July is the New January – 2026
Each new year, employers in the United States are accustomed
to hearing about all the laws that go into effect on January 1. State
legislatures across the country, however, are active all year long, and as we
have said before, July is the new January. Following is our summary of the
notable labor and employment laws taking effect from July 1 through October 1,
2026. Some of the laws are industry specific, but the list is not all-inclusive
and does not contain minimum wage updates, which are addressed in a separate publication.
Virginia enacted the most new laws taking effect this
summer, including laws relating to pay transparency, child labor, non-competes,
workplace violence, and employee background checks for certain employers.
Several other states, including Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, and Kentucky
have also enacted laws relating to employee background checks, particularly for
employers in healthcare-related fields. Laws relating to non-compete agreements
have been another popular topic for state legislatures in Louisiana, Maine, New
Hampshire, South Dakota, and Tennessee, in addition to
Virginia. Also of note – Colorado, Connecticut and Georgia all have
new laws further defining a “service animal” for purposes of disability
discrimination law. And a number of states have new laws regarding
child labor. Finally, several states are implementing laws further regulating
Transportation
Network Companies (TNCs) and relationships with their drivers.
At the date of publication, some state legislatures were
still in session, so these charts may not contain every new generally
applicable labor and employment law taking effect soon. Employers with
operations in multiple jurisdictions are encouraged to work with counsel to
stay up-to-date on legislative and regulatory developments affecting their
workplaces.
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Smoking
Restrictions |
Prohibits
the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems in areas where the smoking of
tobacco is prohibited. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Employment Contracts and Agreements: Nondisclosure |
Prohibits any contract that bars a party from disclosing
facts related to sexual abuse. |
10/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
App-Based
Workers: Terminations |
Modifies
the contract termination requirements for services performed by a qualified
marketplace contractor. |
07/25/26 |
|
|
Leave of Absence |
Expands existing military leave provisions to require
leave for employees during military training or in compliance with military
orders. |
09/25/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Colorado
Final Rule re FAMLI Appeals (7 CCR 1107-9) |
Paid
Family ⁄ Medical Leave and Insurance |
Amends
the appeals process for challenging administrative decisions issued under the
Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act and provides that a hearing
officer may reconsider a decision within five business days of issuance under
certain circumstances. |
07/01/26 |
|
Colorado Final Rule re FAMLI Qualifying Leave Reason
Clarification (7 CCR 1107-3) |
Paid Family ⁄ Medical Leave and Insurance |
Clarifies that an absence is caused by a qualifying
condition only if it would not have occurred but for the qualifying
condition. |
07/01/26 |
|
Service
Animals |
Provides
definitions for "assistance animal" and "emotional support
animal" for the purposes of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. |
08/12/26 |
|
|
Pay Equity |
Requires employers to provide EEO-1 data to the state
beginning July 1, 2027, even if federal EEO-1 reporting is discontinued. |
08/12/26 |
|
|
Discrimination;
Public Access |
Requires
a business that offers an exam or course related to an application, license,
certification, or credential, for professional or trade purposes, to offer
accessible exams and courses to an individual with a disability. |
08/12/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Employment
Policies |
Amends
the pay transparency law to require disclosure of the benefits for a posted
position; creates retention rights for service workers; requires an employer
to notify employees of the right to disability accommodation; requires an
employer to provide reasonable break time for expressing breastmilk; requires
an employer to publish a guide to pay codes for overtime and pay
differentials. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Workplace Safety |
Prohibits driving while using or holding a mobile
electronic device except while in a hands-free mode; requires transportation
network companies (TNCs) to adopt service animal nondiscrimination policies;
requires TNC drivers to annually complete sexual assault prevention and
driver education trainings. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Privacy
and Data Security |
Amends
the Connecticut Data Privacy Act by establishing new requirements concerning
facial recognition technology; eliminates certain exemptions for processing
decisions concerning employment. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
AI and Technology |
Creates a comprehensive online safety law with significant
requirements relating to Automated Employment-related Decision Technology
(AEDT). Read here for more information. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Discrimination;
Public Access Issues |
Makes
certain discriminatory public accommodation practices a hate crime. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Wholesale and Warehouse Operations |
Requires warehouse distribution center employers to
provide written descriptions of quotas for employees upon hire; prohibits
quotas that would prevent employees from complying with meal or rest periods
or health and safety laws. Read here for more information. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Privacy |
Exempts
third-party self-service kiosks from the prohibition on electronic
surveillance devices and systems in employee lounges. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Privacy |
Requires employers to notify employees of electronic
