Effective January 1, 2022, a new California law imposes criminal penalties on employers who intentionally withhold wages and tips from their employees. The law was passed on September 27, 2021, when California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into effect Assembly Bill 1003, making an employer’s intentional theft of wages - in an amount greater than nine hundred fifty dollars ($950) from any one employee, or two thousand three hundred fifty dollars ($2,350) in the aggregate from two or more employees, in any consecutive 12-month period - punishable as grand theft.

Recently, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed into law House Bill No. 6380, “An Act Concerning the Disclosure of Salary Range for a Vacant Position,” (the Act). The Act amends the state’s current pay equity laws by requiring Connecticut employers to disclose the wage range of vacant positions to applicants and current employees and by modifying the prohibition against sex-based compensation discrimination. The Act goes into effect on October 1, 2021.

If you are a private-sector company with employees in California, please take note of the following new laws which go into effect as of January 1, 2021 (or earlier, as indicated below). Businesses impacted by these changes should review and update existing policies and procedures, including employee handbooks and records retention policies, independent contractor agreements, and arbitration agreements.

As we previously summarized, the FFCRA allows parents to take up to 12 weeks of subsidized leave if their child’s school or place of childcare is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, the United States Supreme Court ruled that federal law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. The decision confirms that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ employees from discrimination on the basis of “sex.” This new landmark decision has immediate, practical consequences for employers. Prior to this decision, discrimination against LGBTQ employees was legal in 27 states; now, employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited nationwide.