Localities such as cit
ies or counties have been enacting their own wage and hour requirements for quite a few years now. Dozens of cities in California and New Jersey have their own sick leave laws as well as higher than state minimum wages. New Mexico has local minimum wages as does Washington. But it seems the state legislators are starting to fight back. With the assistance of groups such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) model bills (draft legislation that legislators may customize and introduce) have passed in several states. The latest states to pass such legislation are Arkansas and Iowa. These bill basically forbid the local governments from passing any type of law relating to minimum wage, living minimum rates, employment leave or benefits, hiring practices or any condition of employment that is more generous than the federal or state law. Whether cities will fight back in the courts, or if they even can, remains to be seen. Miami Beach recently tried to establish its own minimum wage despite Florida having passed its own version of the ALEC legislation. The court struck down the Miami Beach ordinance. So the fight continues. Payroll professionals need to monitor local minimum wage and sick leave ordinances to ensure compliance but remember these ordinances can be fleeting if the state has passed the ALEC-style legislation.
