Compliance Stuff

Most employers are prepared for new laws at the start of each year – but did you know that a heap of new workplace laws take effect at the halfway point? Here’s your employer cheat sheet to prepare for all the new laws taking effect in July 2026 (July 1, unless otherwise noted). NOTE: This list should not be relied upon as a comprehensive source for any or all new laws taking effect across the country. Check with your FP attorney to determine whether the jurisdictions in which you operate have additional workplace law changes set to take effect on July 1. Alaska Statewide Minimum Wage Increase. Due to a ballot measure approved by voters in 2024, the minimum wage will increase again to $14 per hour. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Summary of Wage and Hour poster can be found here . Arkansas Arkansas Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act. A law enacted last year ( HB 1717 ) will impose various data privacy and security requirements on covered opera...

The Maine Sexual Harassment Checklist poster has been updated. The Maine Sexual Harassment Checklist poster has been updated to reflect clarified expectations on sexual harassment education, training, and reporting procedures. This posting appears on the Maine Combination Poster. This is a mandatory change. Regulatory language regarding this posting: Employers with 15 or more employees must provide sexual harassment education and training to all new hires within one year of employment. This training must cover the illegality and definitions of sexual harassment, examples, complaint and legal recourse procedures, and protections against retaliation. Supervisors must receive additional training within one year of their hire or promotion into the position. To support compliance, the Maine Department of Labor offers a publicly accessible checklist, and employers must maintain training records for at least three years for inspection. Posting Statute: ME ST T. 26 § 807 Font/Size/Color Requir...

Joining approximately twenty-five other state or local jurisdictions, two states—Maine and Virginia—have enacted new pay transparency requirements slated to take effect in July 2026. Virginia’s House Bill (HB) 636 / Senate Bill (SB) 215 takes effect on July 1, 2026, and Maine’s Legislative Document (LD) 54 becomes effective on July 29, 2026. 00:00 10:50 Though neither Virginia nor Maine requires the disclosure of benefits information, both states’ laws require employers to disclose compensation information in job postings . Further, they continue the trend of the laws varying in nuanced and significant ways. For example, Maine imposes a ten-employee coverage threshold for purposes of its job posting requirements, and also incorporates recordkeeping and employee-request obligations; Virginia combines its p osting requirements with a salary history ban, anti-retaliation protections, and, importantly, a dual-enforcement scheme that includes a private right of action but limits civil p...