This bill prohibits employers from offering severance agreements that require employees to broadly waive their rights to discuss the agreement or disparage the employer. It adds a new subparagraph to RSA 273-A:5, I to prohibit employers from requiring employees to broadly prohibit disclosure of the terms of the severance agreement or making statements that could disparage or harm the image of the employer. It also adds a new section, RSA 275:38-b, to make it unlawful for employers to require, as a condition of a severance agreement, that employees are broadly prohibited from disclosing the terms of the agreement or making disparaging statements about the employer. Employees who allege a violation of these rights may obtain a hearing with the commissioner of labor or a designee appointed by the commissioner, and the commissioner may order remedies such as reinstatement, back pay, and injunctive relief. The bill will take effect on January 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 273-A:5