Perkins Coie

New Paid Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Laws in Washington State Effective January 1

Multiple new laws will take effect in Washington state beginning January 2024, bringing changes to the state’s minimum wage laws and adding requirements under the state’s Paid Sick Leave Law.

New Washington Law Protects Job Applicants’ Off-Duty Marijuana Use

Effective January 1, 2024, employers are prohibited from discriminating against job applicants on the basis of lawful, off-the-job marijuana use.

Chicago Passes Sweeping Paid Leave Ordinance

The city of Chicago approved the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance (the ordinance) on November 9, 2023, providing all employees working in the city with up to five annual days of paid leave that can be used for any purpose (paid leave) and five annual days of paid sick leave that can be used for specified purposes (paid sick leave).

The New Health Privacy Landscape—Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

Just a few years ago, the legal landscape governing health-related personal information was relatively simple.

DOE Study Finds US Must Double Regional Transmission Capacity To Meet 2035 Clean Energy Goal

Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released its National Transmission Needs Study (Needs Study), which concludes that there is a pressing need for additional transmission infrastructure.

Food Imports: FDA Proposes Amendments to Prior Notice Rule and Publishes Final Guidance on Prior Notice Compliance

On November 1, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a proposed rule to amend Prior Notice requirements for imported human and animal food in two key ways.

Arizona District Court Finds Denial of Temporary Telework Not an Adverse Employment Action

Recently, in Matthews v. City of Tempe, 2023 WL 6880652, the Arizona Federal District Court considered whether an employer discriminated against a former employee when it denied him an opportunity to telecommute on certain days but allowed female employees to take advantage of remote work.

Treasury Proposes Broad Reporting Requirements for Cryptocurrency Mixing Transactions—Implications for Financial Institutions

The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), through its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), proposed on October 19, 2023, to apply the authorities in Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act to impose requirements on financial institutions that engage in convertible virtual currency (CVC) transactions with CVC mixers.

Arizona Court of Appeals Reinstates Retaliatory Discharge Claim Under Fair Wages and Healthy Family Act

The Arizona Court of Appeals recently held in Papias v. Parker Fasteners LLC, No. 1 CA-CV 22-0775 (Ariz. Ct. App. Oct. 17, 2023), that a discharged employee could proceed with his retaliation claim against his former employer.

White House Issues Comprehensive Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence

The White House recently issued its most extensive policy directive yet concerning the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) through a 100-plus-page Executive Order (EO) titled "Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence” and accompanying “Fact Sheet” summary.

UK Online Safety Act Becomes Law: What To Expect Next

Last week, the UK’s Online Safety Bill received royal assent and became law.

FTC Announces Data Breach Reporting Obligation Under GLBA Safeguards Rule

Under an amendment to the Safeguards Rule under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) announced on October 27, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will require a broad range of nonbank financial institutions to notify the FTC of instances of the unauthorized acquisition of unencrypted, personally identifiable, nonpublic financial information of more than 500 customers.