Keeping Up;

 

To get information on the laws in your city or state, you should check with the local human-rights commission or whatever the equivalent is of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Typically these are state entities, but a few cities such as New York and San Francisco have their own antidiscrimination laws and enforcement agencies.

The agencies appointed to enforce antidiscrimination laws are often also the first to judge discrimination complaints. In many cases an employee must use the agency's administrative procedures to resolve a complaint before he or she can take the employer to court. Thus, these agencies are most familiar with the practical intricacies of the law, and their policies are influential.

Often, they'll be able to provide brochures explaining your responsibilities under the laws they administer. Keep in mind, however, that on some points at least, they're offering their own interpretation of the law. Courts may not always agree.

Your local or industry trade associations can also be very good sources of information on laws and on changes in laws that affect your business generally.

For information on how a law will affect your particular business on a particular situation, you'd probably be best off to confer first with your own lawyer.