Compliance Stuff

In 2025, California is continuing to spearhead efforts to expand employees’ rights. Assembly Bill 2499 (AB 2499), Assembly Bill 2123 (AB 2123), and Senate Bill 1090 (SB 1090) are prime examples of these efforts, providing employees with new and expanded benefits when going on leave. Whether they are caring for an ill family member or were a victim of an act of violence, employees in California are now entitled to more inclusive leave benefits as a result of these new laws. AB 2499 Enacted on September 29, 2024, AB 2499 was created to broaden the protections afforded to victims of violence. Before AB 2499, employees were only afforded protection from discrimination or retaliation for taking time off as a victim of crime or abuse. AB 2499 expands these protections, providing employees the additional benefit of taking time off to assist a family member in obtaining relief or caring for a family member who was a victim of certain qualifying acts. The type of time off is not limited strict...

 Under Minnesota’s Paid Leave Law (PLL) that goes into effect in January 2026, employers must provide covered employees up to 20 weeks of leave to care for themselves and their family members with paid leave benefits available through the Minnesota Paid Leave Program. Although the PLL was passed on May 25, 2023, employees will not be able to access paid leave benefits until January 1, 2026 . In the interim, legislators and agency personnel are working to answer questions and fill information gaps. Three important recent developments concerning the PLL include: (1) new guidance from Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (MN DEED) for employees and employers, (2) amendments to the PLL signed into law by Governor Tim Walz on May 24, 2024, which allow for increases to payroll taxes to implement the PLL and (3) amendments which provide a comprehensive scheme for appeals and calculating benefit amounts, among other changes. New Guidance On May 15, 2024, MN DEED pu...