Breanna Timko

BLOG OVERVIEW: California closed its 2026 legislative session with a wave of AI measures pointing toward documented, independently verifiable AI governance in the workplace. Governor Newsom signed SB 813 and AB 1405 on September 9, 2026, directing the Government Operations Agency to build an AI audit infrastructure: a framework for designating Independent Verification Organizations by January 1, 2028, and a registry of AI auditors conducting "covered AI audits" by January 1, 2029.

BLOG OVERVIEW: State and local AI laws governing hiring and selection procedures are already in effect with more on the way. Employers can take seven practical steps right now to build a scalable AI compliance strategy, from inventorying selection procedures and understanding bias audit requirements to conducting proactive audits and gathering validation evidence.

BLOG OVERVIEW: Despite the Trump Administration’s Executive Order 14281 directing federal agencies to deprioritize disparate impact enforcement and the EEOC’s decision to close disparate-impact-only investigations, four states—California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois—have recently enacted laws that codify disparate impact liability at the state level, with some formally adopting the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP).