Compliance Stuff

Key point: Louisiana becomes the 22nd state — and third this year — to enact a consumer data privacy law, adopting a law similar to Texas’ law. On May 29, 2026, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed the Louisiana Data Privacy Act ( SB 386 ) into law. Louisiana is the 22nd state to pass a broad consumer data privacy law. It is the third state — following Oklahoma and Alabama — to pass a law this year. The new law largely tracks Texas’ law but with some notable differences we identify below. Applicability Although the law generally follows the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, one of the notable ways in which it differs from that law — as well as other Washington Privacy Act model consumer data privacy laws — is its applicability standard. The law applies to controllers and processors that conduct business in Louisiana and satisfy one or more of the following thresholds: (1) have annual gross revenue in excess of $25 million; (2) annually buy, receive for the business’s commercial p...

Louisiana has enacted a new Earned Wage Access (EWA) law, effective August 1, 2025. Sponsored by Representative Vinney St. Blanc,  HB 368  introduces a comprehensive compliance framework for EWA providers, marking a pivotal shift in how these services are distinguished from traditional lending. Key Provisions of the EWA Law The new law outlines several critical requirements for EWA providers: Clear Disclosures : All fees must be transparently disclosed before services are offered, ensuring consumers are fully informed. No-Cost Option : If fees, tips, or gratuities are solicited, providers must offer a reasonable free option, enhancing consumer choice. Cancellation Rights : Consumers can cancel EWA services at any time without penalty, reinforcing consumer protection. Prohibited Collection Practices : Providers are barred from pursuing repayment through civil suits, unsolicited calls, third-party collectors, or debt sales. Eligibility Criteria : The use of credit reports or sco...

As employers keep their eye on compliance, below are some notable employment law changes that will be effective in the coming months. Arkansas   Effective August 4, 2025 -  Senate Bill 598  (S.B. 598) requires an employer or agency charged with determining the employment status of an individual to use the method proscribed under the Internal Revenue Service Code, as it existed on Jan. 1, 2025 , in making its determination . Employers and agencies charged with determining the employment status of an individual can no longer use or rely on state law to make this determination.    California Effective January 1, 2026,  Senate Bill 648  (S.B. 648) permits California's labor commissioner to investigate employers and issue citations for tip theft. The legislation subjects employers to investigation if they take or withhold any portion of an employee's tips, including failure to pay tips in timely manner (by the next regular payday). Employers found gui...

  States and cities are as busy as ever passing new workplace regulations throughout the calendar year. Here is our mid-year report summarizing the notable labor and employment laws that take effect from roughly July through October.  Louisiana Bill / Ordinance / Regulation Main Topic Summary Effective Date Louisiana SB 66 Discrimination Prohibits discrimination based on military status. 8/1/2025 This article provides a general snapshot of generally applicable labor and employment laws taking effect soon. Please note that while some of the laws listed below are industry-specific, this article is not meant to be all-inclusive. In addition, many state legislatures are still active, so new laws are taking effect on a near-daily basis. Littler monitors federal, state and local legislation, executive orders, and administrative regulations and other agency activity that impact the labor and employment landscape. Employers that want to keep abreast of new laws in the jurisdictions in...

Don't expect the EEOC to appeal. (NOT OUR ACTUAL JUDGE.) In April 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued  Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace . The Enforcement Guidance addressed, among other things, harassment and discrimination based on gender identity. Current Acting Chair Andrea Lucas, who was a Commissioner at the time, dissented from the gender identity portions of the Enforcement Guidance, saying that “[w]omen’s sex-based rights in the workplace are under attack.” The State of Texas and the Heritage Foundation then sued the EEOC, seeking to block the gender identity portions of the Enforcement Guidance from taking effect.  Both sides filed motions for summary judgment. The plaintiffs argued, among other things, that the Enforcement Guidance went way beyond the scope of the 2020 ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in  Bostock v. Clayton County , in which the Court ruled that terminating an employee based on sexual orientation or g...

On May 21, 2025, Judge David C. Joseph of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana  issued a ruling  vacating the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s  final rule  under the 2022 Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), 1  to the extent that the final rule includes elective abortion as a condition for which employers are required to make accommodations. The court vacated this portion of the final rule, finding that it exceeded the EEOC’s statutory authority.  The  EEOC issued the final rule in April 2024 , establishing a broad interpretation of “pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions” that permitted individuals to seek accommodation in connection with choosing or not choosing to have an abortion. This approach had been announced in August 2023, when the EEOC published its  Notice of Proposed Rulemaking  (NPRM). In the final rule, the EEOC noted that it had first treated abortion as a “related medical condit...