hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked in the city. |
12/01/2019; UPDATE: A Texas court has temporarily enjoined this law from taking effect 12/1 pending litigation on the merits. |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 524 |
Health Insurance Coverage |
Creates an individual mandate for health insurance that requires coverage for preexisting conditions and dependent coverage up to age 26. Includes exemptions for certain religious beliefs and incarcerated people. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 89 |
Health Insurance Benefit Exchange |
Amends the type of health benefit plans that may be offered as reflective health plans. Under the amendments, both silver-level and bronze-level plays may qualify. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 2664 and SB 1696 |
Wage Statements |
Amends law on pay stubs to require employers to provide, on each regular pay date, written statements (by a paystub or online accounting) that shows the employer’s name and address, number of hours worked in the pay period, pay rate, gross wages earned during the pay period, and any deductions and their purpose. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Law |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
HB 1071 |
Data Security Breach: Personal Information |
Expands the definition of “personal information” under the state’s data breach security law, and requires notification to the Attorney General following a data security breach. |
3/01/2020 |
|
HB 1450 |
Noncompete Agreements |
Voids noncompete covenants against employees earning less than $100,000 per year and independent contractors earning less than $250,000 per year from the party seeking enforcement. Requires employers to disclose terms of the noncompete in writing, presumes as unenforceable any restrictive period longer than 18 months, and requires employers to pay the employee’s base salary for the term of noncompete enforcement, among other provisions. |
1/01/2020 |
|
SB 5258 |
Sexual Harassment Training |
Requires hospitality, security, and property services contractor employers to provide preventive sexual harassment training and panic buttons to each employee, and to adopt a sexual harassment policy. |
1/01/2020 for hotels and motels with 60 or more rooms;
1/01/2021 for all other covered employers |
|
SB 5975 |
Paid Family Leave |
Allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid family leave or paid medical leave per year or a combined total of 16 weeks of family and medical leave. In addition, employees may take an additional two weeks of paid leave for a serious health condition related to pregnancy. Employers with 50 or fewer employees are exempt from paying the employer share of the benefits program. To qualify, employees must work for 820 hours or more during the qualifying period. |
1/01/2020 |
|
Final Rule WAC 296-27 |
Illness and Injury Reporting |
Requires employers to submit certain information to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, inform employees of the reporting procedures, and inform employees how to report illnesses and injuries and that employers are prohibited from discharging or discriminating against an employee for such reporting. |
1/01/2020 |
See Footnotes
1 See Jim Paretti, Michael J. Lotito, Bruce Sarchet, and Patrick Stokes, Dynamex Retroactivity Question Sent to California State Court, Littler ASAP (Sept. 25, 2019). For additional background on Dynamex, see William Hays Weissman, The Implications of Dynamex Operations West v. Superior Court: California's Adoption of the ABC Test for Purposes of the Wage Orders, Littler Report (June 11, 2018).
2 Philip Gordon, Kwabena Appenteng, and Zoe Argento, Employers Receive Last-Minute Reprieve From The Most Onerous CCPA Compliance Obligations, Littler Insight (Sept. 17, 2019); see also Philip L. Gordon, What Should Employers do About the CCPA?, Littler Insight (Apr. 29, 2019).
3 See also Jennifer Schilling and Kyle Mueller, Sharp Cure Ahead! An Employer’s Roadmap to Recent Legislative Developments in Illinois, Littler Insight (Sept. 27, 2019).
