Compliance Stuff

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Hochul signs laws that protect individuals who request a reasonable accommodation from retaliation and prohibit the use of a person’s consumer credit history in employment decisions Hochul also signs laws that memorialize disparate impact theories in the New York State Human Rights Law and that prohibit employers from conditioning repayment of costs for employee training if the individual fails to work for a certain time period Hochul vetoes bill that would amend the New York Labor Law to be liberally construed in favor of workers New York Expands the Human Rights Law to Protect Individuals Who Request a Reasonable Accommodation from Retaliation On December 5, 2025, Gov. Hochul signed the  Reasonable Accommodation Anti-Retaliation Rights Law , which expands the New York State Human Rights Law. This law amends Executive Law Section 296(7) to make it an unlawful discriminatory practice to retaliate against individuals who  request  a reasonable accommodation....

We bet most of you didn’t have “Texas will beat California to the punch to regulate AI in the workplace” on your 2025 bingo card – but that’s what just happened. State lawmakers just overwhelmingly passed the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA) on Sunday, a state law that could soon establish guardrails on AI use but without adding significant new burdens for employers. TRAIGA was sent to Governor Abbott yesterday, and if he approves the bill as expected, Texas will join Colorado, Illinois, and other states in regulating the use of AI starting January 1, 2026. What do businesses, employers, and AI developers need to know about this surprising development? Quick Background on the AI “Texas Two-Step” Things took a surprising turn in the AI regulation race late last year when State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R) introduced a groundbreaking bill that aimed to force Texas employers to comply with what would have been the nation’s most comprehensive state-le...