All Articles

Intro Delaware is starting the money side of its paid family and medical leave program. Workers will not see benefits right away, but they will see a new line in their paycheck that funds future time off. What Changed Beginning January 1, 2025, covered employers have to start payroll deductions for the state Paid Family and Medical Leave program. The first major due date for sending those contributions to the state is April 30, 2025.For now, the change looks like a smaller ta

Intro Connecticut is extending paid sick leave to more workers, especially in smaller workplaces that used to offer nothing when people stayed home sick. That matters for anyone who cannot afford to lose even one day of pay. What Changed On January 1, 2025, the state’s paid sick leave law expands to cover employers with twenty-five or more employees. Two more steps are already scheduled for 2026 and 2027, when even smaller employers will be pulled into the system. Workers in

Intro Kentucky is opening a legal path for patients to use marijuana as medicine. For people who have tried every approved treatment without relief, this turns a risky side option into something they can talk about openly with their doctor. What Changed Starting January 1, 2025, people with qualifying medical conditions and a physician’s approval can apply for a state medical marijuana patient identification card. That card is the key to buying medical cannabis from approved

Intro Medicare started paying doctors a little less this year, and it’s making life harder for both patients and clinics, especially in small towns. What Changed Doctor payments through Medicare dropped about three percent as last year’s small boost expired. For big hospital systems it’s annoying, but for solo and rural doctors, it’s serious. Some are cutting hours. Some won’t take new Medicare patients at all. Older people in small towns now drive an hour for a check-up that

Intro The new year brings raises for millions of low wage workers across the country. On January 1 2025, minimum wages increase in twenty one states all at once. What Changed These combined state increases affect an estimated 9.2 million workers and add about 5.7 billion dollars in pay. Washington State leads the pack with a minimum wage of 16.66 dollars per hour, one of the highest in the nation. Workers in those states see more money in each paycheck without waiting for fed

Intro Workers who make chips, build factories, drive trucks, or teach trade skills are seeing changes near Sherman, Texas, and Lehi, Utah. The new chip-making push is reshaping those towns fast. What Changed The federal government committed $1.61 billion to Texas Instruments to support three chip plants, two in Sherman and one in Lehi. Construction workers, electricians, welders, engineers, and mechanics are being hired in waves. New apartments and stores are going up, too. L

Intro A rule from 2024 that was supposed to give more people overtime pay got stopped in court. Folks earning just above the line for overtime had waited months to see what would happen, and now they’re stuck in limbo again. What Changed Two Texas courts threw out big pieces of the Labor Department’s overtime update, one ruling in early November, another in mid-December. That update would have raised the cutoff for who qualifies for extra pay when they work long weeks. With t