Update – Eye on the Legislature

Update – Eye on the Legislature

The California Legislature passed the following employment-related bills and has sent them to the Governor for his signature.  The Governor has until October 15, 2017, to sign the bills into law.

• AB 1209 – Informally known as the Public Shaming of California Employers.  If passed and signed into law, it would require certain employers to collect and report data annually to the Secretary of State regarding the mean and median salaries of men and women in the same job title and job description and then have that report posted on a publicly accessible website.  Even if justified by a bona fide factor, employers may receive undue scrutiny and criticism for any wage disparities.
• AB 1008 – Better known as Ban-the-Box legislation.  It would prohibit employers from considering an applicant’s or employee’s conviction history without first completing the required steps outlined in the bill.
• AB 168 – It would prohibit employers from seeking salary history information about an applicant for employment and would require an employer, upon reasonable request, to provide the pay scale for a position to an applicant for employment.
• AB 569 – Prohibits employers from taking any adverse employment action against an employee or their dependent or family member for their reproductive health decisions, including, but not limited to, the timing thereof, or the use of any drug, device, or medical service.
• SB 306 – Allows the Labor Commissioner or employee to seek injunctive relief before completing an investigation and determining retaliation has occurred, as well as exposes employers to a daily $100 penalty, capped at $20,000 for a posting violation.
• AB 1701 – Imposes liability onto a direct contractor, as defined, for the wage-and-hour violations of a subcontractor that the direct contractor did not cause.
• SB 63 – Imposes new maternity and paternity leave by requiring employers with at least 20 employees to provide qualified employees with 12 weeks of parental leave to bond with a new child.

Stay tuned…

James C. Anderson, Esq., Triebsch & Frampton, APC

Disclaimer:  The information provided is just a summary for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice.  Please review the actual laws, regulations, and cases to obtain all the latest updates, details, and implications and to reach your own conclusions as to what the law means.  Also seek legal and accounting advice as needed.