California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”) has approved new regulations that expand the protections available for people who identify as transgender.  The regulations also expand protections for gender identity and gender expression.

The Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) finalized new regulations limiting the ability of employers to consider criminal history when making employment decisions.

The California Court of Appeals has ruled that employees who are paid solely on a commission basis must receive separate compensation for rest breaks. What this means is that even if commission employees are paid advances or draws against future commissions, they must still be paid separate compensation for rest periods and non-productive time.   

Seven (7) states have joined the growing list of states legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal and/or recreational purposes.  Arkansas, California, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and North Dakota passed new marijuana laws on election day, bringing the total states (plus the District of Columbia) with medical marijuana laws to 28 and the total states (plus the District of Columbia) with recreational marijuana laws to eight (8).  

The California Supreme Court has denied review of a lower court ruling finding that employers have a duty to reasonably accommodate an applicant or employee who is associated with a disabled person who needs the employee’s assistance. 

This report is to provide a summary of some of the major laws that may impact your operations and help you plan and prepare for these new compliance challenges. It is part of our broader commitment to help clients meet their compliance obligations. The laws covered in this report are effective January 1, 2017 unless otherwise noted. 

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