Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, has enacted the Human Relations Ordinance (the Ordinance), which adds nondiscrimination, and salary and criminal history protections. The Ordinance takes effect on June 1, 2024.

The Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission has approved amendments to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA), which provide new definitions of race, sex and religious creed, and effectively protect against hairstyle discrimination. The new rules are set to take effect within 60 days of their publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has signed into law the Employee Commuter Transit Benefit Ordinance. 

Putting an end to an employer’s previous conundrum of determining what constitutes “recently” separated when evaluating a former employee’s request to review his or her personnel file, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that terminated employees are not entitled to inspect their personnel files. 

On May 23, 2017, the City of Philadelphia becomes one of the rare jurisdictions to prohibit employers from asking about or relying on—subject to limited exceptions—a prospective employee’s wage history in setting employee compensation and benefits.  

Pennsylvania has joined the growing list of states legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. On April 17, 2016, Pennsylvania enacted its Medical Marijuana Act (the “Act”) and, although the law took effect on May 17, 2016, the State’s Department of Health must now go through the process of creating and implementing a regulatory program before its constituents can begin dispensing and using medical marijuana.