Employment Law Now: III-47 - New York, New World
Illinois continues to enact sweeping legislation that expands employee protections, enhances workplace transparency, and increases employer compliance obligations. Many of these recently-passed changes will take effect over...more
“On the eighth day of HR’s favorite season, my lawyers said to me… eight maids a-milking (and eight essential rules for supporting nursing employees).” ...more
When Puerto Rico Governor Jennifer González enacted the “Puerto Rico Lactation Code” (Act 87-2025) on August 1, she rung in a new day for employers and working mothers across the territory. This innovative legislation...more
The pace of New York’s 2025 legal updates has been brisk. Below is a quick digest of what matters now so you can communicate the changes to your employees, update employee handbooks, payroll systems, and training, and post...more
Five cautions for employers. An employer’s motion for summary judgment in a lactation accommodation case was denied this week, meaning that if the case doesn’t settle, it will go to trial. And be aware that everything in...more
A new wave of Illinois employment laws requires covered Illinois employers to provide unpaid leave for parents with a child in neonatal care, paid leave for military funeral honors, and paid break time for nursing mothers....more
Puerto Rico recently enacted a Breastfeeding Code (Act 87-2025), consolidating all prior lactation-related laws into a single, comprehensive statute. The law establishes uniform protections and obligations across both the...more
On August 1, 2025, Puerto Rico enacted Act No. 87-2025, the “Código de Lactancia de Puerto Rico” or “Puerto Rico Lactation Code” (the Code). The law took immediate effect and consolidated prior laws into one unified code. It...more
August is the most popular birth month in the U.S., meaning many employees will return from parental leave this fall and winter with new postpartum needs. Two key federal laws – the PUMP Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness...more
In the past two months, both New York City and Illinois have implemented new requirements relating to pregnancy and lactation accommodations. Effective July 2, 2025, New York City amended its Earned Safe and Sick Time Act to...more
On August 1, 2025, Illinois enacted amendments to its Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act (“Act”), which will take effect on January 1, 2026. Under the Act, Illinois employers must provide reasonable break time to...more
Puerto Rico has enacted a groundbreaking Lactation/Breastfeeding Code that consolidates in one statute the rights of breastfeeding employees and the responsibilities of employers across the Island. Signed into law on...more
Hindsight is 20-20. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which took effect in June 2023, requires reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and “related medical conditions.” The statute gave authority to the U.S....more
Puerto Rico Governor Jeniffer González has signed Act No. 29-2025 into law, modifying the Act to Regulate the Breastfeeding or Breast Milk Extraction Period, as amended (“Act 427-2000”), which provides certain nursing...more
On June 23, 2025, Governor Jennifer González signed Act 29-2025, amending Puerto Rico’s Act 427-2000, “Act to Regulate Breastfeeding and Breast Milk Extraction Periods,” and strengthening protections for nursing employees....more
Effective January 1, 2027, SB 5217 expands Washington’s Healthy Starts Act (“Act”) to apply the law to employers of any size, require scheduling flexibility for postpartum appointments, mandate paid lactation accommodation...more
Key Takeaways - - A new law in Washington requires all employers, regardless of their size, to have pregnancy and postpartum accommodations in place for their employees by 2027. - The required accommodations include paid...more
California and federal laws require lactation accommodations for breastfeeding employees. The federal lactation accommodation law called the PUMP Act has many of the same requirements as the state law, however there are some...more
New York City employers are reminded that they are now required to physically and electronically post a copy of their written lactation accommodation policy...more
Effective May 8, 2025, New York City employers with four or more employees must physically post a copy of their written lactation policy in an area accessible to employees as well as on its intranet if one exists....more
New York City employers will be required to physically and electronically post a copy of their written lactation room accommodation policy under recent amendments to New York City’s lactation accommodations law set to take...more
New York City recently enacted a local law amending the New York City Human Rights Law relating to an employer's obligation to implement and distribute a written lactation room accommodation policy. ...more
New York City employers will be required to physically and electronically post a copy of their written lactation accommodation policy beginning May 8, 2025. This includes a requirement to post the policy in an area accessible...more
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump named Commissioner Andrea R. Lucas as Acting Chair of the EEOC. Since joining the commission in 2020, Lucas has been a strong advocate for addressing the evolving landscape of...more
Federal and state employment laws are constantly evolving and employers must regularly revise their employee handbooks to remain compliant. Below are some key legal developments for New York and New Jersey employers to...more