Alaska       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Arizona       Top of Page
Child Support Enforcement Law
The law has been amended relating to employer cooperation in providing certain information to state agencies (S. 1436, L. 2001, at AZ ¶3-5500).

Arkansas       Top of Page
Minimum Wage Law
The state's minimum wage law has been amended to delete references to the Labor Board, to amend the definition of “employer,” and to replace criminal penalties with civil penalties (Act 1423 (H. 1950), L. 2001, at AR ¶4-1000).

Violence in the Workplace Law
Arkansas has enacted a law to prevent workplace violence. The law encompasses domestic violence, terroristic threats, stalking and harassment, among other items (Act 1084 (S. 846), L. 2001, at AR ¶4-3300).

Mandated Health Care Law
The state has adopted the Small Employer Health Insurance Purchasing Group Act of 2001 (Act 925 (H. 1660), L. 2001, at AR ¶4-4000), and the Genetic Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act (Act 1221 (S. 763), L. 2001, at AR ¶4-4000).

Also, the state will require health insurance plans other than limited benefit plans to cover medically necessary foods (Act 1654 (S. 900), L. 2001, at AR ¶4-4000).

Genetic Testing Law
Arkansas legislators have passed a “Genetic Information in the Workplace Act.” The law will prohibit employers from obtaining or using genetic tests or genetic information of employees or prospective employees for any discriminatory purpose (Act 1407 (S. 766), L. 2001, at AR ¶4-8700).

The state has enacted a law prohibiting research records of individual subjects in genetic research studies from being disclosed to employers and health insurers without the informed, written consent of the individual (Act 1251 (S. 764), L. 2001, at AR ¶4-8700).

Preemployment Inquiries Law
The state has enacted a law requiring background checks on state employees having direct contact with mentally ill and developmentally disabled persons (Act 995 (H. 1703), L. 2001, at AR ¶4-9000).

California       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Colorado       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Connecticut       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Delaware       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

D.C.       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Florida       Top of Page
Unemployment Insurance Law
For 2001, the minimum rate is 0.1%, and the maximum rate is 5.4%, except that employers participating in the short-time compensation program are subject to a maximum rate of 6.4% (FL ¶10-1700).

Georgia       Top of Page
Violence in the Workplace Law
The Family Violence and Stalking Protective Order Registry Act will take effect July 1, 2001. The law creates a registry of protective orders as a centralized database (S. 57, L. 2001, at GA ¶11-3300).

Mandated Health Care Law
The state has enacted a law requiring health benefit policy coverage for surveillance tests for women at risk for ovarian cancer (S. 98, L. 2001, at GA ¶11-4000).

Hawaii       Top of Page
Garnishment Law
The state has repealed allowances to garnishees for fees and costs in garnishment cases (H. 1001, L. 2001, at HI ¶12-5600).

Idaho       Top of Page
Minimum Wage Law
“Agriculture” will be subject to the Idaho Minimum Wage Law, effective January 1, 2002. All branches of farming are to be covered, including practices such as forestry or lumbering operations that are performed by a farmer or on a farm as an incident to or in conjunction with the farming operations. Some workers will continue to be exempt, including immediate family members working on family farms and minors under 16 working as harvest laborers and who are paid on a piece-rate basis (H. 71, L. 2001, at ID ¶13-1000).

Mandated Health Care Law
Effective July 1, 2001, if an insurance policy provides benefits for pregnancy, childbirth or miscarriage and an employee or dependent is pregnant at the time of discontinuance of the policy and is not eligible for any replacement group coverage within 60 days of discontinuance, the policy must provide that the benefits will be payable to the same extent as if discontinuance had not occurred, but not beyond a period of 12 months following discontinuance (S. 1166, L. 2001, at ID ¶13-4000).

Garnishment Law
Roth IRAs will be exempt from garnishment, effective July 1, 2001 (Ch. 288 (S. 1118), L. 2001, at ID ¶13-5600).

Preemployment Inquiries Law
The Idaho Lottery Security laws have been amended to allow the Director of Security to perform background checks for bingo and raffle operators and vendors who supply games to the Idaho Lottery (S. 1194, L. 2001, at ID ¶13-9000).

Illinois       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Indiana       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Iowa       Top of Page
Preemployment Inquiries Law
The child and dependent adult care background check provisions have been amended (H. 228, L. 2001, at IA ¶16-9000).

Kansas       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Kentucky       Top of Page
Sexual Orientation Discrimination Law
The City Council of Henderson, Kentucky, has repealed its ordinance banning sexual orientation discrimination in employment (KY ¶18-3100).

Preemployment Inquiries Law
Background checks will be required for student teachers, effective June 22, 2001 (H. 204, L. 2001, at KY ¶18-9000).

Louisiana       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Maine       Top of Page
Child Labor Law
The state has provided an exception to the strict liability penalty for violations of child labor laws, allowing the Bureau of Labor Standards to disregard de minimis violations of the laws defining what time a minor may begin and end work, how many hours may be worked each day and the maximum number of hours worked in a week (H. 244, L. 2001, at ME ¶20-1500).

Also, the state has amended its child labor law to provide an opportunity for minors under 16 to work in nonprofit moving image archives (H. 390, L. 2001, at ME ¶20-1500).

