South Carolina and Rhode Island Add to Growing List of Required State New Hire Forms

States are increasing the number of laws aimed at protecting workers.  As a result employers have a growing list of responsibilities.  Distributing state new hire forms is one of the first steps to complying with many of these laws.  In fact, more than 50 bills have been introduced  with state new hire forms' requirements from 2016 to-date (based on Equifax counts). Two of the most recent bills are from South Carolina and Rhode Island.

South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodations Act:

• South Carolina requires employers with 15+ employees to provide accommodation to employees who have medical needs related to pregnancy and childbirth
• Additionally, employers must notify their employees and new hires of this law
• The new hire notification requirement was originally set to go into effect immediately upon signing on May 17, 2018
• Because of confusion around compliance deadlines the South Carolina General Counsel's Human Affairs Commission has confirmed that for enforcement purposes, the Agency will not require compliance for new hires and existing employees until September 14, 2018

Rhode Island Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces:

• Rhode Island requires employers with 18+ employees to provide at least 24 hours of paid sick and safe leave
• Employers with less than 18 employees must provide at least 24 hours of unpaid sick leave
• Additionally, employees should be notified of their rights under this law by their employers

Connected and Automated State New Hire Forms Solution

Equifax was tracking both the South Carolina and Rhode Island legislation so we were able to quickly add the new forms to our State Onboarding Compliance solution helping to keep our clients compliant from the start. Our State Onboarding Compliance solution tracks legislation and helps you get the right form to the right employee at the right time to help keep you on-top-of evolving state required new hire notifications. Check out our State Onboarding Compliance solution in action by registering for one of our upcoming Compliance Center demos.

We are not providing legal advice. For a legal opinion, please consult your lawyer.