Regulatory Radar

REGULATORY RADAR - On November 3, 2020, Florida voters passed a ballot initiative raising the state’s minimum wage from its current rate of $8.56 per hour to $15 per hour by 2026.

REGULATORY RADAR - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued new disclosure requirements mandating that public companies begin disclosing on human-capital-related resources.

REGULATORY RADAR - California voters approved Proposition 24, which amended the state’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to expand the privacy rights of California residents.

REGULATORY RADAR - The UK announced a number of measures to support the goal of ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the country by 2030.

REGULATORY RADAR - Effective November 19, 2020, the Canadian government announced changes to its Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy act (Bill C-9) to extend its wage subsidy program through June 2021.

REGULATORY RADAR - Draft new mandatory regulations to cut the carbon intensity of existing ships have been approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).

REGULATORY RADAR - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that will ban the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging.

REGULATORY RADAR - The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released proposed updates to its Compliance Manual on Religious Discrimination for the first time in twelve years.

REGULATORY RADAR - Following on Colorado’s COMPS Order #36, made effective March 16, 2020, the state has now introduced more changes, including a revamped transportation worker exemption.

REGULATORY RADAR - Nasdaq filed a proposal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to adopt new listing rules related to board diversity and disclosure. If approved by the SEC, the new listing rules would require all companies listed on Nasdaq’s U.S. exchange to publicly disclose consistent, transparent diversity statistics regarding their board of directors.

REGULATORY RADAR - New regulation aimed at increasing the transparency of risk assessment in the food chain is set to become effective in the EU on March 27, 2021.

REGULATORY RADAR - On January 7, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a final rule in the Federal Register that clarifies how to determine who is an independent contractor and who is an employee for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).