The Senate and Assembly have wrapped up business for the remainder of 2023 and adjourned session until they officially reconvene in mid-January. Now all the attention shifts to the seven-member Wisconsin Supreme Court where oral arguments will be heard right before the Thanksgiving holiday in the much anticipated legislative redistricting lawsuit, otherwise known as Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC).

Two petitions for original action were filed earlier this summer, each requesting that the Supreme Court bypass the typical lower trial and appellate court process and rule that Wisconsin’s current state legislative maps are unconstitutional. Republicans currently control both houses of the Legislature and approved the district maps that are now in effect. In early October, the justices voted 4-3 along ideological lines to accept the Clarke v. WEC case. The petitioners in the case argue that “the existing legislative maps are an extreme partisan gerrymander that violates various parts of the Wisconsin Constitution.” The justices unanimously rejected a separate, but similar lawsuit in the other case.

Read the full article here.

MHA is reminding all Members in Illinois to provide and document annual employee sexual harassment training before the end of the year.

Since January 1, 2020, all employers with one or more employees in Illinois are required to provide annual Sexual Harassment Prevention training to all employees, regardless of their status (e.g., seasonal, part-time, etc.). The annual training requirement is based on a calendar year. New employees should be trained as soon as possible after being hired, then on an annual basis.

Employers may develop their own training program, provided it meets or exceeds the minimum standards outlined in Section 2-109 and Section 2-110 of the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA), or employers may use a model training developed by the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR). 

Download the Model Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (also available in Spanish)

Access the Training Video for Employers (also available in Spanish)

Employers are required to keep a paper or electronic record of all training, which may be a certificate or signed employee acknowledgement.

Additional training information and resources are available on the IDHR Training website.

Our annual meeting is set for December 21 at 8:30 a.m. and will be held virtually.

To ensure a seamless experience for everyone, please confirm your attendance by December 15 to Jody jodyk@midwesthardware.com. The meeting link will be sent out on December 20, allowing us to optimize the platform based on the number of attendees.

Effective January 1, 2024, most employers in Illinois will be required to provide each employee (full-time and part-time) up to 40 hours of paid leave for every 12-month period under the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLAWA).

On November 3, 2023, the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) published proposed regulations interpreting the PLAWA. There is at least a 90-day notice period before the regulations can be finalized and although the regulations are not finalized, the Act still takes effect January 1, 2024.

Employers who currently do not have a paid leave policy should now consider implementing a paid leave policy. Employers who already have a paid leave policy in effect should consider whether their policy aligns with the Act and proposed regulations.  

Key Takeaways of the Act and Proposed Regulations:

Read the full article here.

The US Department of Labor (DOL) is set to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations, impacting the classification and compensation of employees.  The increase in minimum annual salary for most exempt employees paid on a salary basis from $35,568 per year to match the 35th percentile of weekly earnings of full-time non hourly workers in the lowest-wage Census Region (which is projected to be somewhere between $55,068 per year and $60,209 per year).

Here's a concise guide on how to prepare for the proposed changes:

Read the full article here.

The US Department of Labor (DOL) is set to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations, impacting the classification and compensation of employees.  The increase in minimum annual salary for most exempt employees paid on a salary basis from $35,568 per year to match the 35th percentile of weekly earnings of full-time non hourly workers in the lowest-wage Census Region (which is projected to be somewhere between $55,068 per year and $60,209 per year).

Here's a concise guide on how to prepare for the proposed changes:

Read the full article here.