The first half of 2026 brought significant changes to hiring compliance, demanding employers explain decisions, document reasoning, and ensure fairness. Criminal history checks now require individualized assessments and applicant response, with state laws and Clean Slate initiatives altering record access. Credit history use is increasingly restricted, exemplified by New York's ban on most checks unless job-specific. Pay transparency and history bans are expanding, necessitating defensible ranges and consistent practices, especially for remote roles. Cannabis compliance remains fragmented, requiring careful navigation of medical, recreational, and testing rules, distinguishing between use and impairment. Finally, AI in hiring faces growing regulation emphasizing transparency and human oversight, while employment authorization (I-9) compliance is dynamic with evolving guidance and stricter enforcement, making adaptability and proactive auditing crucial for employers.
The first half of 2026 has reinforced a significant change in the way hiring compliance operates.
Across criminal history, compensation, cannabis, artificial intelligence, immigration, and other areas, lawmakers and regulators are increasingly asking employers to explain how decisions are made, document their reasoning, maintain meaningful oversight, and demonstrate that their processes are fair, consistent, and defensible.
The rules are changing. So is what compliance requires. A policy may describe the rule....
OREM — A Utah psychiatrist charged with making false claims for medical benefits, is now accused of accessing child sex abuse material while awaiting trial. Thomas Eugene Draschil, 49, of Orem, wa...