New employment laws could affect your California business' day-to-day operations and company policies in 2012. The Chamber of Commerce has published a white paper "An Overview of New 2012 Laws Affecting California Employers" that contains detailed information on the changes in the law and how each of these California laws could affect your business.  

New Laws for 2012:

• Credit Check
• Pregnancy Disability Leave
• Willful Misclassification of Independent Contractors
• Written Commission Agreement
• Notice of Pay Details
• Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Leave
• Genetic Information
• Gender Expression
• E-Verify
• Interference With Rights Under Leave Laws
• Administrative Penalties
• Wage Penalties
• Farm Labor Contractors - Wage Notices
• Agricultural Labor Relations
• Insurance Non-Discrimination Act
• State Contracts - Gender or Sexual Orientation Discrimination
• Apprentice Programs
• Safe Lifting - Hospitals
• Workers' Compensation 
• DFEH Procedural Regulations

The November 6 elections for President and Congress - just 11 days away - have one thing in common: They're tight races across the board, and where some incumbents of either party might be expected to have comfortable leads, polling numbers show most key races in statistical dead heats. Analysts now generally agree former front-burner issues - foreign policy, social issues such as abortion rights, and immigration - are quickly moving to the background as most voters this week tell pollsters their priorities in this election are mostly the "personal" economic issues, including jobs, taxes and health care costs.  

The presidential contest has also narrowed based on the same focus on the economy, and as of October 26, 2012, of six national public opinion polls among likely voters, Mitt Romney leads narrowly in five, and is tied with President Obama in the sixth. The Electoral College count - it takes 270 votes to win - shows Romney able to tentatively claim 206 votes, with Obama taking 201, leaving 131 electoral votes in play. In the key presidential election states - Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, Iowa and Nevada - Romney and Obama are effectively tied, and the leads enjoyed by Obama in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa are narrowing. In key Senate races in Indiana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Virginia, Massachusetts, Montana and Nevada, almost all are statistical tie races at this point, with leads bouncing weekly and sometimes daily between contenders. Even strong incumbents in Ohio and Pennsylvania have seen fairly comfortable margins dwindle in the last 10 days, putting both states' Senate seats in play, and forcing the national parties to dump millions more in TV and radio advertising into those states.  

In ag states, the inability of Congress to pass a Farm Bill has played a larger role than expected, with Democrats largely able to leverage the lack of omnibus farm legislation to their favor. In the House, a similar dynamic is playing out. According to polling analysts, it appears the House will remain in GOP control, but the majority may shrink by 2-3 seats. In the Senate, election analyst Charlie Cook, National Journal, predicts a 2-4 seat gain by Republicans, while other pollsters see little change in Democrat control of the Senate. If the GOP picks up all four seats, the Republicans will control the Senate by a one-seat margin.

A California state ballot initiative to require labeling of all foods - including animal feeds and pet foods - that are the product of or may contain genetically modified ingredients was seen as a slam dunk victory just three months ago, but the most recent polling numbers reported this week by the Los Angeles Times show voter support for the question has eroded to the point the state is evenly split on the question and a big chunk of likely voters are undecided. Currently, 44% support the question, with 42% opposed and 14% are undecided, the Times reported, and support for the measure dropped 17 points in just the last month.  

This week, opposition got a shot in the arm from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), "the most prestigious scientific organization in the U.S." and publisher of Science magazine, when its board voted to oppose the labeling mandate because it will "only serve to mislead and falsely alarm consumers." Opponents, primarily agriculture groups, the feed industry and food processors and retailers, have spent $41 million in TV and radio advertising to defeat the measure, keying on messages that include an increase in the cost of food, reduction in food availability and asking voters if they want to live with the consequences of the measure. Supporters, reporting income of about $6.7 million, announced they'll launch a barrage of television ads next week hammering home the "consumer-has-the-right-to-know" message about food labeling.

Encouraging your employees to engage in health and wellness activities isn't just the right thing to do - it makes good business sense. A healthy workforce typically means higher-performing, more satisfied staffers (and lower turnover), fewer absences due to sickness or non-work-related stress, and a favorable reputation as a company that cares about its people.

While you could opt to implement a fee-based wellness program, if your budget is tight, you can also follow these suggestions to promote employee health for little or no cost.

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The politically delayed U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement, finally ratified earlier this year by Congress, went into force this week, with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack praising the trade pact for eliminating tariffs and other barriers to U.S. goods and services. In 2011, the U.S. exported more than $504 million in ag products to Panama, considered one of the fastest growing Latin American economies. Next week, nearly half of those exports will move duty free, with remaining tariffs disappearing over 15 years.