surveillance and to inform them of which prohibited activities may require
surveillance without prior notice. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Privacy
and Data Security: Artificial Intelligence |
Amends
the Connecticut Data Privacy Act to expand coverage standards; requires a
controller that uses personal data for profiling to conduct an impact
assessment. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Home
Health Care: Criminal Background Checks |
Amends
the list of offenses that must be included in a background check for care
placement service employees. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Discrimination and Harassment |
Requires certain civil actions with the Florida Commission
on Human Relations to be commenced within specified time periods. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Service
Animals for Persons with Disabilities |
Clarifies
that a "service dog" includes an animal that is being trained;
expands the definition of qualifying persons with disabilities who are
eligible to use a service dog. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Independent Contractors: Benefits |
Provides for portable benefit plans and portable benefit
accounts for independent contractors. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Healthcare:
Criminal Background Checks |
Requires
criminal background checks for owners, applicants, and employees of certain
mental health facilities; provides procedures regarding applicants or
employees with ineligible determinations and civil penalties for failure to
terminate those with ineligible determinations. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Hospitality: Human Trafficking Training |
Requires hotel employees to complete human trafficking
training upon hire and annually thereafter. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Family
Military Leave |
Authorizes
an eligible employee to take family leave for a qualifying military exigency
under state law. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Healthcare: Criminal Background Checks |
Clarifies requirements for criminal background checks of
employees and volunteers at healthcare facilities. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Criminal
Background Checks |
Requires
background checks for individuals with direct access to children, elderly, or
vulnerable adults. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Criminal Background Checks |
Defines qualified entities required to perform background
checks for employees who will be working with children, the elderly, or
individuals with disabilities. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Discrimination
and Harassment: Civil Procedure |
Amends
requirements related to civil actions involving the state civil rights
commission. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Healthcare: Workplace Violence |
Requires a healthcare employer to report incidents of
workplace battery. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Child
Labor |
Repeals
the requirement that an employer submit and maintain information about minor
employees in the state’s Youth Employment System. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Unemployment |
Updates definitions related to unemployment insurance. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Unemployment |
Codifies
certain administrative rules regarding, among other topics, seasonal and
part-time workers, contribution rates, and benefit payments to deceased
workers. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Independent
Contractors: Benefits |
Provides
for portable benefit accounts for independent contractors. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Criminal
Background Checks |
Requires
an employer to report a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant
who has been convicted of certain misdemeanors. |
07/15/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Workers’
Compensation; Independent Contractors |
Expands
the definition of an "independent contractor" for purposes of
workers' compensation. |
08/01/26 |
|
|
Independent Contractors |
Provides for portable benefit accounts for independent
contractors. |
08/01/26 |
|
|
Noncompete
Agreements |
Prohibits
noncompete agreements for interns and apprentices. |
08/01/26 |
|
|
Background Checks |
Provides that qualified private sector entities cannot be
provided with expunged criminal records from the state. |
08/01/26 |
|
|
Leaves
of Absence |
Requires
a private employer to grant a leave of absence to an employee serving as an
organ donor or bone marrow donor. |
08/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Wage
Transparency |
Requires
employers with 10 or more employees to disclose the pay range for a position
in each job posting and to current employees upon request. Read here for more information. |
07/29/26 |
|
|
Employee Monitoring and Surveillance |
Requires employers that use employee surveillance to
provide notice to employees and candidates for employment; prohibits
employers from using audiovisual monitoring in an employee's residence or
personal vehicle. Read here for more information. |
07/29/26 |
|
|
Civil
Procedure: Notification Requirements |
Enhances
labor department enforcement powers for violations of state employment laws;
requires employers found to be in violation of the law to post a notice of
the violation in the workplace. Read here for more information. |
07/29/26 |
|
|
Paid Family ⁄ Medical Leave and Insurance |
Clarifies that the state’s paid family and medical leave
law does not allow self-insured employers to pool risks with other employers,
but allows an employer to share legal, accounting, and administrative costs
with multiple employers. |
07/29/26 |
|
|
Unemployment:
Employer Penalty |
Establishes
a monetary penalty for employers whose unemployment payment is returned
unpaid. Reasons commonly include insufficient funds, account closure,
stop-payment order, or nonexistence of the account. |
07/29/26 |
|
|
Drugs and Alcohol |
Modifies requirements related to employer substance use
testing policies by replacing “probable cause” testing with “reasonable
suspicion” testing. |
