The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 2 "Requiring a Driver’s License May Not Be Wise"

by Hinshaw & Culbertson - Employment Law Observer - JD Supra

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the second day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me two turtle doves and SB 1100.

What is SB 1100?

Every employer prefers to streamline their tasks, and job postings are one of them. Job postings are often recycled or briefly edited in order to market that job opening as quickly as possible. Over the years, it has been commonplace for employers to include items in job postings that may not be applicable to all jobs or that may be outdated. The requirement to have a driver's license is one of those items. 

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-12-days-of-california-labor-and-8218910

New Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance Imposes Obligations on Employers

by Jeffrey Horton Thomas, Fox Rothschild LLP - JD Supra

Starting September 3, 2024, employers must comply with involved new requirements if they wish to consider criminal backgrounds in making hiring or promotional decisions for positions that will perform work in any unincorporated area of Los Angeles County.  The requirements — imposed by the County’s Fair Chance Ordinance — will be significantly more burdensome for employers than those under the statewide Fair Chance Act or the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance.

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/new-los-angeles-county-fair-chance-2782431/

Washington Senate Passes Bill Banning Hiring Discrimination for Pot Use

by A.J. Herrington

The Washington state Senate has passed a bill that prevents employers from denying employment based on a positive drug test for weed.

The Washington Senate this week approved a bill that would protect cannabis users from pre-employment job discrimination. The measure, Senate Bill 5123, was passed by the state Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 28-21 and will now be considered by the Washington House of Representatives. 

Read more: https://hightimes.com/news/washington-senate-passes-bill-banning-hiring-discrimination-for-pot-use/

Employment Law Update 2023: New Compliance Obligations for the New Year

by Joy Rosenquist, Bruce Sarchet, Littler - JD Supra

2022 is coming to a close, and the new year will be here before we know it. While many states, cities and counties seem to be willing to pass employment laws and regulations at any time, the first day of a new year is still the number one day for new employment laws to take effect. 2023 will be no exception.

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/employment-law-update-2023-new-3270628/

New Employment Laws in California

by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP - JD Supra

As the California legislative session ended, several employment-related bills were sent to Governor Gavin Newsom for a signature by September 30.

As of September 27, 2022, three—including a measure that would prohibit employers from discriminating against a person based on their use of cannabis off the job, another that established a Fast Food Council to create a bill of rights for fast-food workers, and a third that expands reporting related to pay data—have already been signed into law.

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/new-employment-laws-in-california-4028077/

Texas may neuter cities' powers to create rules around business hiring, benefits

by Will Anderson - Dallas Business Journal

Of the many clashes at this year's Texas Legislature about state control versus local control, one has particular significance for businesses: who gets to set rules around hiring and employee benefits at private companies.

Senate Bill 14 would stop municipalities and counties from adopting rules around terms of employment "that exceed or conflict with federal or state law." Those terms include employment leave, hiring practices, employment benefits and scheduling practices. That would bar things such as mandatory paid sick leave in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, and could impact other local ordinances that have been in effect for years.

Read more: https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2021/05/20/texas-local-control-hiring.html

Illinois Set To Enact New Law Limiting Criminal Convictions In Employment Decisions

by Jeffrey Risch and Allison Sues - JD Supra

Illinois has long limited employers from considering the criminal history of an applicant or employee in making employment decisions. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits employers from considering an employee’s arrest history, for example. In recent years, Illinois’ “Ban the Box” law disallows employers from asking about criminal convictions prior to a job offer or before a candidate is selected for an interview and, therefore, assumed to be otherwise qualified for the position in question. Now, Illinois is poised to go a step further in banning the use of criminal history in employment decisions.

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/illinois-set-to-enact-new-law-limiting-8832497/

Illinois, New York City, And Philadelphia Revise Background Screening Laws

by Alonzo Martinez - Forbes

Lawmakers in three jurisdictions recently passed legislation that impacts employers’ screening programs. Laws restricting consideration of an individual's criminal history have advanced in Illinois, New York City, and Philadelphia; additionally, Philadelphia's law concerning the use of credit history in employment decisions was recently amended.

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alonzomartinez/2021/02/05/illinois-new-york-city-and-philadelphia-revise-background-screening-laws/?sh=68f9e44c41cc

Maryland Employers: Take Note of New Employment Laws Effective October 1

by Lincoln Bisbee, Alexander Malson, Morgan Lewis - JD Supra

Beginning October 1, 2020, new obligations and prohibitions take effect concerning Maryland’s antidiscrimination law, mass layoff procedures, salary histories, and more.

The 2020 Maryland legislative session ended on May 7, when Governor Larry Hogan either vetoed or permitted any outstanding bills passed by the Maryland General Assembly to become law absent his signature. In addition to overriding the governor’s veto to enact a statewide “ban the box” law in February, the General Assembly enacted several new employment laws during this past legislative session. The new laws add protected characteristics to Maryland’s antidiscrimination law, enact new requirements in cases of mass layoffs, and create new obligations and protections related to employee salaries and salary inquiries. Each of the new requirements takes effect on October 1, 2020.

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/maryland-employers-take-note-of-new-43167/

“Ban the Box” – Now Effective in Maryland and Coming to Federal Projects Soon

by Sarah K. Carpenter - Smith Currie

Maryland’s “Ban the Box” law, the Criminal Record Screening Practices Act (the “Criminal Record Act”), went into effect February 29, 2020. Maryland now joins a growing number of states and localities that have implemented “Ban the Box” restrictions prohibiting employers from requesting information about a job applicant’s criminal history. The Federal Government also joined the “Ban the Box” legislative wave on December 20, 2019 when President Trump signed into law the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019 (the “Fair Chance Act”), which is scheduled to go into effect in December 2021.

Read more: https://www.smithcurrie.com/publications/client-alerts/ban-the-box-now-effective-in-maryland-and-coming-to-federal-projects-soon/