Compliance Stuff

Key Points Virginia’s HB 636/SB 215 will bar employers from seeking or relying on wage or salary history and will require good-faith wage or salary ranges in all job postings beginning July 1, 2026.  SB 170 and HB 627/SB 128 will make noncompetes unenforceable after without-cause discharge absent disclosed severance and will sharply limit restrictive covenants for health care professionals as of July 1, 2026.  HB 1/SB 1 will raise Virginia’s minimum wage to $12.77, $13.75, and $15.00 per hour in annual steps through January 2029, with later increases set by the commissioner.  HB 238 will expand Virginia wage statutes by broadening the definitions of “employer” and “wages,” enhancing remedies and collective actions, and imposing new public-works recordkeeping and joint-and-several liability requirements.  HB 1207/SB 2 will create a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program effective April 1, 2028, requiring employer contributions to a state fund unless...

Similar to many changes in administration, the 2025 labor and employment landscape was defined by fragmentation followed by realignment . Federal agency authority faced significant constitutional challenges, while states and cities accelerated their own legislation on pay transparency, paid leave, and hiring practices. This year-end update provides insight into the most consequential developments for employers, focusing on the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) shifting authority, new standards for employer liability, heightened scrutiny of artificial intelligence (AI), and a wave of new state and local mandates. Employers with multijurisdictional footprints should address these changes to refine and update compliance roadmaps for 2026. NLRB Authority and Leadership in Flux A divided D.C. Circuit panel held in Wilcox v. Trump, et al. , No. 25-5057 (D.C. Cir. Dec. 5, 2025) that statutory “for-cause” removal protections for NLRB members are unconstitutional because the Board exerci...

Key Takeaways Illinois recently concluded its legislative session, with many employment-related bills being sent to Governor JB Pritzker for possible enactment into law. As of this publication, the governor has already enacted two laws that amend Illinois Equal Pay Act and Prevailing Wage Act requirements. Additional bills that may be signed into law include changes to the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act, nursing breaks, and new categories of leaves of absence, among others. Employers with Illinois workers should be aware of several proposed new employment laws and amendments to existing laws that may be enacted if signed by the Governor later this year. Below are summaries of the proposed new laws, as well as bills the Governor has already signed into law. Paid Breaks for Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Effective: January 1, 2026 |  SB 212 SB 212 proposes changes to the Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act, joining New York in requiring employer...