Compliance Stuff

Employee Count as of 2025.12.15 Workplace law compliance was a wild ride in 2025, and now it’s time to catch our breath and prepare for what’s next. More than 50 new workplace laws will kick in on January 1 in more than half the states across the country, and several “Big Beautiful Bill” provisions taking effect in 2026 will impact employers nationwide . We’ll cover the top five trends and give you a quick list of all the new laws rolling out at the turn of the year. Top 5 Trends Among New State Laws Effective January 1, 2026  1. Minimum Wage Increases At least 19 states will see minimum wage hikes on January 1, and statewide rates will hit or exceed $15 per hour  for the   first time  in Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii,  Maine ,  Missouri , and Nebraska. Check out our  Minimum Wage Map  and our “Quick List” below to learn more. Remember to also check whether any higher rates are required at your local level or whether special rules apply (such as diffe...

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law—a budget reconciliation bill enacting several signature policies of the President’s second-term agenda.  Left on the cutting-room floor, however, was an ambitious attempt to prohibit nearly all state and local regulation of artificial intelligence (“AI”) for the foreseeable future. The version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025, contained a provision preventing states and localities, for a period of 10 years, from enforcing “any law or regulation … limiting, restricting, or otherwise regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems entered into interstate commerce. ”  Initially, a proposed version of the bill in the Senate included a similar provision that made the moratorium a condition of states receiving any of the $500 million in funds earmarked to support deployment of AI models or systems and underlying i...

Don’t have the energy to slog through the  1,127 (or so) pages  of the legislative text, amendments, and explanatory materials that comprise the final version of the “Big Beautiful Bill” to see how it impacts labor and employment law? Don’t worry – the Government Affairs team at Fisher Phillips has your back. Here’s an overview of the ways that the workplace will be impacted by the final budget bill signed by President Trump on July 4. No Federal Tax on Overtime and Tips Tipped and hourly workers will be able to deduct significant portions of their tip and overtime income from federal taxes, potentially making hospitality and similar jobs more attractive. Details Individuals must earn $150,000 or less in 2025 to eligible; for couples, the combined income limit is $300,000 (this threshold will be adjusted for inflation in future years) For  tip deductions , employees must work in occupations where receiving tips is customary, such as servers, bartenders, hotel staff, hairs...