While many employers focus on January 1st as the primary date for wage and hour law changes, a significant number of state and local minimum wage increases took effect on July 1, 2026. Employers with employees in multiple jurisdictions should ensure payroll systems, wage notices, workplace posters, and compensation practices have been updated accordingly.
Maine Amends Workplace Substance Use Testing Laws: Key Changes for Employers
Effective July 29, 2026, the amendments to Maine’s workplace substance use testing law (L.D. 2111) took effect. Those amendments significantly change how employers must administer workplace testing programs. Specifically, the new law revises testing procedures, expands employee protections, clarifies reasonable suspicion standards, and imposes new compliance obligations on employers that conduct substance use
Nebraska Enacted Its Own WARN Act: What Employers Need to Know
Nebraska joined the growing number of states adopting “mini-WARN” laws that impose layoff notice requirements beyond those of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“Federal WARN”). Effective July 17, 2026, Legislative Bill 921 established the Nebraska Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“Nebraska WARN”).
A Different Trigger Than Federal WARN
Federal WARN requires
Maine Enacts Pay Transparency Law: New Job Posting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Employers
Maine employers will soon face new pay transparency obligations following the passage of LD 54, a law designed to increase wage transparency for job applicants and employees. The legislation takes effect on July 29, 2026, and introduces new requirements related to salary disclosures in job postings, employee pay information requests, and compensation record retention.
Employers
New Jersey Expands Family Leave Act Coverage: More Employers and Employees Will Qualify Beginning July 2026
New Jersey has significantly expanded employee access to protected family leave through recent amendments to the New Jersey Family Leave Act (the “NJFLA”). The changes, which take effect on July 17, 2026, broaden both employer coverage and employee eligibility, allowing more workers to take protected leave to care for family members.
The amendments represent a
Indiana’s FAIRNESS Act Takes Effect: New Penalties for Knowingly Hiring Unauthorized Workers
As of July 1, 2026, Indiana employers face significant new compliance obligations under Senate Bill 76, known as the “FAIRNESS Act.” The law establishes strict penalties for employers that knowingly or intentionally recruit, hire, or continue to employ individuals who are not authorized to work in the United States.
The legislation gives the Indiana Attorney
Virginia Expanded Employee Wage Protections—What Employers Need to Know
As of July 1, 2026, Virginia employers face significant changes to the Commonwealth’s wage-and-hour laws through the enactment of HB 238. This omnibus bill is a sweeping overhaul of Virginia’s wage-and-hour framework, and its reach is broad. HB 238 covers everything from how claims are pursued to what counts as wages and how the government
Maine Employers Must Notify Employees of Labor Law Violations
Employers in Maine should be aware of a new compliance requirement taking effect on July 14, 2026. Under LD 1587, employers that receive certain labor law violation notices from the Maine Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Standards (“Bureau”) will be required to notify affected employees and post notices in the workplace.
Expanded Enforcement Authority
The new
Tennessee Redefines the Limits of Non-Compete Agreements
Effective July 1, 2026, Tennessee introduced a new framework for non-compete agreements. HB 1034 reshapes the state’s approach to restrictive covenants by limiting when employers may use non-competes based on employee compensation and providing clearer guidelines for evaluating whether the duration of a restriction is reasonable.
A New Compensation Threshold
One of the most significant
Virginia Employers: New Salary History Ban and Pay Transparency Requirements Now in Effect
Virginia employers are now subject to significant changes to their hiring and recruiting practices. Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia’s Salary History Ban and Pay Transparency Law (HB 636) prohibits employers from relying on applicant compensation history and requires salary ranges to be included in covered job postings.
The law is intended to promote pay equity