March 2026 Labor Law Updates

The following states have labor law updates scheduled to take effect in March of 2026:

• California
• Georgia
• Mississippi
• New York
• Ohio
• Texas

There are also federal labor law updates scheduled for March 2026.

California Labor Law Updates for March 2026

California employers should be aware of the following updates to compliance requirements as of March 2026:

California Workplace Know Your Rights Act (SB 294)

Employers should be aware that the deadline to allow employees to designate an emergency
contact is March 30th, 2026 under California SB 294. Employees must also indicate whether or not the emergency contact should be notified in the event the employee is arrested or detained at work. 

For employees hired after March 30, 2026, employers must provide the opportunity to name an emergency contact at the time of hire. Employees must also be allowed to update this information at any time during employment.

The requirement to provide the new “Know Your Rights” Notice first went into effect on February 1st, 2026. These notices must be distributed in the employee’s primary language when available, and records must be kept for three years.

Georgia Labor Law Updates for March 2026

Georgia employers should be aware of the following updates to compliance requirements as of March 2026:

Amendments to State Law on Labour Migration

Effective March 1st, 2026, employers must adhere to new requirements when employing a foreign national. 

The new requirements include:

• The acquisition of a work permit after concluding an employment contract by the employer
• If the employee is in Georgia - the acquisition of a  residence permit by the employee within 30 days of the work permit being issued
• If the employee is outside Georgia - the acquisition of a D1 category visa

It's worth noting that a residence permit / D1 visa is not required if the foreign national already holds a residence permit (on any basis) or works remotely without entering Georgia. If an employee enters Georgia while working remotely, however, this may result in the work permit being revoked. 

Employers must notify the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health, and Social Affairs of Georgia in the event of early termination of the contract as well as changes in the terms of the contract within 5 calendar days. 

Mississippi Labor Law Updates for March 2026

Mississippi employers should be aware of the following updates to compliance requirements as of March 2026:

New Tier for the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS)

A new tier for the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi was created with the passage of House Bill 1 of the 2025 Mississippi Legislative Session. The new tier is regarded as "PERS Tier 5". The tier is a hybrid of a defined benefit (DB) pension plan and a defined contribution (DC) plan.

Membership for the newtier is reserved for employees in PERS-covered positions hired on or after March 1st, 2026, and:

• Employees new to PERS
• Employees that were previously members of PERS but refunded

Members of the new tier will pay a mandatory 9% of their salary into the defined benefit pension plan, and a mandatory 5% into the defined contribution plan. Members must have 8 years of service in order to participate in vesting.

New York Labor Law Updates for March 2026

New York employers should be aware of the following updates to compliance requirements as of March 2026:

New York Secure Choice Savings Program Begins

Employers with 10 or more employees that do not offer a qualified retirement plan, and have been in business for at least two years, are now required to register for the New York Secure Choice Savings Program. 

The first deadline, which applies to employers wth 30 or more employees, is March 18th, 2026.

Registering involves setting up an ID and password, answering questions about your company and payroll process, completing payment setup, and then adding employees.

Employers can invite a payroll representative to help with registration, which can be a payroll provider. For help finding the best payroll provider in your area, contact us today.

Once registration is complete, the program will communicate directly with employees to explain options. Employees will then have 30 days to opt out or customize their savings rate and investment choices. After the 30 days, employers will need to record employee choices, begin payroll deductions, and submit contribution information and funding for the employees who choose to stay in the program.

New Appointment and Promotion Letter Requirement for Public Sector Employers

Effective March 19th, 2026, employers in the public sector in the state of New York must adhere to new requirements regarding Appointment and Promotion Letters.

Now, when extending an offer of appointment or promotion, the appointing authority must provide an appointment letter within fourteen days of the effective date of such appointment.

The letter must include: 

• The appointment type being offered, whether permanent, provisional, temporary, temporary pending commission approval, or any other appointment type authorized by law, rule, or regulation.
• The position type and, if the position is not a permanent position, the expected duration of the appointment, and, if the position is not a full-time position, the expected percentage of time at work per week.
• The jurisdictional class of the position.
• If a probationary period is required upon appointment, the duration range of said period, and any related tenure rights.
• The starting salary or wages that the person would earn upon appointment, and the full salary range of the title.

Ohio Labor Law Updates for March 2026

Ohio employers should be aware of the following updates to compliance requirements as of March 2026:

E-Verify Workforce Integrity Act

Effective March 20th, 2026, employers in the Ohio nonresidential construction industry must register and use E-Verify to verify the employment authorization of all new hires under the new E-Verify Workforce Integrity Act. 

Other requirements include: 

• Employers must register as an E-Verify employer if they have not already done so
• Create an E-Verify case for all new hires employed by the E-Verify employer
• Promptly terminate individuals who are the subject of a Final Nonconfirmation
• Maintain E-Verify records as required by law for the latter of three years from the date of hire or one year from the date of termination

The attorney general of Ohio is authorized to investigate suspected violations. If a company is found in non-compliance, penalties can include fines, debarment from future state contracts, and suspension or revocation of business licenses.

Important to note is that the requirements under this law DO NOT replace Form I-9 requirements.

Texas Labor Law Updates for March 2026

Texas employers should be aware of the following updates to compliance requirements as of March 2026:

Update On Investigation Into H-1B Visa Abuse

On January 27th, 2026, Governor Greg Abbott directed all Texas state agencies and universities to freeze new H-1B visa petitions in a state letter, in order to launch a review of the current H1-B visa program. This freeze is set to last through May 31st, 2027. 

As a result, all state agencies controlled by a government-appointed head and public institutions of higher education were required to file a report with the Texas Workforce Commission. 

The deadline for this report is March 27th, 2026. The report must include: 

• How many new and renewal petitions the entity submitted for H-1B visas in 2025
• How many H-1B visa holders the entity currently sponsors
• The countries of origin of all H-1B visa holders the entity currently sponsors
• Job classifications and descriptions for each visa holder the entity currently sponsors
• The anticipated expiration date for each visa holder the entity currently sponsors
• Documentation demonstrating efforts to provide qualified Texas candidates with a
  reasonable opportunity to apply for each position filled by a H-1B visa holder before a new petition was submitted for that position

Federal Labor Law Updates for March 2026

All employers should be aware of the following updates to compliance requirements as of March 2026:

New OSHA Form 300A Posting and Reporting Requirements

The deadline for required employers to electronically submit Form 300A data through OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA) is March 2nd, 2026. 

Required employers include: 

• All employers with 250 or more employees
• Employers with 20 - 249 employees in an industry listed as a “high-hazard”
  • “High-hazard” establishments with 100 or more employees may also be
    required to submit OSHA Forms 300 and 301 through ITA

As a reminder, from February 1st, 2026 through April 30th, 2026, employers who are not classified as “partially exempt” based on their NAICS code and who had 11 or more employees at any point in 2025 must post OSHA Form 300A in a conspicuous location at each establishment of the workplace.

Postings are required even if no recordable incidents occur.