On October 10, 2011, the Office of California Governor Jerry Brown announced that Governor Brown had signed AB 22, legislation that adds a new provision to the California Labor Code and amends the state's Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act to restrict the discretion that private and public sector employers have to use "consumer credit reports" for hiring and personnel decisions. Together, the new laws, which take effect on January 1, 2012, limit when employers lawfully can use consumer credit reports and impose notice and disclosure obligations on employers who intend to do so. To learn more about the laws and their implications for employers, please continue reading Littler's ASAP, California Joins States Restricting Use of Credit Reports for Employment Purposes, by Rod Fliegel and Jennifer Mora.