A new year comes with new employment laws and 2024 is no different. Amerit‘s Director of HR Operations shares a brief list of some major laws that went into effect January 1, 2024.
State Minimum Wage Changes
While the Federal pay rate has remained the same ($7.25) since 2010, most states have continued to increase their minimum pay rate increasing overtime to account for the high cost of living across the country. Effective January 1st 22 states increased their minimum wage with 3 additional states, Oregon and Nevada in July, and Florida late September.
Paid Sick Time
Effective January 1st, employees in California have 40 hours of paid sick time to use rather than the previous 24 hours. This amendment and increase of paid sick time are more in line with cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego. Other states such as Minnesota have mandated paid sick time effective the new year, providing up to 48 hours per year. The Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act passed last March and has finally gone into effect January 1st providing up to 40 hours in a 12-month period.
Paid Family Leave
The state of Colorado passed the state Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMALI) program nearly three years ago. Under this law Colorado workers can apply to take up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period as long as eligibility requirements are met. While this law has only gone into effect most Colorado employers and employees have been paying into the program through state payroll tax in 2023. According to Venable LLP, Jacob Goodman, and Karel Mazanec, “All leave and wage-replacement benefits are administered by the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment, Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance.” For more information on Colorado’s FMALI program please visit the Colorado state website.
The state of New York’s NY Paid Family Leave Law went into effect January 1st. This law provides up to 12-weeks of leave and up to 67% of pay. Please see the New York state website for any details.
State Employment Protections
The state of Nevada has implemented employment protections for employees and their family or household members who are victims of domestic violence and are extended to include victims of sexual assault. The specific protections include: the right to unpaid leave, eligibility for unemployment benefits, and protections from employment discrimination. This law passed on June 5, 2023, and has gone into effect January 1, 2024.
In addition to Nevada, the State of Oregon has extended discrimination protections to job training participants, the domestic violence leave law which apply to the State’s paid sick and safe leave law. Oregon also has implemented laws amending Military leave laws and prohibits retaliation related to the workplace safety. For more information on all amendments of Oregon’s laws please visit Oregon state website
Salary History and Bans
Minnesota has banned salary history inquiries effective of January 1st. This brings the number of states to 22 including Washington DC, and 22 local salary bans in place prohibiting companies requesting salary history with intention to use information when providing an offer or before providing an offer. For more information regarding Salary History Ban States and Localities please visit the link, Salary History Bans By State: Everything You Need to Know, written by Jennifer Soper.
There are a few trends which continue to follow each calendar year to the next. These include the state or local minimum wage increase, paid sick leave ordinance across the country, partial pay for workers related to family and medical leave. Under FMLA the position is protected, however many states do not have laws to provide partial payment as a benefit. While some states continue to be outliers, overall, the country continues to push through employment law to protect the worker’s rights to ensure a safe workplace and job protection.
