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In this episode of the Bringing the Human Back to Human Resources podcast, Traci Chernoff and Bryan Driscoll return for this month’s Policy Pulse segment to cover five timely HR developments.

They kick things off by dissecting the political fallout over the July 2025 jobs report and the potential implications of altering or eliminating the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly release. 

Then, they dive into Texas’s new law mandating binary gender classification and its compliance burden on multi-state employers, followed by a deep look into Colorado’s strict new AI law and the risks it presents for hiring and automation tools. 

The conversation wraps with Rhode Island’s new menopause discrimination protections and Illinois’s “leave for any reason” law—both pushing the envelope on employee support policies.

Chapters 00:00 Welcome to August’s Policy Pulse 01:10 Controversy Over the July Jobs Report 06:49 Texas Mandates Binary Gender Classifications 14:50 Colorado’s Landmark AI Legislation & Compliance Risks 24:00 Rhode Island Protects Menopausal Employees 28:15 Illinois's Leave-for-Any-Reason Law 30:50 PTO, Legal Loopholes & Employer Challenges 32:00 Final Thoughts & What to Watch in September

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We hope you enjoyed this month’s Policy Pulse episode. If you found our discussion insightful, we'd like you to take a moment to rate our podcast. Your feedback helps us grow and reach more listeners who are passionate about these topics. You can also leave a review and tell us what you loved or what you'd like to hear more of — we're all ears!

Connect with Traci here: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/HRTraci⁠⁠

Connect with Bryan: Website: ⁠https://bryanjdriscoll.com/ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanjohndriscoll/⁠

Disclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed.

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.