There were several important developments in labor and employment law last year in the State of Indiana, including changes to minors’ work hours, pregnancy accommodations, and teachers’ right to refrain from joining and paying union dues. Below is a summary of these key changes.

The past year brought numerous changes to Colorado’s employment laws, including those governing the hiring process, wage and hour payments, and anti-discrimination protections. Lewis Brisbois’ Labor & Employment team is here to help you keep track of these new and notable changes and ensure compliance of your business’ operations. This alert provides a deeper dive into some of the bigger changes.

2021 was a productive year for the members of the Rhode Island General Assembly. Against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Assembly passed several significant pieces of labor and employment legislation.

There is much variety among the insurance law decisions issued by Florida courts over the past year, although the majority of rulings fall under property insurance. There is an amusing quote from one of the Select Decisions: “As a general matter, insurance policies and insurance salesmen have long been the butt of jokes. The former are not known for beautiful prose nor the latter for exciting conversation.”

In the world of state legislation, it only matters when the Governor signs a bill into law. Therefore, please consider the bills described below as nothing more than a “heads up” of potential changes to Florida statutes. These bills are currently in the Florida House and Senate and are slated to be addressed in the 2022 Session.

On December 21, 2021, the Florida Supreme Court accepted jurisdiction arising from State Farm Fla. Ins. Co. v. Parrish, 312 So. 3d 145, 151 (Fla. 2d DCA 2021), holding “[w]e certify conflict with Brickell, to the extent it holds that a public adjuster who has a contingency interest in an insured's appraisal award or represents an insured in an appraisal process can serve as a ‘disinterested appraiser’ under a policy's appraisal provision.”

The CDC recently issued guidance to businesses developing marijuana policies, balancing state legalization efforts and fleet safety. Per the CDC, marijuana should be addressed in motor vehicle safety programs.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rule applies to motor carriers and drivers who are required to keep records of duty service (RODS). An ELD automatically records a driver’s driving time and other aspects of the hours-of-service (HOS) records.