On August 19, 2016, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed three bills that will strengthen protections for employees in the state of New York starting November 1, 2016. The enacted bills make it a Class D felony to assault a utility worker (S.B. 2251), a process server (S.B. 2991), or a station cleaner or terminal cleaner Read more
On July 8, 2016, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed S.B. 2407, An Act Relative to Transgender Anti-Discrimination, protecting individuals whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. The emergency law was passed to extend protection of transgender people in places of public accommodations. Under the law, a lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent or Read more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed S.B. 2119, An Act Establish Pay Equity, making it unlawful for any employer to discriminate on the basis of gender in the payment of wages, or pay any employee a salary less than the rates paid to its employees of a different gender for comparable work. Under the new Read more
Employers covered by the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Law must now post the revised Workers’ Compensation Bill of Rights summary. Released by the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, the summary includes new compensation benefit amounts increased by enacted H.B 818. Starting July 1, 2016, an employer must pay a weekly benefit equal to two-thirds of the Read more
Starting January 1, 2017, Connecticut employers will be prohibited from asking about an applicant’s prior arrests, criminal charges or convictions on an initial employment application. An employer is defined as “any person engaged in business who has one or more employees, including the state or any political subdivision of the state.” Under the enacted H.B. Read more
During Utah’s 2016 legislative session, a bill modifying the Workers’ Compensation Act to address volunteers was passed. The enacted bill (S. 76), which became effective May 10th, provides that volunteers are not employees for purposes of workers’ compensation, unless the nongovernment entity chooses to cover the volunteer with workers’ compensation coverage. A volunteer is defined Read more
On March 23, 2016, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed Bill H 682. Under the new law, the Tennessee Code Annotated is amended by changing how business owners and employers prohibit weapons on their premises. An individual, corporation, business entity, or government entity may continue to display a notice that prohibits weapon possession on their property Read more
Effective August 1, 2016, handgun license holders are allowed to carry a concealed handgun on the campuses of public and private colleges and institutions in the state of Texas. Campuses cannot adopt any rule, regulation, or other provision prohibiting license holders from carrying handguns. As stated under enacted Bill S. 11, an institution of higher Read more
On June 7, 2016, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed Bill S. 211 making payroll cards an approved form of wage payment. Under An Act Allowing Employers to Pay Wages Using Payroll Cards, “payroll card” is defined as a stored value card or other device used by an employee to access wages from a payroll card Read more
WI S 517 was one of many Wisconsin bills that were passed during the state’s 2016 legislative session. Starting July 1, 2016, Wisconsin employers employing 50 or more employees on a permanent basis must provide employees with up to six weeks of leave in a 12-month period to undergo a bone marrow or organ donation Read more
