Arizona

Employment. A new law (formerly H.B. 2541 [1]) recently approved in Arizona clarifies how employers can interact with workers who use medical marijuana. The law protects employers who take good faith actions based on a perception that an employee is impaired in the workplace. The law also allows employers to monitor employees using medical marijuana to ensure that they are performing duties effectively.

Employers are protected from litigation if they prohibit medical marijuana users from performing “safety sensitive” duties. Employers have latitude in establishing what is considered a safety-sensitive position, but examples include any job that can affect the health or safety of others. Operating a motor vehicle, operating machinery or power tools, and repairing or monitoring certain equipment are all considered safety-sensitive positions under the law.

Georgia

Immigration. Georgia Governor Na­than Deal has signed a bill (H.B. 87 [2]) into law that will require employers in the state to take steps to ensure that they aren’t hiring illegal immigrants. Employers with more than 10 employees are required to use the federal government’s E-Verify system to determine whether a prospective employee is in the United States illegally. Other aspects of the law are identical to Arizona’s controversial law, which is currently under judicial review. Critics of the law expect that there will be legal challenges to the law before it goes into effect in January 2012.