2026 Benefits Limits

While it’s difficult to think about winter and the new year as we swelter through our hottest weeks of the year, the approach of Q4 means that California employers are budgeting for 2027.

On Sept. 9, 2026, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law S3460, which grants employees the right to access their personnel records and requires employers to notify employees when negative information...

New York employers face significant new compliance obligations as two recently signed bills create expansive personnel record access rights and construction industry pay requirements. With several additional employment law bills awaiting the governor's signature—many taking effect immediately upon enactment—organizations must prepare for sweeping changes to workplace documentation, severance practices, and AI impact reporting.

Pennsylvania's Department of Labor & Industry has launched a proactive enforcement initiative targeting home care agencies for wage and hour violations. With approximately 40% of state wage complaints coming from home care workers, agencies face increased scrutiny over unpaid overtime, travel time compensation, and recordkeeping practices that may not capture all compensable work activities.

Last week, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued Opinion Letter FLSA2026-11, addressing a question many employers with large or sprawling worksites have faced: does mandatory walk time to a designated break area turn an unpaid meal period into compensable work time? The short answer is no — so long as the remaining break time is still long enough for employees to eat a regular meal.

New Jersey Department of Labor regulations clarifying the ABC test for independent contractor classification take effect October 1, fundamentally shifting the burden of proof to employers. With the NJDOL expected to aggressively audit compliance and impose substantial penalties for misclassification, employers have just two weeks to assess their workforce relationships and develop strategies to meet the stricter standards.

The parties had spent plenty of time talking about the law, the facts, and the value of the claims. In the end, what mattered most to the employee was hearing someone acknowledge that the situation had been handled poorly.

New York State has enacted sweeping changes to employee personnel record requirements, mandating that employers provide free access to personnel files, notify employees of negative information within 10 days, and retain records for three years post-employment. These new obligations fundamentally reshape how New York employers must manage and maintain employee documentation.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division issued an opinion letter addressing whether meal periods remain noncompensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act when employees must spend part of that time walking to designated break areas. The opinion examines a detention facility's policy requiring 3-7 minutes of travel each way during 60-minute meal periods, and whether this travel time converts the entire break into compensable work time.

On September 9, 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill S3460 (A.2107), creating for the first time a statewide right for New York employees and former employees to access...

Clark Hill’s Outbound Immigration & Global Mobility practice guides corporate clients and individuals through complex global immigration challenges worldwide.

Time does run against “the king” when there is a construction statute of repose at issue per the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s holding in Clearfield County v. Transystems, et al. issued on Apr. 30th.

Building a startup isn’t just about product and growth—it’s about getting the legal and financial foundation right from day one.

Clark Hill’s Outbound Immigration & Global Mobility practice guides corporate clients and individuals through complex global immigration challenges worldwide.

Clark Hill’s Outbound Immigration & Global Mobility practice guides corporate clients and individuals through complex global immigration challenges worldwide.

With ever-changing market trends in construction — think the Las Vegas boom in the early 2000’s and data centers now — contractors pursue work where it is available, even if that means traveling to a state...

As artificial intelligence workloads drive unprecedented electricity demand, data center developers are confronting a fundamental infrastructure crisis that is reshaping power procurement strategies.

In the post-pandemic world, office leasing has continued to grow year over year, but the strength of the growth is inconsistent across the asset class.

As commercial real estate faces an 88% surge in insurance premiums and mounting climate risks, ESG and sustainability considerations have evolved from optional initiatives to critical determinants of asset value and institutional lending requirements. With California's SB 253 and similar regulations demanding auditable emissions data alongside stricter building performance standards like NYC's Local Law 97, the industry confronts a complex patchwork of compliance requirements that will reshape investment st

The Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA) establishes new federal reporting requirements for cybersecurity incidents affecting critical infrastructure sectors, including commercial real estate facilities. Organizations in these sectors must navigate complex compliance obligations, including 72-hour incident reporting and 24-hour ransomware payment notifications, while implementing robust internal processes to meet increasingly strict regulatory deadlines.