07/29/26 |
|
|
Healthcare:
Noncompete Agreements |
Prohibits
employers from requiring or permitting health care practitioners to enter
into noncompete agreements in certain circumstances. |
07/29/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Health
and Welfare Plans |
Alters
the effective dates for the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP)
insurance enrollment. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Healthcare: Staffing Plans |
Requires certain hospitals to establish and maintain a
staffing committee and to implement a clinical staffing plan. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Rideshare
Operators: Human Trafficking Training |
Prohibits
transportation network company (TNC) operators from allowing applicants and
license holders to provide TNC services without completing human
trafficking awareness training. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Health and Welfare Plans |
Alters the effective dates for the Small Business Health
Options Program (SHOP) insurance enrollment. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Healthcare:
Staffing Plans |
Requires
certain hospitals to establish and maintain a staffing committee and to
implement a clinical staffing plan. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Mandatory Meetings (“Captive Audience”) |
Creates the Maryland Worker Freedom Act; prohibits
mandatory employer-sponsored meetings on religious or political matters. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Discrimination
and Harassment: Civil Procedure |
Provides
that filing an initial discrimination complaint with the Maryland Commission
on Civil Rights satisfies the prerequisites for commencing a civil action
alleging a violation of certain county discrimination laws. |
10/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Disability
Discrimination and Accommodation |
Clarifies
that failure to engage in the interactive process for disability
accommodations may be an unfair discriminatory employment practice. |
08/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
401k ⁄
Retirement ⁄ Pension |
Establishes
the Mississippi Work and Save Program; allows employers to offer eligible
employees the choice to contribute to an IRA through a payroll deduction. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Health and Welfare Plans |
Allows trade association member employers to purchase
health coverage from self-funded association plans. |
10/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Website
Accessibility: Civil Procedure |
Authorizes
the state attorney general to bring suit on behalf of businesses that are
subject to abusive litigation alleging that a website or web content fails to
comply with the accessibility requirements of the ADA or state disability
law. |
08/28/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Hospitality:
Human Trafficking Training |
Requires
lodging establishments to display posters relating to human trafficking and
provide trafficking recognition training to employees. |
09/17/26 |
|
|
Workplace Safety and Health |
Repeals the requirement that employers must maintain a
workplace safety program and workplace safety committees. |
09/17/26 |
|
|
Child
Labor |
Creates
a registered apprenticeship program for minors aged 16 and older; modifies
recordkeeping requirements for employment of minors. |
07/15/26 |
|
|
Reductions in Force (RIFs ⁄ WARN); Healthcare; Non-English
Speaking Employees |
Enacts the Nebraska Worker Adjustment and Retraining
Notification Act; creates the Health Care Staffing Agency Registration Act;
amends the Non-English-Speaking Workers Protection Act. Read here for more information. |
07/17/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Wage
and Hour: Wage Claims |
Extends
the time an employer has to file objections to a wage claim from 10 days to
20 days after receiving notice of the claim. |
07/07/26 |
|
|
Healthcare: Noncompete Agreements |
Prohibits any contract or agreement that creates or
establishes terms of a partnership, employment, or other form of professional
relationship with a physician associate. |
07/07/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Paid
Family ⁄ Medical Leave and Insurance |
Lowers
the employer coverage threshold under the state Family Leave Act; provides
for reinstatement of employees who use state Temporary Disability Insurance
or Family Leave Insurance under certain circumstances. Read here for more information. |
07/17/26 |
|
|
New Jersey Final Rule re Independent Contractor
Classification (NJAC 12:11) |
Independent Contractors |
Clarifies that the employer has the burden of proof to
establish independent contractor status under the applicable regulations and
must establish that the services at issue and the individual providing the
services meet all three prongs of the regulations. Read here for more information. |
10/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Healthcare:
Workplace Violence |
Requires
hospitals to establish a violence prevention program consistent with
regulatory requirements regarding emergency events and workplace violence
standards. |
09/18/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Workplace
Safety |
Adopts
most of OSHA’s amended standards regarding employer requirements for
classified hazards present in the workplace as published in the Federal
Register on February 13, 2026; extends multiple compliance dates past the
federal standard's effective dates. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Unemployment |
Employers
with delinquent unemployment tax who have a department-approved installment
payment agreement may be permitted to pay unemployment compensation tax at
the annual rate unless the employer fails to make a deferred payment or fails
to submit certain wage reports. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Noncompete
Agreements |
Permits
the seller of a business entity to enter into a noncompete agreement with the
buyer in certain circumstances. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Noncompete
Agreements |
Prohibits
the use of noncompete agreements, except under certain circumstances.
