Insights

Throughout 2019, Illinois has adopted a number of laws imposing new requirements and restrictions on employers, meaning that prudent Illinois employers should consider updating their employee handbooks to ensure compliance with new laws in effect now and as of Jan. 1, 2020. Following are brief recaps of the new laws:

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) yesterday issued its final rule on overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) increasing the salary thresholds for workers to be considered “exempt” and opening the door to an estimated 1.3 million workers receiving overtime pay next year.

When signed into law last month, the new Illinois Workplace Transparency Act (WTA) included a variety of provisions creating substantial changes for employers and employees starting Jan. 1, 2020. We covered one of the provisions – mandatory annual sexual harassment prevention training – in our blog post here.

A new amendment to the Illinois Equal Pay Act seeks to ensure gender pay equity. As discussed in our recent posting, New Illinois Law Bans Employers from Asking about Salary History,” starting Sept. 29, 2019, employers will be prohibited from asking job applicants (and their former employers) about wage, salary or benefits history. The following frequently asked questions cover important information employers need to know to amend their policies to remain compliant.

A recent change in Illinois law will have a significant impact on how much retainage owners are allowed to withhold in the vast majority of new construction contracts in the state. The change to the Illinois Contractors Prompt Payment Act — effective Aug. 20, 2019 — puts a cap on the amount of retainage that may be withheld by owners from payments to general contractors at various stages of completion. These new caps also apply to subcontracts.

The I-9 Form, used to verify employment eligibility, is set to expire August 31, 2019.