Nevada’s legislature was busy in 2017, wrapping up their legislative session in June with the passage of more than a dozen significant employment-related bills. The majority of the bills were signed into law, although the governor did veto a few. These laws, some of which are listed below, affect workers in Nevada. Some changes went into effect in 2017 while others went into effect in 2018.
Changes in Nevada Employment Laws
Below are some Nevada employment laws that you should be aware of in 2018:
- Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act (PWFA): the PWFA went into effect October 1, 2017 and applies to Nevada companies with 15 or more employees who were employed for a minimum of 20 weeks in 2016 or 2017. Employers must provide reasonable accommodations and refrain from discriminating against applicants or employees based on their pregnancy or childbirth-related conditions. This includes providing reasonable accommodations when requested unless it would impose an undue hardship on the business;
- Nursing Mother’s Accommodation Act (NMAA): Employers, no matter if they are private or public entities, must now provide employees who are mothers of children under the age of one with reasonable break time (with or without pay) to express milk as needed and a place (other than a bathroom) to do so that is protected from the view of others, reasonably free from dirt and pollution, and free from intrusion by others. The NMAA went into effect July 1, 2017;
- Enforceability of Non-Compete Agreements: Effective June 3, 2017, Nevada law now requires a non-compete covenant be supported by valuable consideration, does not impose a restraint that is greater than necessary for the protection of the employer for whose benefit the restraint has been put in place, does not impose an undue hardship on the individual employee, and imposes restrictions that are appropriate in relation to the valuable consideration received as part of the agreement;
- Wage Transparency: Nevada law was also amended to protect employees from discrimination for asking about, discussing, or voluntarily disclosing wages (their own, or those of others). These changes, also effective June 3, 2017, do not apply to employees whose essential job functions involve access to the salary information of other employees;
- Domestic Violence Leave: Effective January 1, 2018, employers in Nevada must provide employees who have been employed for a minimum of 90 days and are victims of domestic violence — or whose family or household member has been a victim — up to 160 hours of leave within a 12 month period. This is assuming the employee is not the aggressor of domestic violence.
Keep Informed on Nevada Employment Laws
It is important to know your rights under the ever-changing Nevada employment laws. Your employer should update its employee handbook and other personnel documents to reflect these changes. Do not let yourself be taken advantage of, as these rights are owed to you under state law. If you or someone you know has questions contact the knowledgeable attorneys at H & P today.
