• Customer Login
1-888-273-3274
GovDocs
  • Platform
    • Labor Law Posters >
      • Standard Update Program
      • Digital Labor Law Posters
      • Spanish Update Program
      • Federal Contractor Update Program
      • Right to Work/E-Verify Update Program
      • Canada Update Program
      • Poster Auditing
    • Minimum Wage Management
    • Paid Leave Management
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Employment Law Minute
    • Guides and Whitepapers
    • Infographics
    • Product Sheets
    • Puzzles
    • Quizzes
    • SlideShares
    • Tip Sheets
    • Webinars
    • Press Releases
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Why GovDocs?
    • Client Services Team
    • Employment Law and Compliance Team
    • Who We Help
      • Retail / Wholesale
      • Manufacturing
      • Professional Services
      • Financial / Insurance
      • Health / Medical
      • Utilities / Energy
      • Construction / Engineering
      • Hospitality / Restaurant
    • Careers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Go Green With GovDocs
    • Demos
  • Events
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
    • Federal Posters
    • State Posters
    • County Posters
    • City Posters
    • Update Service
  • Request Demo
  • Search
  • Menu
  • Platform
    • Labor Law Posters >
      • Standard Update Program
      • Digital Labor Law Posters
      • Spanish Update Program
      • Federal Contractor Update Program
      • Right to Work/E-Verify Update Program
      • Canada Update Program
      • Poster Auditing
    • Minimum Wage Management
    • Paid Leave Management
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Employment Law Minute
    • Guides and Whitepapers
    • Infographics
    • Product Sheets
    • Puzzles
    • Quizzes
    • SlideShares
    • Tip Sheets
    • Webinars
    • Press Releases
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Why GovDocs?
    • Client Services Team
    • Employment Law and Compliance Team
    • Who We Help
      • Retail / Wholesale
      • Manufacturing
      • Professional Services
      • Financial / Insurance
      • Health / Medical
      • Utilities / Energy
      • Construction / Engineering
      • Hospitality / Restaurant
    • Careers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Go Green With GovDocs
    • Demos
  • Events
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
    • Federal Posters
    • State Posters
    • County Posters
    • City Posters
    • Update Service
  • Request Demo

LABOR LAW NEWS

2018 Legislative Session: Labor Law Recap

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Linkedin
  • Share by Mail

By Adam Roberts, Legislative Analyst – GovDocs

Published on April 3, 2018

As the first fiscal quarter of 2018 comes to a close, most state legislatures are off and running. With an important election coming up this year, many state legislators are making a case to return to their respective capitols. Others are trying to accomplish their work in less time, and some have not announced session dates at all.

At the time of this post, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Texas have not announced meeting dates for 2018. These 15 states are also out of session:

  • Arkansas
  • Florida
  • Indiana
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • New Mexico
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming

Additionally, 2018 session is a shorter one for many states. In GovDocs’ home state of Minnesota, for instance, the 2017 legislature passed a two-year budget for the state. The legislature’s main task this year is to enact a bonding bill. However, Minnesota did not start its session until Feb. 20, 2018, and plan to adjourn by May 21.

Many other states have compressed legislative years where their session either starts later or ends earlier. This ramps up the pressure on legislators and stakeholders to pass bills in a timely manner.

2018 Bill Trends

Currently, GovDocs is tracking more than 1,800 labor law bills that impact the employer/employee relationship. These bills cover a wide range of topics, but some of the major legislative themes we see across the country include:

  • 12.5% are related to minimum wage laws.
  • 8.8% related to various types of employee leave, excluding sick leave. The biggest proportion of these bills relate to family leave. Another 2.2% of the total bills we are following amend or create sick leave laws specifically
  • 3.8% deal with equal pay and another 2.6% of bills are salary history bans
  • 2.5% relate to scheduling laws
  • 1.9% approach workplace harassment, bullying, and violence

By the numbers, minimum wage and employee leave remain hot topics in state legislatures. This pace will surely keep up in the foreseeable future. Additionally, bills ensuring that workplaces are safe, and proposals to ensure gender equality in compensation and benefits remain popular. However, with several weeks left in most legislative calendars, it remains to be seen how many of these bills become laws.

So, exactly how many bills have become laws, how many are in progress, and how many have not made significant progress? Of the more than 1,800 bills GovDocs is monitoring, their place in the legislative process breaks down as follows:

  • 6.2% have passed the chamber in which they were introduced (e.g., a house bill passed the House of Representatives)
  • 1.6% have passed the second chamber (e.g., a house bill has been passed by both the House and the Senate)
  • 8.7% have failed at some point in the process (e.g., they were voted down in committee or on the floor of one of the chambers)
  • 1.8% have completed the legislative process and have been turned into laws

As you can see, only a small percentage of bills have shown significant progress; only a tiny percentage of bills have been enacted, and more than 1,600 bills remain up for consideration. Most legislatures still have several weeks to wrap up their work, and GovDocs will be following labor law legislation every step of the way.

Keep Informed
with GovDocs Labor Law News

January 25, 2023/by Kris Janisch

St. Paul Amends Paid Sick Leave Law

January 23, 2023/by Jana Bjorklund

New Jersey WARN Act Amendments

January 23, 2023/by Kris Janisch

ABCs of Labor Law Poster Compliance

January 18, 2023/by Jana Bjorklund

Illinois Paid Leave Law: Any Reason for Use

January 17, 2023/by Lindsy Wayt

GovDocs Simplifies Labor Law Poster Compliance in 2023

This Labor Law New Blog is intended for market awareness only, it is not be used for legal advice or counsel.

GovDocs Update Program

Who is GovDocs?

GovDocs simplifies the complexity of employment law management (ELM) for large, multilocation employers across all industries. We offer a suite of innovative compliance products, including labor law postings, data software applications and other program management tools, to ease the day-to-day responsibilities of human resources, compensation, legal and finance teams.

Have less than 30 locations? 

The GovDocs Poster Store simplifies the complexity of posting compliance for employers with less than 30 locations across all industries. We offer a variety of posting products to meet your labor law compliance needs, including federal and state posters; county and city poster packages; and other HR posters. Plus, when you purchase posters with GovDocs Update Service, you ensure your locations automatically receive updated posters whenever changes occur.

More Stories From Labor Law News

CONTACT US

GovDocs, Inc.
1305 Corporate Center Drive
Suite 400
Eagan, MN 55121
1-888-273-3274

about govdocs

  • Who We Are
  • Who We Help
  • Events
  • Careers
  • Frequently Asked Questions

Products

  • Platform
  • Labor Law Postings >
    • Spanish Update Program
    • Federal Contractor Update Program
    • Right to Work/E-Verify Update Program
    • Canada Update Program
    • PosterCheck
    • Intranet Poster Program
  • GovDocs Minimum Wage
  • GovDocs Paid Leave
  • Terms and Policies
  • Privacy Policy

resources

  • Employment Law News
  • Infographics
  • Webinars
  • Guides and Whitepapers
  • SlideShares
  • Tip Sheets
  • Product Sheets
  • Quizzes
  • Press Releases
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Login

Stay Connected

Subscribe to our blog for the latest employment law news.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
Copyright © 2023 GovDocs, Inc. GovDocs is a registered trademark of GovDocs, Inc.
Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Effective April 1, 2018 GovDocs to Attend HR Retail 2018, Highlighting GovDocs Minimum Wage App
Scroll to top