Weekly report
01 · Executive summary
PinkSlipped's Policy Radar for the week of October 12, 2026: Two dates now matter for anyone facing a layoff. Since Oct 1, Connecticut employers must tell the state Department of Labor whether a layoff is related to AI. From Jan 1, California layoff notices must say so on the notice itself, including which tasks AI will take over.
Each entry below names its source. Policy Radar is an editorial briefing, not legal advice: confirm the current text with the legislature or an attorney before relying on any item, and don't assume a proposal applies to your situation.
In brief
Landscape: 3 in effect, 3 enacted for a future date and 1 still a proposal.
02 · State-by-state tracker
Sort the table or narrow it to the status, type, or state that matters to you.
When a covered layoff is caused in whole or in substantial part by AI or automation, the notice must say so and list the jobs, the tasks being automated and the technology used.
Primary source ↗Employers can't rely solely on an automated decision system to discipline or fire someone; when they rely primarily on one, a person must review and corroborate the decision.
Primary source ↗Reenacted Colorado's law on automated decision-making. The Department of Law released interim draft rules on Oct 6, 2026; written comments are due Oct 26.
Primary source ↗Since Oct 1, 2026, employers filing WARN notices must tell the state Department of Labor whether the layoff is related to AI or other technological change. Notice rules for AI used in employment decisions start Oct 1, 2027.
Primary source ↗Bars employers from using AI in ways that discriminate in hiring, firing and other employment decisions, and requires notice when AI is used. The state withdrew its proposed rules on June 2, 2026, with no new timeline.
Primary source ↗Advanced unanimously from the Senate Labor Committee on Oct 1, 2026. Would require a third-party impact assessment before employers use automated tools in personnel decisions, and limit workplace monitoring.
Primary source ↗Employers using automated tools to screen candidates or employees for hiring or promotion in New York City need an annual bias audit and must notify candidates. Enforced since July 5, 2023.
Primary source ↗03 · This week's movers
When a covered layoff is caused in whole or in substantial part by AI or automation, the notice must say so and list the jobs, the tasks being automated and the technology used.
This is the first law that puts the reason on the page a worker is handed. A notice marked as a technology displacement is the employer's own account of why the job ended, in writing. Keep it.
Source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB951 ↗
Employers can't rely solely on an automated decision system to discipline or fire someone; when they rely primarily on one, a person must review and corroborate the decision.
From July 2027, an algorithm can't be the only reason someone in California is let go. If a tool shaped a decision about you, it's fair to ask who reviewed it. The law says someone has to.
Source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB947 ↗
Since Oct 1, 2026, employers filing WARN notices must tell the state Department of Labor whether the layoff is related to AI or other technological change. Notice rules for AI used in employment decisions start Oct 1, 2027.
The answer goes to the state, not onto the notice a worker receives. From October 2027, employers that use AI tools in decisions about people must tell them before the decision is made.
Reenacted Colorado's law on automated decision-making. The Department of Law released interim draft rules on Oct 6, 2026; written comments are due Oct 26.
Rules decide what a law means in practice. The comment window is open to anyone until Oct 26, and the public hearing is that morning, in person or online.
Source: https://coag.gov/ai/ ↗
Bars employers from using AI in ways that discriminate in hiring, firing and other employment decisions, and requires notice when AI is used. The state withdrew its proposed rules on June 2, 2026, with no new timeline.
The law has applied since January; only the detailed rules are missing. If AI was used in a decision about your job in Illinois, the statute already required your employer to tell you.
Employers using automated tools to screen candidates or employees for hiring or promotion in New York City need an annual bias audit and must notify candidates. Enforced since July 5, 2023.
This one matters on the way back in. If you're applying for jobs in New York City, an employer using these tools has to tell you and publish a summary of its bias audit.
Source: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/about/automated-employment-decision-tools.page ↗
Advanced unanimously from the Senate Labor Committee on Oct 1, 2026. Would require a third-party impact assessment before employers use automated tools in personnel decisions, and limit workplace monitoring.
Early, but the approach is notable: a tool has to be shown fit for purpose before it touches anyone's job. Correction: our Oct 5 issue said S1840 advanced. The committee discussed S1840 but did not vote on it.
04 · Federal watch
Federal agencies and courts can narrow or delay state protections. Each item below names the agency involved.
05 · Worker rights corner
It depends on where you work, what the system did, and which laws apply. California's ban on relying solely on an automated system to discipline or fire someone starts July 1, 2027, and it isn't a nationwide rule. Anti-discrimination and other employment laws can still apply now.
Keep the complete notice, emails, screenshots, assessment results, job criteria, dates, names of any vendor or tool, and the employer's explanation. Do not alter records. Ask in writing whether an automated system contributed and whether a person reviewed the result.
Not always. A law can be signed long before it takes effect. Check the effective date in the tracker above and the current official text.
06 · Engagement opportunities
The hearing above is open to the public.
No sign-on letter is listed this week.
Use your state legislature's official member lookup and reference the exact bill ID.
Cite this
According to PinkSlipped's Policy Radar, which tracks state and federal AI employment laws, …
Source: PinkSlipped's Policy Radar (gotpinkslipped.com/policy-radar/2026-10-12)