“April showers bring May flowers” — or, at a minimum, more states proposing pay transparency bills. Many states’ legislatures adjourn in early May, but we will keep a close eye on the others who will still be conducting business into the summer months.
Oregon
The Oregon State Senate proposed SB 925. If passed, it would be unlawful for organizations to post a job advertisement, promotion, or job transfer without including a salary range and a general description of benefits in the job posting. The salary range has to be a “good faith” range that the employer would pay for the role at the time of posting. This language is similar to the requirements in California and New York City.
Additionally, employers will be required to provide current employees with their pay range and a general description of benefits at least once per year. Pay communication legislation like this is becoming more and more common as more pay transparency laws are enacted.
This law would also require employers to maintain records of each employee’s job title, salary history, and employment benefits for the duration of their employment and for at least an additional two (2) years following their departure.
Washington, D.C.
The Washington, D.C. City Council proposed Bill 25-194. If passed, this would require employers with 25 or more employees who work in Washington, D.C. to include the salary range for any posted job and a schedule of benefits. This does not include federal government employers. The schedule of benefits includes bonuses, benefits, stocks, bonds, options, equity, or ownership that an employee may receive.
U.S. Congress — Federal Legislation
The United States House of Representatives introduced H.R.1599, the “Salary Transparency Act.” If passed, employers would be required to disclose a wage range to employees upon hire, upon request by an employee, and annually thereafter. “Wage range” not only includes base salary, but other forms of compensation as well.
In case you missed it:
Kentucky’s and South Dakota’s pay transparency legislation had a good run, but both bills failed before they could get passed. While these bills will not be passed this session, we will keep track to see if they get reintroduced in a subsequent session.
Payscale’s pay transparency solution
At Payscale, we believe in helping our customers approach pay transparency with confidence. We do this by:
- Understanding their competitive landscape and determining a strong data strategy
- Evaluating current employee pay against the market to ensure competitive and fair compensation across the organization
- Implementing standardized and scalable practices with job architectures and salary ranges
- Providing an added layer of confidence to pay transparency practices by offering technology and resources focused on pay equity analysis, job description management, compensation planning, and effective communications about pay
Learn more about how Payscale can help your organization achieve pay transparency.
Want to learn more from our experts?
- Check out the most recent episode of our pay legislation webinar series. Join Payscale’s Chief Product Evangelist Ruth Thomas and Senior Corporate Attorney–Employment Lulu Seikaly as they discuss how to infuse transparency into your salary ranges.
