Labor & Employment Law Update

As employers keep their eye on compliance, here are some notable employment law changes that will be effective in the coming months.

On August 14, 2025, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Illinois House Bill 1189, which amends the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (IPWA) in a way that impacts how “public work” projects are defined and labor hours are paid on federal construction projects in Illinois.

A recent decision from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals tackled the question of when an employer is obligated to provide leave as a disability accommodation when the leave request is for an indefinite length of time. In Coffman v. Nexstar Media Inc., the Fourth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a former employee’s claims under the West Virginia Human Rights Act  and the Family and Medical Leave Act, finding that her request for additional leave after a six-month absence and no definite return date was not a reasonable accommodation. The Fourth Circuit’s ruling highlights that while employers must provide reasonable accommodations for disabilities, they are not required to grant open-ended or indefinite leave to satisfy their obligations.

Join Amundsen Davis for a complimentary webcast series, Breakfast Briefing, on August 20 for a timely discussion on managing today's remote workforce, including multi-state team members, while staying compliant with national and state law.

On July 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) released updated E-Verify compliance information related to revoked Employment Authorization Documents (“EADs”) for certain noncitizens whose parole status under the CHNV (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela) parole program has been terminated.

This stems from a decision on May 30, 2025, in which the U.S. Supreme Court allowed DHS to terminate CHNV parole and revoke the work authorization status for individuals in the program. As a result, DHS indicated that it is revoking the EADs to individuals on a case-by-case basis. DHS indicated it has issued direct notifications informing affected individuals of the termination of their parole and revocation of their parole-based EADs. E-Verify employers must be aware of and understand these new compliance obligations related to revoked EADs.

2025 is halfway over, and already, there has been significant activity and legal developments throughout the U.S. on the state and local level.  Below is a recap of notable laws enacted throughout the U.S. that have become effective within the first half of 2025. 

A little less than a year ago, businesses were scrambling to get ready for the then-impending Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) final rule that would have blocked nearly all non-compete agreements between employers and employees. A Texas federal district court put all of that on hold in August 2024, holding that the FTC didn’t have the authority to issue the non-compete rule.

Since then, the issue has largely faded from headlines as businesses continued on as before the FTC rule. Questions remain, though, about the status of the rule and steps states are taking to regulate (or not) this popular tool in employers’ arsenals to protect their hard-earned goodwill and prevent unfair competition in the market.

In our recent webcast, “Terminating the Problem Employee,” Labor & Employment Partner Jeff Risch shared key considerations for employers looking to terminate a “problem employee” while avoiding controversy and litigation. Here are our key takeaways from the event.

In handling thousands of disputes and controversies under Illinois’s ever-expanding prevailing wage law for 25 years, we have seen the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (IPWA) expanded to include very specific non-construction related tasks as “public works”—and thus, covered work under the state’s notorious prevailing wage law. However, the latest change is a real head-turn! For the first time, prevailing wage mandates under the IPWA specifically include workers who simply inspect a fixture/structure.

The IPWA becomes more complex and complicated by the day. Construction contractors must have an intimate understanding of all substantive and technical requirements of the law. Learn about the new liabilities, fines and penalties effective June 2025.