At a Glance
- New regulations at the federal, state, and local levels were issued or introduced this past year.
- This roundup provides a summary of select regulatory actions that impact the workplace.
As 2026 approaches, many employers have been familiarizing themselves with new laws addressing everything from protected leaves to required employee notices and benefits offerings. Employers should also be aware of regulatory updates, which further clarify or add to their obligations under the law and can carry penalties for noncompliance. While some regulations simply codify enacted legislation into the state’s administrative code, federal, state, and even local agencies are authorized to make significant changes to employment-related rules. As the year concludes, there are regulatory updates, both final and pending, on which employers should educate themselves for 2025 and beyond.
Note that this recap provides a summary of notable generally applicable labor and employment regulations that were enacted or proposed in 2025, and is not meant to be all-inclusive. Employers with questions about specific regulations or their obligations under a new regulation should consult with counsel.
Federal
Federal government agencies have broad powers to reshape or entirely rescind regulations, which can shift employer obligations nationwide, sometimes with little notice. Since January 2025, the Trump administration has molded the federal regulatory landscape to its legislative and policy...
The Indiana Citizen Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith is urging lawmakers to criminalize making false claims about the creation or distribution of artificial intelligence-generated pornography, sayi...