State Mandates

Beginning November 8, 2026, employers with New York employees will face new requirements for personnel records, including employee access, notice and retention obligations.

New Access and Notice Requirements

Employees may request a copy of their personnel record in writing, and employers must provide it within five business days.

Employers must also notify employees within 10 days after placing negative information in their personnel record. Employees generally may make up to two record review requests per calendar year, although reviews triggered by negative information do not count toward that limit.…

Governor Newsom recently signed into law SB 1149, which amends the state’s bereavement leave law to allow for bereavement leave for designated individuals.

Under existing law, California employers with 5 or more employees must provide employees with 5 days of unpaid bereavement leave upon the death of a family member. The current law’s definition of a family member includes a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, domestic partner, or parent-in-law.…

A reminder to employers that classifying workers as independent contractors is only appropriate when legal standards are met and cannot be done simply for the sake of convenience or because that classification is requested by the worker.

The Massachusetts Attorney General announced last week that it would be assessing $1.46 million in citations against a franchisor with 20 locations in Massachusetts and the staffing agency that provided purported independent contractors to the franchisor.…

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) launched the Employer Response Portal, where employers must submit separation information under New Jersey’s Unemployment Compensation Law.

The portal requires employers to proactively report layoffs, discharges, resignations, and retirements within seven (7) days of separation, rather than waiting for the former employee(s) to file for unemployment benefits. Employers also have seven (7) calendar days after the NJDOL makes an initial unemployment benefit determination to file an appeal.…

Are your sick leave practices ready for upcoming compliance changes?

New York City has adopted amended final rules regarding paid and unpaid sick/safe time requirements. The new rules take effect July 23, 2026.

Most of the changes reflect the requirements that became effective earlier this year and the guidance previously issued by the City. However…

New Jersey employers:

Recent amendments to the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA), which take effect on July 17, 2026, expand leave protections for employees and compliance obligations for employers. The NJFLA provides employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected leave within a 24-month period to bond with a new child or…