Pay History Bans Continue Popping Up at the State and Local Level

Coastal blue states have a reputation for passing worker-friendly legislation, but in the case of bills to ban inquiries into workers’ pay history, traditionally conservative areas of the country are also jumping on board.

Since 2016, 13 states and Puerto Rico have passed legislation to regulate in some form the use of salary history in hiring practices, and another 13 cities or counties have followed suit. The aim of salary history bans is to close the wage gap for women and minorities by not perpetuating pay that may be less than their white, male peers.

Historically conservative Maine and North ...