On April 18, 2016, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed the Medical Marijuana Act (Bill S 3). The law, which took effect May 18, 2016, legalizes prescription and use of medical marijuana by individuals with a serious condition. A “serious medical condition” is defined as any of the following: Cancer Positive status for human immunodeficiency virus Read more
Starting January 1, 2017, Tennessee employers with 50 or more employees will be required to register and utilize E-Verify. E-verify is an Internet based system that confirms employment eligibility by comparing information from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records. This new Read more
On March 17, 2016, the state of Tennessee passed its own version of Ban the Box Law. Under the enacted bill (TN S 2103), which became effective April 12, 2016, public employers are prohibited from asking job applicants about their criminal history during the initial employment hiring process. Employers may ask questions or request information Read more
Nebraska is the latest state to adopt a law that protects employees’ online privacy. Under the Workplace Privacy Act (bill 821), employers are prohibited from accessing an employee or applicant’s personal internet account. Employers cannot require employees or applicants to access their accounts in the employer’s presence nor require them to accept an invitation to Read more
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has recently signed the 2016-2017 state budget, adopting a minimum wage rate increase to $15.00 per hour over the next few years and a paid family leave policy. Minimum Wage Employers in the state of New York should be prepared to increase their employees’ minimum wage rate starting this December. Read more
The state of Utah may be the next state to enact a law requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees whose ability to perform their job functions is limited by pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions. Bill S.B. 59 is currently awaiting the governor’s signature. If passed, employers with 15 or more employees working within Read more
On March 15, 2016, the Manitoba government amended the Employment Standards Code to give victims of domestic violence the right to time off work. As stated by the Labour and Immigration Minister Ema Braun, the legislation will make sure victims have financial security, job protection and flexibility to take time off to recover from violence. Read more
New Jersey employers may soon be subject to a new law concerning equal pay and employment discrimination. Bill S. 992 has recently been passed during the current legislative session by the assembly and is awaiting approval from Governor Chris Christie. If signed by the Governor, the enacted bill would amend current law, including the Law Read more
Efforts to increase the minimum wage rates continue in several states and municipalities across the nation. Kentucky and New Jersey are just two states with introduced bills that if passed will increase the minimum wage rate. Kentucky’s current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and has been the same since 2009. Under Kentucky’s Bill H 278, Read more
On January 29, 2016, the state of Idaho introduced Bill H 400 that if approved may increase the minimum wage rate. Similar bills have been introduced in the past but have been denied in the early stages of legislation. The minimum wage increase topic has always been a complicated one across the nation. Those in Read more
