A new Oregon law, the Job Fairness Act (effective in July), will greatly restrict most state employers’ abilities to perform credit checks on applicants and employees.   Hawaii and Washington already significantly restrict such checks and many other states are considering such restrictions as well.

Also, the Oregon Supreme Court has decided that employers need not accommodate an employee’s use of medical marijuana, even though the state does permit such use.( Emerald Steel Fabricators, Inc. v. Bureau of Labor and Industries.)

Indiana’s Possession of Firearms and Ammunition in Locked Vehicles Law becomes effective on July 1, 2010.  It allows Indiana employees to store firearms and ammunition in locked trunks, the glove box of a locked vehicle, or otherwise out of plain sight in a locked vehicle.

The Iowa Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act was signed March 22, 2010, and will become effective July 1, 2010. It applies to organizations of 25 or more and requires notice of business closings and mass layoffs.