No, and that is one of the interesting things about job references. A job reference check is a private conversation between two people, your past employer and a prospective one. Anything can be said during a job reference check, regardless of what the job reference laws are. Go to your local legislator's office. They can find the most recent job reference laws for you, but remember - every road we drive on has a speed limit. When we are running late, if a police officer is not in sight, we speed. There is not a job reference police officer watching over you past employer to make sure they obey job reference laws. Essentially during a job reference check, your past employer can take 5 minutes on the telephone with a total stranger and either increase your chances of obtaining a new position or absolutely ruin them.