Your Guide to the Most Important Legislation Affecting Employers in 2017

The new year is just around the corner and that means a cascade of new and sometimes complex laws affecting employers in California. Fortunately, leading law firm Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP has put the guesswork to rest with its timely Legislative Update for 2017.

Burke, Williams & Sorensen has been serving public agencies and private business entities in California for more than eighty years. Their succinct yet thorough guide outlines key legislation signed by Governor Jerry Brown during the 2015-2016 session that could have a significant impact on California employers. These include:

• AB X2-7 – Extends workplace prohibitions on smoking.
• AB 488 – Extends FEHA protections to employees of nonprofit sheltered workshops and rehabilitation facilities under special license.
• AB 908 – Expands paid family leave and state disability insurance.
• AB 1661 – Mandates sexual harassment training for local officials.
• AB 1676 & SB 1063 – Amends and extends protections under the Fair Pay Act.
• AB 1732 – Requires single user restrooms to be designated as open to all genders.
• AB 1843 - Prohibits employers from inquiring about or using information related to a prospective employee’s criminal history as a juvenile.
• AB 2028 – Expands existing laws regarding reinstatement of employees in the Public Employees’ Retirement System (“PERS”).
• AB 2063 – Provides students with work experience education programs and increases the allotted hours for job shadowing.
• AB 2261 – Expands the authority of the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement (“DLSE”) to bring actions against employers for Labor Code violations.
• AB 2337 – Requires certain employers to provide workers with information regarding their right to take leave because of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.
• AB 2393 – Updates existing laws governing sick and parental leave for school employees.
• AB 2828 – Expands exiting law regarding notification of data breaches.
• AB 2843 – Expands existing exemptions to prevent the disclosure of home addresses and telephone numbers.
• AB 2899 – Requires employers to post bond before appealing Labor Commission citations.
• SB 1001 – Creates new protections for immigrant employees and makes it unlawful to request or refuse to honor certain documents.
• SB 1167 – Calls for the creation and adoption of new standards to minimize heat-related illnesses and injuries on the job.
• SB 1180 – Increases leave for public school employees who are military veterans.

Make sure to check out the guide in its entirety here.