Most Orange County employers don’t have to rush to comply with a host of new and burdensome state laws for 2009. For the first time in two years, they won’t face an increase in the minimum wage.
But some do face a few new laws and regulations, especially from the federal government. And, given the state’s budget mess, more taxes may be in the offing.
The most burdensome legislation that passed for 2009 requires chain restaurant owners to post nutritional information on their servings. It takes effect July 1.
A few other laws impacting specific companies and employees took effect earlier this month. Wages for temporary service employees now must be paid weekly if the employee is assigned to a client company on a day-to-day basis. And computer service professionals now can be paid on a monthly or annual salary. Before, they could only be paid hourly.
The major changes that businesses face this month come from the federal government: updates to the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
On the disability law, Congress acted to blunt the impact of a series of court rulings narrowing its scope. The biggest change, according to Patricia Eyres, an attorney with Stuart Baron & Associates in Los Alamitos, concerns workers with chronic illnesses who may be mostly asymptomatic, such as people with asthma or epilepsy. Under previous court rulings, employers did not have to accommodate such illnesses. The update requires them to.
A new state law grants employers some relief in dealing with the ADA: Senate Bill 1608 attempts to stop the spread of often frivolous lawsuits targeting employers for noncompliance with the act.
Under SB 1608, employers can bring in a certified ADA compliance officer to do a workplace inspection and suggest any additional compliance measures. Once the workplace passes inspection, it should shield the employer from liability.
The update of the family leave act was designed to address the impact of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. While military spouses previously had been eligible for family leave in some circumstances, the new law expands the act to include such things as obtaining leave for short-notice deployment of spouses and arranging childcare.
Because employees at any workplace might be eligible for these benefits, all employers must now update their workplace posters. Also, there are some minor changes to state laws that have to be displayed.
One new state law that affects some businesspeople is the ban on texting while driving, a follow-up to last year’s cell phone law.
“Many businesses put in policies on texting when the cell phone ban went into effect,” said Marc Burgat, vice president of government relations for the California Chamber of Commerce. “Now, what’s really left is a lifestyle change: Those who do text while driving will simply have to find other ways to communicate or wait until they can stop.”
Fine is a staff writer with the Los Angeles Business Journal.