Mandated Health Care Law
The state has enacted a law prohibiting insurance discrimination against victims of domestic abuse (S. 49, L. 2001, at ME ¶20-4000).

Maryland       Top of Page
Fair Employment Practices Law
Effective October 1, 2001, it will be an unlawful employment practice in Maryland for an employer to discriminate against an individual because of the individual's genetic information or the individual's refusal to submit to a genetic test or make available the results of such a test (H. 18, L. 2001, at MD ¶21-2500).

Massachusetts       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Michigan       Top of Page
Minimum Wage Law
The City of Ann Arbor has enacted a living wage ordinance (MI ¶23-1000).

Minnesota       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Mississippi       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Missouri       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Montana       Top of Page
Minimum Wage Law
The City of Missoula has enacted a living wage ordinance (Ordinance 3169, at MT ¶27-1000).

Fair Employment Practices Law
Effective July 1, 2001, an employer does not commit the offense of violating privacy in communications by opening or reading, causing to be opened or read, or further publishing an e-mail or other message that either originates at or is received by a computer or computer system that is owned, leased or operated by or for the employer (H. 112, L. 2001, at MT ¶27-2500).

Violence in the Workplace Law
Montana's law on privacy in communications has been expanded to include electronic mail. Specifically, a person commits the offense of violating privacy in communications if he or she (1) with the purpose to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy, or offend, communicates with a person by telephone or e-mail and uses obscene, lewd, or profane language, suggests a lewd or lascivious act or threatens to inflict injury or physical harm to the person; or (2) uses a telephone or e-mail to attempt extortion or to disturb by repeated calls or e-mails the peace, quiet or right of privacy of a person at the place where the calls or e-mails are received (H. 112, L. 2001, at MT ¶27-3300).

Nebraska       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Nevada       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

New Hampshire       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

New Jersey       Top of Page
Recordkeeping and Posting Law
The state's housing discrimination and family leave posters have been added, and the public accommodation and employment discrimination posters have been updated (NJ ¶31-9900).

New Mexico       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

New York       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

North Carolina       Top of Page
Disability Law
The governor has signed an executive order requiring state agencies, department heads and university chancellors to provide reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities who can perform the essential functions of the job if such accommodations are made (Executive Order No. 5, at NC ¶34-2600).

North Dakota       Top of Page
Disability Law
The law relating to the rights of individuals with disabilities who are accompanied by assistance dogs has been amended (S. 2365, L. 2001, at ND ¶35-2600).

Garnishment Law
Provisions relating to garnishment disclosure forms have been amended (H. 1342, L. 2001, at ND ¶35-5600).

Ohio       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Oklahoma       Top of Page
Preemployment Inquiries Law
Effective November 1, 2001, criminal history record checks will be required for teacher licensure (H. 1253, L. 2001, at OK ¶37-9000).

Oregon       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Pennsylvania       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Puerto Rico       Top of Page
Disability Law
Morbid obesity has been included in the definition of disability (Act 144, L. 2000, at PR ¶40-2600).

Rhode Island       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

South Carolina       Top of Page
Recordkeeping and Posting Law
The South Carolina Workplace Laws Notice has been added (SC ¶42-9900).

South Dakota       Top of Page
Unemployment Insurance Law
For 2001, the contribution rate schedule will be the same as in the year 2000 (SD ¶43-1700).

Tennessee       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Texas       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Utah       Top of Page
Wage Payment Law
The state has enacted the Voluntary Contributions Act that allows employees (public and private) to direct their employers to deduct up to three percent per month from their wages to pay monies to certain labor organizations. The deductions may not be paid to political action committees or to funds established for political purposes by labor organizations. Paperwork requirements are established by the law (Ch. 285 (H. 179), L. 2001, at UT ¶46-1200).

Virginia       Top of Page
Disability Law
The state has enacted a law allowing persons designated as guide, hearing or service dog trainers representing accredited organizations that train and certify dogs the right to be accompanied by dogs at least six months of age with clear designation as guide or service dogs in training on common carriers, any public conveyance or mode of transportation and in restaurants, hotels, lodgings, places of accommodation, amusement or resort or place of the general public (Ch. 443 (H. 1625), L. 2000, at VA ¶48-2600).

Family Medical Leave Law
Effective July 1, 2001, state employees will be allowed up to 30 days of paid leave in a calendar year to serve as bone marrow or organ donors (Ch. 714 (H. 1642), L. 2000, at VA ¶48-7000).

Drug Testing Law
The state has made it unlawful to defeat or attempt to defeat a drug or alcohol screening test (Ch. 379 (H. 2478), L. 2000, at VA ¶48-8600).

Preemployment Inquiries Law
 The law relating to dissemination of criminal history record information has been amended (Ch. 552 (H. 2379), L. 2000, at VA ¶48-9000). Also, amendments have been made to the laws relating to criminal records checks for child welfare agency workers (Ch. 778 (H. 1595), L. 2000, at VA ¶48-9000); school board employees (Ch. 591 (H. 1996) and Ch. 677 (H. 2588), L. 2000, at VA ¶48-9000); and for adult substance abuse treatment workers (Ch. 784 (H. 2836), Ch. 506 (H. 2595) and Ch. 486 (S. 1159), L. 2000, at VA ¶48-9000).

Washington       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

West Virginia       Top of Page
No updates April 2001

Wisconsin       Top of Page
No updates April 2001