Read here for more information. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
App-Based Workers |
Requires delivery network companies to collect specific
information during the application process, establish a reporting process for
customers who suspect their driver was under the influence of drugs or
alcohol, maintain trip and driver records for one year, and conduct criminal
background checks on potential drivers. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Immigration |
Provides
that it is a Class A misdemeanor and creates strict liability for personal
injury or property damage, for an employer to knowingly employ and allow a
person unlawfully present in the United States to operate a commercial
vehicle. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Employer Liability |
Provides that employers that subsidize costs of certain
childcare services for employees are not liable for harm caused by the
childcare provider with certain exceptions. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Wage
Payment Obligations |
Sets
the limits for timely payment of wages for employees paid on a piece rate or
commission basis. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Discrimination
and Harassment: Civil Procedure |
Establishes
a state cause of action for violations of federal constitutional rights. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
401k ⁄
Retirement ⁄ Pension |
Amends
the definition of "eligible employer" for purposes of the
state-facilitated IRA savings program; provides penalties for failure to
timely submit contributions. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Wage and Hour Penalties |
Provides applicable remedies for violations of certain
wage and hour requirements; expands overtime coverage to include home care
and long-term care workers. Read here for more information. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Tobacco
Retailers: Employer Liability |
Makes
tobacco product retailers liable for employees' violations of state tobacco
retail permitting laws. |
10/01/26 |
|
|
Virginia
HB 627 (SB 128) |
Healthcare: Noncompete Agreements |
Expands the prohibition on non-competes for low-wage
employees to also cover certain health care professionals. |
07/01/26 |
|
Wage
Transparency, Salary History |
Requires
employers to include the wage range for a position in each job posting;
prohibits employers from seeking the wage or salary history of prospective
employees. Creates a private right of action. Read here for more information. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Discrimination and Harassment: Immigration Status |
Creates a civil penalty for coercion or threat by an
employer based on immigration status. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Discrimination
and Harassment: Civil Procedure |
Extends
the statute of limitations for filing a discrimination complaint; allows a
civil action to be filed after making a complaint with a local human rights
commission. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Garnishments |
Revises the maximum amount of aggregate disposable
earnings that may be subject to garnishment pursuant to a treasurer’s lien. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Child
Labor |
Provides
that children 14 years and older may be employed at certain summer camps. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Rideshare Operators: Criminal Background Checks |
Requires a transportation network company’s criminal
background checks of prospective drivers to include every address at which
the driver has resided, not limited to a specific time frame. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Healthcare:
Workplace Violence |
Expands
workplace violence reporting requirements for hospitals. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Child Labor |
Allows children aged 16 and older to work in voluntary
apprenticeships or other work-based learning experiences provided certain
conditions are met. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Emergency
Responder Leave |
Prohibits
retaliation against employees for absence due to serving as voluntary
emergency responders. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Noncompete Agreements |
Provides that a noncompete is not enforceable if an
employer discharges the employee from employment without providing severance
benefits. Read here for more information. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Healthcare:
Weapons Restrictions |
Prohibits
the possession of specified weapons in hospitals that provide mental health
services or developmental services. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Workplace Safety and Health: Heat Illness Standard |
Requires employers to adopt heat illness standards
promulgated by the Safety and Health Board. Read here for more information. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Garnishments |
Provides
the maximum percentage an employer may deduct from an employee’s disposable
earnings, as well as the exemptions under certain circumstances. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Anti-Preemption of Local Laws: Successorship Obligations |
Permits local governments to enact right of recall and
right of retention laws covering service employees. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Labor
Management Relations: Unemployment |
Excludes
an employer's lockout from the definition of a labor dispute for purposes of
unemployment benefit eligibility. |
07/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Washington Final Rule re Non-Agricultural Youth Employment
Updates (WAC 296-125) |
Child
Labor |
DOL
amendments to child labor regulations to conform to existing laws. |
07/01/26 |
|
Child Labor |
Permits individuals 16 or 17 years of age that are
enrolled in a college, career, or technical education program to work the
same number and frequency of hours during the school year as would be
permitted during school vacations or holidays. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
App-Based
Workers: Notification Requirements |
Requires
a transportation network company (TNC) to provide an accessible record system
available to drivers. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Child Labor: Wage and Hour Penalties |
Increases penalties for certain child labor violations. |
07/01/26 |
|
|
Immigration:
Notification Requirements |
Requires
employers to notify employees in the event of a Form I-9 audit; requires
employers to post a notice of immigration-related rights in the workplace. |
10/01/26 |
|
Bill / Ordinance / Regulation |
Main Topic |
Summary |
Effective Date |
|
Independent
Contractors: Benefits |
Authorizes
the establishment of portable benefit accounts for independent contractors. |
07/01/26 |
Source(s):
July is the New January – 2026 | Littler. (2026, June 16). Littler.com. https://www.littler.com/news-analysis/asap/july-new-january-2026?utm_source=elinfonet&utm_medium=referral