Similar bills pending before the Assembly (A2919) and Senate (S2177), each entitled the “New Jersey Security and Financial Employment Act” or the “NJ SAFE Act,” would require employers with 25 or more employees to provide 20 days of unpaid leave to employees who are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault within one year of the domestic violence or sexual assault. The bills would also require leave when an employee’s family or household member (per the Assembly bill) or child, parent, or spouse (per the Senate bill) is a victim of abuse. Under the pending bills, the leave time—which may be taken on an intermittent or reduced leave basis—may be taken for the employee or the employee’s family or household member: (1) to seek medical attention for, or recover from, physical or psychological injuries caused by domestic or sexual violence; (2) to obtain services from a victim services organization; (3) to obtain psychological or other counseling; (4) to participate in safety planning, temporarily or permanently relocating, or taking other actions to increase the safety of the employee or the employee’s family or household member from future domestic or sexual violence or to ensure economic security; (5) to seek legal assistance or remedies to ensure the health and safety of the employee or the employee’s family or household member, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or derived from domestic or sexual violence; or (6) to attend, participate in, or prepare for a criminal or civil court proceeding relating to an incident of domestic or sexual violence.
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Maine Governor Could Sign Bill Enacting Nation’s Strictest Data Privacy Law for Internet Providers
The Maine legislature has passed a bill imposing the nation’s strictest limitations on broadband providers’ use of consumer data. On May 30, 2019, the Maine State Senate approved the House’s amended version of Legislative Document (LD) 946, entitled “An Act To Protect the Privacy of Online Customer Information,” which now awaits Governor Janet Mills’s signature.
Beltway Buzz, January 29, 2021
The Beltway Buzz is a weekly update summarizing labor and employment news from inside the Beltway and clarifying how what’s happening in Washington, D.C. could impact your business.
Bill Introduced to Allow Employers to Require Payment by Direct Deposit
On February 2, 2012, a bill was introduced (A2235) that would allow an employer to require that its employees receive their wages either by direct deposit or by a payroll debit card. Currently, an employer may pay its employees with a paper check, cash, or – only with the employee’s consent – by direct deposit or a payroll debit card. This bill will allow an employer to require payment by direct deposit or payroll debit card, in lieu of cash or a paper check.