With new state employment laws continuously being enacted, it can be challenging to keep up on each change and ensure that your policies and practices are compliant. We have your solution.
This monthly digest is designed to keep you apprised of upcoming major state law changes in areas including paid sick and safe leave laws, family and parental leave, recreational and medicinal marijuana use, workplace gun laws, asking candidates about salary history and unpredictable scheduling.
Here’s what’s on the horizon:
March 2026
- California employers must provide current employees with the opportunity to name an emergency contact by March 30.
May 2026
- Maine paid family and medical leave benefits available May 1.
June 2026
- Illinois enacts unpaid parental leave for employees with a child who is a patient in a NICU on June 1.
- Colorado implements new AI protections against discrimination effective June 30.
July 2026
- Significant expansions to the New Jersey Family Leave Act effective July 17.
- Washington expands “ban the box” law effective July 1.
2027
- California expands pay data reporting law effective January 1.
- Connecticut paid sick leave law covers all employees effective January 1.
- Maryland paid family and medical leave contributions begin January 1.
- Washington expands Healthy Starts Act effective January 1.
2028
- Maryland paid family and medical leave benefits begin January 3.
- California expands employees’ eligibility to receive state paid family leave benefits to those who are taking time off work to care for a seriously ill “designated person” effective July 1.
In case you missed it:
February 2026
- New California workers’ rights notice must be distributed by February 1.
- Changes to New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time and Temporary Schedule Change Acts effective February 22.
What to Watch:
New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection will begin monitoring employee use of paid sick time. If an employer’s payroll records show that fewer than 50% of employees have used any paid time off in the past year, the agency will flag (and potentially investigate) that business as possibly engaging in “systemic” violations of the law.