Law Changes

Colorado
Workplace Accommodations for Nursing Mothers
Establishes a standard for an employer to provide reasonable unpaid break time or allow an employee to use paid break or meal time to express breast milk for her nursing child and to make reasonable efforts to provide a nursing mother with a private location in which to express milk in the workplace; specifies that an employer that makes reasonable efforts to accommodate an employee who chooses to express milk in the workplace shall be deemed to be in compliance with the workplace accommodations standards.
Read the Statute - 2008 CO H.B. 1276

Wage Transparency Act
Makes it a discriminatory or unfair labor practice for an employer to discharge, discipline, discriminate against, coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with an employee because the employee inquired about, disclosed, compared, or otherwise discussed wages, require as a condition of employment nondisclosure by an employee of his or her wages or to require an employee to sign a waiver denying the employee the right to discuss wages.
Read the Statute - 2008 CO S.B. 122

Florida
Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles
Creates the Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles Act of 2008. Prohibits a public or private entity from prohibiting a customer, employee, or invitee from possessing any legally owned firearm that is lawfully possessed and locked inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot; provides exceptions.
Read the Statute - 2008 FL H.B. 503

Iowa
Civil Rights Complaints
Expands the time period during which a complaint may be filed with the Iowa civil rights commission.
Read the Statute - 2007 IA S.F. 2292

Smokefree Air Act
Creates the Smokefree Air Act. Provides penalties for violations. Requires the posting of signs. Prohibits retaliation against any employee, job applicant or customer for registering a complaint. Relates to a bar, business, common area, employee, employer, enclosed area, child care facility, farm tractor, farm truck, health care provider location, long term care facility, private club and public transportation locations.
Read the Statute - 2007 IA H.F. 2212

Employment Discrimination
Prohibits employment discrimination against an employee witness in certain civil proceedings.
Read the Statute - 2007 IA S.F. 2281

Kansas
Age Discrimination
Amends provisions concerning age discrimination in employment; relates to electronic filing of wage report and contribution return and electronic payment of contributions, benefit cost payments or reimbursing payment filings by employers with a specified number of employees.
Read the Statute - 2008 KS H.B. 2771

Maine
Insurance Coverage for Colorectal Cancer Screening
Requires health insurance policies, contracts and certificates to provide coverage for colorectal cancer screening recommended by health care providers in accordance with guidelines published by the American Cancer Society. Clarifies that, if a colonoscopy is provided as the screening procedure and a lesion is discovered and removed, the health care provider must bill the insurer for a screening colonoscopy as the primary procedure.
Read the Statute - 2007 ME H.P. 1495

Maryland
Employee Leave Benefits
Requires that employers give certain notice of certain leave benefits to employees; specifies that an employer with a certain written policy is not required to pay accrued leave to an employee on termination of employment only under certain circumstances. Provides for the payment of accrued leave to an employee whose employment terminated during a certain time period.
Read the Statute - 2008 MD S.B. 797

Nebraska
Income Withholding
Amends an income tax withholding amount. Provides that notwithstanding the amount of federal withholding or the rules and regulations of the Department of Revenue determining the amount of withholding, every employer and payor employing 25 or more employees must withhold at least one and one-half percent of the gross wages minus tax qualified deductions of each employee unless the employee provides satisfactory evidence that a lesser amount of withholding is justified in the employee's particular circumstances.
Read the Statute - 2007 NE L.B. 1004

New Jersey
Family Leave Benefits
Extends Temporary Disability Insurance to provide family leave benefits for workers caring for sick family members, newborn and newly adopted children.
Read the Statute - 2008 NJ S.B. 786

New Mexico
Minimum Wage Act
Amends the minimum wage act. Exempts employees of the state or a political subdivision of the state from certain provisions of the minimum wage act. Reconciles multiple amendments to the same section of law in laws 2007.
Read the Statute - 2008 NM S.B. 66

Oklahoma
Freedom of Conscience Act
Creates the Freedom of Conscience Act. Relates to prohibiting specified discrimination regarding beliefs concerning abortion, embryo procedures, fetal tissue transplants and assisted suicide. Relates to medical professional moral objections to participation in such activities and prescribing and dispensing birth control. Requires specified signage at facilities that perform abortions. Requires informed consent by a minor for an abortion. Requires ultrasounds for persons prior to an abortion.
Read the Statute - 2007 OK S.B. 1878

South Dakota
Use or Release of Social Security Numbers
Restricts the release or use of Social Security numbers by the State and its political subdivisions unless certain security measures are taken.
Read the Statute - 2008 SD S.B. 80

Tennessee
Human Rights Act
Changes the word handicap to the word disability in the Tennessee Human Rights Act and in sections of law which concern discrimination and assistance for handicapped public employees.
Read the Statute - 2007 TN H.B. 2993

Utah
Wage Withholding for Employee Contributions
Modifies provisions related to the payment of wages to address when wages can be withheld or diverted.
Read the Statute - 2008 UT S.B. 131

Virginia
Employing Illegal Aliens
Provides for various disciplinary actions including revocation or cancellation of a certificate of authority, certificate of organization, or certificate of trust of any domestic or foreign corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, or business trust, conducting business in this state, for a violation of state or federal law prohibiting the employment of illegal aliens.
Read the Statute - 2008 VA H.B. 926

Employable Documentation Proof
Provides that any person holding a license, certification, or registration issued by a regulatory board who knowingly hires any individual who cannot provide documents indicating that he or she is legally eligible to be employed in the United States will have his license certification, or registration suspended for a period of time. Requires all private employers to obtain employment eligibility verification documentation. Provides for penalties including the revocation of business licenses.
Read the Statute - 2008 VA H.B. 1298

Washington
Domestic Violence Victims
Relates to increasing the safety and economic security of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Provides that an employee may take reasonable leave from work, intermittent leave, or leave on a reduced leave schedule, with or without pay, to seek legal or law enforcement assistance, seek physical or mental health treatment, to assist an family member in obtaining such assistance, or to participate in or take action to increase the safety of the victim.
Read the Statute - 2007 WA H.B. 2602

State Whistleblower Protections
Modifies state whistleblower protections; relates to the authority the State Auditor with regard to investigations of improper governmental activities made by whistleblowers to any public official pursuant. Provides procedures to be followed by officials who receive such reports. Relates to definitions of the terms whistleblower, good faith, and gross mismanagement; requires notice to public employees regarding state whistleblower policy. Relates to protecting the identity of whistleblowers.
Read the Statute - 2007 WA S.B. 6776

West Virginia
Direct Deposit
Allows businesses to settle wage payments with employees through the use of an electronic payment card or other means of electronic transfer. Provides that payment of employee compensation by means of a payroll card must be agreed upon in writing by both the person, form or corporation paying the compensation and the person being compensated.
Read the Statute - 2008 WV H.B. 4032