A new year means new laws. Employers should be aware of the following state law changes that either recently went into effect or will go into effect early in 2025.
Delaware Senate Bill 1. Paid leave payroll contributions begin under the Healthy Delaware Families Act. Effective January 1, 2025, covered employers must start contributing payroll deductions to fund the Delaware Paid Family and Medical Leave program, which was established in 2022. The first contributions due date is April 30, 2025. The obligation to provide paid benefits under the program does not begin until January 1, 2026.
New Jersey Senate Bill 2310 is New Jersey’s version of pay transparency. The law will require employers to provide the “hourly wage or salary, or a range of the hourly wage or salary” in postings for new jobs or transfer opportunities. The law also will require employers to make “reasonable efforts” to advertise promotion opportunities to all current employees “in the affected department or departments of the employer’s business.” The law is set to take effect on June 1, 2025.
New York Assembly Bill A08805C requires employers in New York to provide up to 20 hours of paid leave for pregnant employees to attend prenatal medical appointments and procedures. The law took effect January 1, 2025.
Pennsylvania House Bill 1633. The Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act bans certain noncompete covenants, including patient nonsolicitation provisions, between an employer and health care practitioner if the covenant is for more than one year or the health care practitioner was “dismissed by the employer.” The law took effect January 1, 2025.
New Jersey’s minimum wage is now $15.49 per hour for most employers.
Delaware’s minimum wage is now $15.00 per hour.
New York’s minimum wage is now $15.50 (Upstate New York) and $16.50 (in and around NYC).
Employers should consult with experienced human resources professionals and/or labor and employment counsel with any questions regarding these new employment laws and any required changes to employer policies and practices. For all MEA members, the Hotline is available to provide this assistance. For MEA Essential and Premier members, a Member Legal Services attorney is available for additional consultation.
Who is MEA?
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*This Alert is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
