Sexual Harassment Training Laws in Effect in 6 States
California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New York and New York City
Statewide Laws in Effect
- California
Effective Date: Jan. 1, 2019
Employers Affected: Employers with five or more employees, including temporary or seasonal workers
Employers must provide at least two hours of sexual harassment training to all employees with supervisor duties and at least one hour of training to all employees without supervisor duties by Jan. 1, 2020, and once every two years after that.
- Connecticut
Effective Date: Oct. 1, 2019
Employers Affected: Employers with three or more employees
Employers must provide at least two hours of training to all employees by Oct. 1, 2020 or within six months of hiring thereafter.
- Delaware
Effective Date: Jan. 1, 2019
Employers Affected: Employers with 50 or more employees in Delaware
Employers must train new employees within a year of their start date and every two years after that in addition to training current employees before Jan. 1, 2020.
- Illinois
Effective Date: Jan. 1, 2020
Employers Affected: Employers with 15 or more employees
The Department of Human Rights will develop and adopt a sexual harassment training program, which all employers will use, unless they establish another that “equals or exceeds the minimum standards provided by the model.” Employers must provide this training at least once a year.
- Maine
Effective Date: Nov. 1, 2017
Employers Affected: Employers with 15 or more employees
Employers must use a checklist developed by the Maine Department of Labor in developing the sexual harassment training program they must use to train every employee within one year of his or her start date.
- New York
Effective Date: April 12, 2018
Employers Affected: All employers
Employers must provide employees an annual, interactive sexual harassment training by Oct. 9, 2019. The training needs to include an explanation of sexual harassment, examples of conduct that amounts to sexual harassment and the ways employees can report sexual harassment.
Local Laws in Effect
- New York City
Effective Date: April 1, 2019
Employers Affected: Employers with more than 15 employees
Employers must train any employee within 90 days of their hiring. The law outlines what training must cover, which includes an explanation of sexual harassment, the employer’s complaint process, bystander intervention and the responsibilities of supervisors and managers.
