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Quick Hits The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has rescinded agreements protecting transgender and LGBTQ+ students across several school districts and one community college, reflecting a policy shift under the Trump administration. The office explained these agreements incorrectly interpreted Title IX, stating that protections apply only to sex and not gender identity. Such changes to Title IX enforcement and antidiscrimination obligations have significant implications for educational institutions…

Quick Hits Starting no later than January 3, 2028, the FAMLI program will provide most Maryland employees with up to twelve weeks of paid leave for certain family and medical reasons, with a possible additional twelve weeks of leave for parental bonding, per application year. The program is funded through employer and employee payroll contributions, which will commence on January 1, 2027, and be administered by the MDOL’s FAMLI Division.…

Quick Hits Under Section 45c of the Residence Act, companies with operations in Germany must provide written information to new employees no later than their first day of work and include reference to the free labor and social law advice service “Faire Integration” plus contact details of the nearest advice center. The new requirement, which took effect on January 1, 2026, applies only to new hires from third countries whose…

Quick Hits Slovakia remains further ahead than the Czech Republic with transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive into national law, with a dedicated draft law already in the legislative process. The Czech Republic published a draft Labour Code amendment and has explicitly opted for a “minimalist transposition” mirroring the directive’s minimum requirements. In both countries, employers may want to begin reviewing pay structures, transparency practices, and internal governance now. Slovakia…

Quick Hits Washington State Governor Ferguson recently signed a wide range of labor and employment legislation into law, including bills that address reductions in force, pregnancy accommodations, noncompete agreements, traditional labor relations, behavioral health in the construction industry, and wage and hour claims. HB 1155, which bans noncompetition agreements with employees and independent contractors, will take effect on June 30, 2026; the other laws will take effect on June 11,…

Quick Hits Oregon enacted HB 4089, which expands criminal penalties for wage theft offenses and increases penalties for hiring unlicensed construction labor contractors or misusing contractor license numbers, with violations ranging from Class A misdemeanors to Class C felonies. Several measures (HB 4111, HB 4079, and SB 1570) strengthen protections related to immigration status—restricting its use in civil lawsuits, prohibiting employer retaliation for updating work authorization, requiring schools and healthcare…

Quick Hits A federal court in Massachusetts has temporarily halted the Education Department’s ACTS survey for a group of higher education institutions that intervened in a legal challenge brought by seventeen states. The latest temporary restraining order extends the compliance deadline for intervening institutions to April 24, 2026, while prohibiting enforcement of previous deadlines. The order follows a preliminary injunction blocking the ACTS survey as likely “arbitrary and capricious,” limited…

Quick Hits The DOJ and a New Jersey-based IT staffing firm reached a $313,420 settlement over allegations that the firm’s job postings discriminated against U.S. citizens. Federal law protects applicants and employees from discrimination and harassment based on race, ethnicity, citizenship status, and national origin, including U.S. nationality. This settlement reflects the Trump administration’s emphasis on anti-American bias and addressing discrimination against majority groups. Title VII of the Civil Rights…

Quick Hits The Supreme Court of California ruled that the formatting of an arbitration agreement does not influence its substantive unconscionability, but courts must still evaluate the agreement’s legibility and context for potential unfairness. The court emphasized the sliding scale analysis of unconscionability, stating that excessive procedural unconscionability can render even minimally substantively unconscionable agreements unenforceable. The court said the appellate court had erred in applying a presumption in favor…