FL - Florida
Judge Delivers Mixed Ruling on ‘Bring Your Gun to Work’ Injunction
By Fisher & Phillips LLP
A federal judge in Florida July 29 denied in part and granted in part a request by business groups to enjoin enforcement of the so-called ‘Bring Your Gun to Work’ law.

NY - New York
Governor Signs Mini-Warn Act and Limit on Noncompetes in Broadcast Industry
By Jackson Lewis
Gov. David Paterson has signed into law the New York State Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and the Broadcast Employees Freedom to Work Act.

CA - California
High Court Disapproves ‘Narrow Restraint’ Exception for Noncompetes
By Sheppard Mullin
Noncompetition agreements, even if they are written narrowly enough not to deprive persons of their right to pursue their profession, are invalid under California law, unless they fall within one of the few statutory exceptions.

OH - Ohio
Healthy Families Act Initiative Likely
By Jackson Lewis
The Ohio Healthy Families Act, which would mandate paid sick leave for most employees working in Ohio, will likely appear as a ballot initiative in November. If the act is approved, Ohio could be the only state to require paid sick leave.

OR - Oregon
BOLI Clarifies Meal and Rest Break Rules
By Devra S. Hermosilla
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries has modified the state’s meal and rest break rules in two significant ways.

RI - Rhode Island
New Law Grants Military Family Members Unpaid Leave
By George P. Kostakos and Stephen T. Melnick
Gov. Donald Carcieri has signed into law the Family Military Leave Act, which offers a new right to unpaid leave for the family of servicemembers.

NJ - New Jersey
High Court Decides Standard for Religion-Based Hostile Environment
By Diane Cadrain
The New Jersey Supreme Court has decided that the standard for evaluating claims of a religion-based hostile work environment is the same as the standard used for harassment claims based on other protected categories.

MI - Michigan
High Court Bars Compensation Benefits for Noncompliant Employee
By Diane Cadrain
The Michigan Supreme Court has turned down an employee’s bid for workers’ compensation benefits for the mental trauma she allegedly suffered when she left the job after disobeying a company rule.

State Recognition of Civil Unions, Same-Sex Marriages Is Complex Issue
By Joanne Deschenaux
Even if your state does not authorize same-sex civil unions or marriages, it is inevitable that couples who had such ceremonies performed in states that do recognize them will move to your state sooner or later. Experts review the legal ramifications.

States Pass Varied Employment-Related Immigration Measures
By Joanne Deschenaux
From Jan.1 until June 30, 2008, 198 employment-related immigration bills were introduced in state legislatures around the country, and 18 new laws were enacted in 15 states.