The California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits discrimination in employment based upon specified personal characteristics, including the race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or military and veteran status of any person. Existing law creates the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in the Department of Industrial Relations for the purpose of enforcing labor laws. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to the right to privacy. The bill would amend provisions of labor law relating to the prohibition on an employer from taking any adverse 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. The bill would also specify that any contract or agreement, express or implied, made by an employee to waive this benefit is null and void. The bill would require an employer that requires compliance with an employee handbook to include in the handbook notice of the employee rights and remedies under the provisions of this bill.
Sponsored bills
Existing law declares that the fostering, continuance, and development of public transportation systems are a matter of statewide concern. Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to administer various programs and allocates moneys for various public transportation purposes. This bill would, upon an appropriation of moneys from the Public Transportation Account by the Legislature, create the Transit Pass Pilot Program to be administered by the department to provide free or reduced-fare transit passes, directly or through a 3rd party, including a transit agency, to specified pupils and students by supporting new, or expanding existing, transit pass programs. The bill would require the department to develop guidelines that describe the application process and selection criteria for awarding the moneys made available for the program, and would exempt the development of those guidelines from the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would require the department to develop performance measures and reporting requirements to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, and would require the department to submit a report to specified committees of the Legislature on or before January 1, 2020, on the outcomes of the program and the status of transit pass programs statewide. The bill would provide that its requirements become effective only upon an appropriation that would trigger the creation of the program. The pilot program would be repealed on January 1, 2022.
Under existing law, known as the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act of 1991, the State Department of Public Health is required to establish procedures for environmental abatement and followup, and undertake other specified measures, designed to reduce the incidence of excessive childhood lead exposure in California. The bill would require, by April 1, 2018, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to convene a Lead Advisory Task Force, with a prescribed membership, to review and advise, as provided, regarding policies and procedures to reduce childhood lead poisoning in the state. The bill would require the task force to publish on the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment's Internet Web site a recommended regulatory agenda on or before April 1, 2020, that would identify sources of lead and ensure that regulatory standards are protective of health in the state, as specified, and to update the regulatory agenda on or before April 1, 2022. These provisions would become inoperative on April 1, 2022.
Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act, an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, and requires the commission to consist of 16 voting members, including, among others, two persons with a severe mental illness and a mental health professional. The act may be amended by the Legislature by a 23 vote of both houses and only so long as the amendment is consistent with and furthers the intent of the act. The Legislature may clarify procedures and terms of the act by majority vote. This bill would require the Governor to appoint an additional member to the commission who has knowledge and experience in reducing mental health disparities, especially for racial and ethnic communities. The bill would state the finding and declaration of the Legislature that this change is consistent with and furthers the intent of the act. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 5845 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 1688 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1688 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
Existing law requires a corporation, limited liability company, or common interest development, among others, to file a statement of information with the Secretary of State, providing specified information about the entity. Existing law regulates the terms and conditions of employment, including the payment of wages. Existing law generally prohibits an employer from paying any of its employees at rates less than the rates paid to employees of the opposite sex for substantially similar work, as specified. This bill would require, on and after July 1, 2019, and biennially thereafter, that an employer that is required to file a statement of information with the Secretary of State and that has 500 or more employees in California to collect specified information on gender wage differentials. The bill would require the employer to submit the information to the Secretary of State as specified, by July 1, 2020, and biennially thereafter. The bill would require the Secretary of State to publish the information described above on an Internet Web site available to the public upon receiving necessary funding and establishing adequate mechanisms and procedures.
(1) Existing law requires the governing board of a school district, and the governing board of a community college district, to provide for a leave of absence from duty for a certificated employee, or an academic employee, of the district who is required to be absent from duties because of pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and recovery therefrom. Existing law, the Charter Schools Act of 1992, provides for the establishment and operation of charter schools, and exempts charter schools from the laws governing school districts, except as specified. This bill would require the governing board of a school district, the governing body of a charter school, and the governing board of a community college district to provide at least 6 weeks of a leave of absence with full pay for a certificated employee, or an academic employee, of the district or charter school who is required to be absent from duties because of pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and recovery therefrom. The bill would authorize the paid leave to begin before and continue after childbirth, provided that the employee is actually disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition. (2) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district, and the governing board of a community college district, to provide for such leave of absence from duty as it deems appropriate for a female employee in the classified service of the district who is required to absent herself from her duties because of pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and recovery therefrom. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district, and the governing board of a community college district, to adopt rules and regulations prescribing the manner of proof of pregnancy, the time during pregnancy at which the leave of absence shall be taken, and the length of time for which the leave of absence shall continue after birth of the child. Existing law also authorizes the governing board of a school district, and the governing board of a community college district, to provide in the rules and regulations whether the leave granted shall be with or without pay, as provided. This bill would instead require the governing board of a school district, the governing body of a charter school, and the governing board of a community college district to provide for such leave of absence from duty as it deems appropriate for a female employee in the classified service of the district or charter school who is required to absent herself from her duties because of pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and recovery therefrom. The bill would require the governing board of a school district, the governing body of a charter school, and the governing board of a community college district to adopt rules and regulations prescribing the manner of proof of pregnancy and the duration of the leave of absence, provided that at least 6 weeks of the leave of absence shall be with full pay. The bill would also require the governing board of a school district, the governing body of a charter school, and the governing board of a community college district to provide in the rules and regulations that at least 6 weeks of the leave granted shall be with full pay. (3) This bill would prohibit these provisions from diminishing the right of an employee of a school district, charter school, or community college district to take, or be compensated during, other leaves of absence, as provided. (4) This bill would also make various nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.
The California Constitution prohibits the state or any of its political subdivisions from levying or collecting a sales or use tax on the sale of, or the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, food products for human consumption that were exempt from tax on January 1, 1993. Proposition 163, which was approved by the voters at the November 3, 1992, statewide general election to add that prohibition to the California Constitution, also amended a statute, to take effect December 1, 1992, to provide that certain items, including candy and snack foods, were food products the sale of, or the storage, use, or consumption of, which were thereby exempted from tax. This measure, on and after July 1, 2019, would instead require that any sales or use tax levied by the State of California or any of its political subdivisions apply to the sale of, or the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, certain food products for human consumption. The measure would authorize the Legislature to exempt the sale of, or the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, any food product from sales and use tax by a statute that becomes operative on or after November 7, 2018. The measure would be submitted to the voters only if AB 274 of the 2017–18 Regular Session is enacted.
The Government Claims Act governs the liability and immunity of public entities and their officers and employees, claims and actions against public entities and their officers and employees, insurance indemnification, and the defense of public officers and employees. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would require an elected official to reimburse a public entity that pays any compromise or settlement of a claim or action involving conduct that constitutes sexual harassment, if an investigation reveals evidence supporting the claim of sexual harassment against the elected official.
This measure would recognize August 6, 2017, as the 52nd anniversary of the signing of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.
This measure would proclaim the period of October 23, 2017, to October 31, 2017, inclusive, as Red Ribbon Week and would encourage all Californians to help build drug-free communities and to participate in drug prevention activities.