Minimum Wages & Compliance Changes 

Alabama

October 1, 2024

Alabama amends overtime tax exemption law.  Alabama has amended a provision which exempts overtime pay earned by employees from state taxation. 

California

July 23, 2024

California approves rules for indoor heat illness prevention. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health requires employers to take certain steps to protect workers from heat illness in indoor workplaces where the temperature reaches 82° F. The regulations took effect immediately.

September 3, 2024

Los Angeles County enacts Fair Chance Ordinance. A Los Angeles County ordinance will impose various obligations on covered employers regarding the criminal histories of applicants and employees in unincorporated Los Angeles County. 

January 1, 2025

California amends rules on required whistleblower notice. California clarifies requirements and compliance for the whistleblower protections notice. 

Colorado

 September 9, 2024 (could be construed to apply retroactively)

Colorado Supreme Court rules holiday incentive pay must be included when calculating overtime payments. Impacted employers must include incentive holiday pay when calculating overtime payments.

Connecticut

October 1, 2024

Connecticut amends paid family and medical leave law. The amendments clarify registration and reporting requirements and expand benefits.  

January 1, 2025

Connecticut expands paid sick leave law. The expansion of the paid sick leave requirement will be phased in. Effective January 1, 2025, employers with 25 or more employees in the state must provide paid sick leave to employees.

Delaware

September 1, 2024

Delaware opens Delaware Paid Leave enrollment. Opt-In/Opt-Out will be opened for employers who wish to use a private plan to opt-out and for small groups to opt-in to Delaware Paid Leave.

January 1, 2025

Contributions for Delaware Paid Leave begin. Covered employers must begin contributing to Delaware Paid Leave. Employers may deduct up to 50% of the required contributions (0.4% Medical Leave, 0.08% Family Caregiver Leave, and 0.32% Parental Leave) from each covered employee’s wages.

Hawaii

July 2, 2024

Hawaii bars mandatory meetings on political matters. Hawaii prohibits employers from taking adverse action against employees because they refuse to attend an employer-sponsored mandatory meeting that communicates the employer’s opinion about political matters. 

 Illinois

January 1, 2025

Illinois enacts new pay statement requirements. Illinois will implement new employer pay statement requirements in relation to recordkeeping and employee requests for copies of pay statements. 

Illinois amends law on employee access to personnel records. Illinois amends and clarifies the state’s Personnel Record Review Act. 

Illinois adds new work protections for minors under age 16. Illinois will set new standards for working conditions for employees under 16 years of age, including limiting hours of work and updating the list of jobs minors are prohibited from holding.  

Illinois adds employment verifications protections. Illinois will prohibit employers from imposing work authorization or re-verification requirements that are greater than those required by federal law. 

Illinois bars mandatory employer-sponsored meetings on religious or political matters. Illinois will prohibit employers from taking adverse action against employees because they refuse to attend an employer-sponsored mandatory meeting that communicates the opinion of the employer about religious or political matters.

Illinois prohibits discrimination because of family responsibilities. Illinois will prohibit employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of their family responsibilities.

Illinois prohibits discrimination because of reproductive health decisions. Illinois will prohibit employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of their reproductive health decisions.

Louisiana

August 1, 2024

Louisiana amends final pay rules. Louisiana has addressed final pay rules when an employee’s compensation includes commission, incentive pay, or a bonus. 

Louisiana eases meal period rules for certain minors. Louisiana has enacted legislation that will no longer require employers to provide meal periods to minors who are 16 or 17 years of age when they work for a five-hour work period.

Maine

January 1, 2025

Maine contributions and reporting start. Contributions and quarterly reporting for Maine’s paid family and medical leave program will begin January 1, 2025. 

Maryland

October 1, 2024

Maryland expands pay disclosure law. Maryland has expanded a law that requires employers to disclose wage-range information to applicants. 

Maryland modifies wage statement requirements and adds new hire notice. Maryland has modified the required information that employers must provide on employee’s wage statements and created a new hire notice mandate. 

Maryland delays paid family and medical leave. Contributions by covered employees and employers with 15 or more employees will now begin July 1, 2025. Beginning July 1, 2026, employees will be entitled to begin receiving wage-replacement benefits when they take leave for a covered reason.

Minnesota

August 1, 2024

Minnesota enacts law impacting minimum wage. The minimum wage is required to be adjusted annually by the lesser of the inflation-based percentage or 5% (currently 2.5%) by September 30 of each year.

Minnesota adds recordkeeping requirements. Minnesota will require employers to keep a record of earnings statements for each employee, for each pay period and for three years in the premises where an employee works.

Minnesota clarifies unpaid pregnancy and parenting leave. Minnesota has clarified that the 12-week entitlement to unpaid pregnancy and parenting leave may not be reduced by any paid or unpaid leave taken for prenatal care and medical appointments.

Minnesota enacts law impacting tips and gratuities. Under Minnesota law, the full amount of tips received by an employee through a debit or credit card must be credited to the pay period in which the tips were received.

Minnesota amends nondiscrimination law. Minnesota has amended the definitions of "disability" and "familial status" under the law.

October 1, 2024

Minnesota requires new poster. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry will develop a poster for employers to display in the workplace informing employees of their rights under the salary range in job posting requirements.

New Hampshire

August 13, 2024

New Hampshire adds unpaid time off for firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs). New Hampshire adds unpaid time off for firefighters and EMTs and prohibits employers from retaliating against them for responding to certain emergencies. 

September 1, 2024

New Hampshire bans hairstyle discrimination. New Hampshire has enacted legislation that expressly prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of traits associated with race, including hair texture and hairstyles. 

January 1, 2025

New Hampshire regulates firearms in employer parking lots. New Hampshire limits certain employers from banning an employee from possessing lawfully owned firearms in a personal vehicle parked on company property. 

New Jersey

 August 8, 2024

New Jersey protects immigrant workers from employer coercion. New Jersey has enacted legislation that prohibits an employer from coercing workers based on immigration status to violate state employment or labor-related laws. 

New York

November 16, 2024

New York seals certain criminal records. New York will automatically seal certain criminal records and require employers to review hiring processes related to an applicant's criminal history. 

Pennsylvania

September 24, 2024

Pittsburgh adds medical marijuana patient protections. Pittsburgh prohibits employers from discriminating against medical marijuana patients in the workplace and limits certain marijuana drug testing. 

Rhode Island

January 1, 2025

Rhode Island requires veterans benefits and services poster. Rhode Island will require employers with more than 50 employees to post a veterans’ benefits and services poster.

Rhode Island expands family leave. The length of leave available to employees under the Temporary Caregiver Insurance law will increase to 7 weeks. 

Rhode Island increases unemployment benefits. The minimum dependent allowance (benefits to be paid to an employee during a period of unemployment due to an employee illness that is based on factors such as the number of eligible dependents) is scheduled to increase from $10.00 per week to $20.00 per week. 

Tennessee

November 6, 2024

Tennessee expands voting leave. Tennessee extends the amount of time an employee can use for voting leave.

Washington

January 1, 2025

Washington announces overtime salary thresholds.  The Washington white collar overtime exemption salary thresholds will increase to $1,332.80 per week ($69,305.60 per year) for small employers (50 or fewer employees) and $1,499.40 per week ($77,968.80 per year) for large employers (51 or more employees). If paid by the hour, computer professionals must be paid at least $58.31 per hour in 2025 to qualify for the exemption.