Small employers in Maryland will be required to provide employees with unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child under the Maryland Parental Leave Act (“PLA” or “Act”), a new law passed by the Maryland General Assembly.

New Jersey has passed the Opportunity to Compete Act which establishes certain employment rights for persons with criminal records by prohibiting employers from asking applicants about their criminal record history during the initial employment application process. 

Creates the “Fair Criminal Records Screening Act” which amends the Re-entry Facilitation Amendment Act of 2012. The new law prohibits the consideration of a job applicant’s arrest records during the hiring process, restricts an employer’s inquiry into a job applicant’s prior convictions until after a conditional job offer, and establishes penalties for non-compliance of the law.