2005 State by State Guide to Human Resources Law is the most comprehensive, authoritative guide To The employment laws of the 50 states And The District of Columbia. it is designed to provide quick access to each state's laws on the expanding number of issues and concerns facing business executives and their advisorsiquest;the professionals in Human Resources, Compensation, and Employee Benefits who work in multijurisdictional environments. 2005 State by State Guide to Human Resources Law incorporates a large number of substantive changes and valuable additions To The existing material, As follows: The 'Trends and Controversies' section features commentary on many recent development Part 1 includes many new cases to reflect recent judicial decisions defining the parameters of enforceable noncompetition clauses in employment contracts Part 2 contains updated tables on protected classifications under state fair employment; a discussion of the applicability of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines to state fair employment practice enforcement; a discussion of the latest judicial decisions that recognize the similarities and differences between federal and state statutes prohibiting discrimination in the workplace; and discussion of recent cases and legislation from California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington that recognize differences between federal and state employment laws. Part 3 contains updated coverage of wage and hour laws, including requirements for minimum wage, overtime, frequency of payment, recordkeeping, and employment of minors. Discussion of the Illinois legislation rejecting federal changes to overtime exemptions is also included. Part 4 covers new developments in case law and provides information on recent legislation regarding how to avoid having employee handbooks construed as employment contracts. Part 5 contains revised and updated information about state-mandated employee benefits; information about recent developments in laws regulating payments due upon termination, death, and severance from employment; and new cases dealing with issues that have been the subject of recent litigation under both the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and individual state family and medical leave laws. Part 7 has been expanded to cover important changes to state legislation governing testing for drugs. Business executives and their professional advisors today face an increasingly complex web of law and regulation with regard To The human resources function. Actions of both the federal And The state governments have placed increasing burdens and responsibilities on business relating To The treatment of applicants and employees. And the courts, both federal and state, have also involved themselves in how employers may deal with applicants and employees, importing legal concepts and doctrines of long standing into the domain of the employer-employee relationship.