Business Law

10 laws every Texas business owner should know

One important aspect of any business is employees. They’re often responsible for creating the products, and they even help define the values of the company. Because this is such an important part of any business, there are many laws in place to protect both the employee and employer.

North Texas Legal News covered ten major employment laws that every Texas business owner should know. Give them a read below:

• Fair Labor & Standard Act (FLSA) establishes the minimum wage at $7.25 per hour, requires an overtime pay rate at least one-half times the regular pay, and applies to nearly every business the United States (the only exclusion is purely local businesses with less than $500,000 a year in revenue).
• Texas Minimum Wage Act applies to all private employers of any size, establishes a minimum wage for non-exempt employees in accordance with the FLSA’s minimum wage, and requires the employers to provide written earnings statements concerning the employee’s pay.
• The Equal Pay Act (EPA) applies to all private businesses of any size and makes it illegal to pay different wages to men and women who perform equal work.
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to any private business with at least 15 employees and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, and sex.
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) applies to any private business with at least 20 employees and prohibits discrimination against employees ages 40 and older.
• Title I and V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1999 (ADA) applies to any private business with at least 15 employees and prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities.
• The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) applies to any private business with 4 to 14 employees and prohibits discrimination on the bases of national origin or citizenship status.
• The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) applies to any private business with at least 50 employees and allows eligible employees to take up to 12 workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for the birth of a child, placement of a child in foster care or adoption, a serious health condition, and/or any qualifying urgency related to a family member called for active duty.
• The Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) applies to all private businesses of any size and requires each employer to provide a place of employment that is free from hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm.
• The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA) applies to all private businesses of any size and requires employers to reemploy returning service members in the same position they would have kept had they not been deployed to military service.

This is a long list of regulations a Texas business must follow, and it doesn’t even cover the tip of the iceberg. Violating (or leading an employee to believe you’ve violated) one or more of these laws could result in a legal case that takes time and money away from your business.