On March 31, 2021, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law the New York State Cannabis/Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act, which legalized the use of recreational marijuana for individuals ages 21 and older. Among other things, the Act establishes a Cannabis Control Board and Office of Cannabis Management that will be responsible for regulating adult-use marijuana and creates a Chief Equity Officer position to be appointed by the Cannabis Control Board. It also…

In a complaint filed on March 26, 2021, business groups challenged a U.S. Department of Labor March 4, 2021 final rule to delay the effective date of the Trump-era regulation on independent contractor classification.  As we previously reported, that Trump-era rule, which was finalized two weeks before President Biden took office, was initially scheduled to take effect on March 8, 2021 but was then delayed until May 7, 2021. The business groups argue that…

On March 29, 2021, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced data collection for the EEO-1 Component 1 filing will open on April 26, 2021, and employers will have until July 19, 2021 to make their submissions. Because last year’s EEO-1 submission was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are required to make two submissions: one with 2019 and one with 2020 EEO-1 data. Employers with 100 or more employees (and federal contractors…

On March 23, 2021, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed into law SB1480.  As discussed below, the law makes significant changes to the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA), the Illinois Equal Pay Act (IEPA) and the Illinois Business Corporation Act, aimed at curtailing employer use of conviction records, imposing new reporting and registration requirements concerning employee demographics and pay, and creating new whistleblower anti-retaliation protections. The amendments take effect immediately. The Illinois Human Rights Act SB…

On March 16, 2021, the CDC issued updated guidance for employers regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and the workplace. This guidance focuses on considerations for mandatory vaccination programs, reopening the workplace after employees have been vaccinated, and general best practices regarding vaccinations. Below, we highlight the key aspects of this guidance. Mandating Vaccination Similar to recent guidance issued by the EEOC, the CDC appears to acknowledge that mandatory vaccinations are permissible under federal law, provided that employers…