Click the DEC Logo LINK to be taken to a copy of the bill. Then, use your browser's back button to return to this page. Effective January 1, 2003: Workers Compensation - AB 749Increases workers' compensation benefits and requires a revised poster and pamphlet for distribution to employees. State Fund and other carriers have announced increased premiums. Absence Control - SB 1471Prohibits disciplining employees who take time off provided by the "kin care" law to care for a sick child or family member. Age Discrimination in Employment - AB 1599Enhances protections against age discrimination in all aspects of employment in the same manner as all other protected classes under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). The EEOC discrimination list is now Age, Race, Religious creed, Color, National Origin, Ancestry, Physical Disability, Mental Disability, Medical Condition, Marital Status, Sex, and Sexual Orientation. Employee Payroll Records - AB 2412Requires employers to furnish PAYROLL records to employees and former employees within 21 days from the date requested and provides a penalty for noncompliance, up to $750.00 per occurance. Business Closures - AB 2957Requires notice to employees and government officials at least 60 days prior to a mass layoff, relocation, or termination of a business, as those events are defined in the law.....was 30 days Cobra Benefits - AB 1401Extends continuation of coverage of health benefits to 36 months.....was 18 months Employee Compensation in Government Contracts - AB 1357Sets minimum wage and benefits standards in personal service contracts with state agencies. Undocumented Workers' Rights - SB 1818Protects the rights of undocumented workers as employees and applicants for employment for the purpose of enforcing state labor, employment, and civil rights laws. Occupational Safety - AB 2837Creates new obligations and penalties for failure to report industrial accidents on a timely basis that resulted in serious injury or death. Sexual Assault Victims Employment Protections - AB 2195Extends to victims of sexual assault employment protections and temporary leave of absence rights currently provided to victims of domestic violence. Employee Dicipline - AB 2895Prohibits an employer from discharging, disciplining, or otherwise discriminating against an employee who discloses information about working conditions. Public Records & Confidentiality - AB 797protects the confidentiality and safety of patients AND STAFF to avoid targeting. Background Investigations - AB 1068Imposes new obligations on California employers when using credit reporting agencies to check the backgrounds of applicants and employees. Also imposes obligations on employers doing background checks on applicants and employees utilizing in-house personnel. Reference Checks - AB 2868Extends a qualified immunity from slander or libel suits to statements by current or former employers about the job performance or qualifications of an applicant for employment, when those statements are based on credible evidence, made without malice, and made to and at the request of the prospective employer. Audit Records - AB 2873Requires companies to maintain audit records for seven (7) years. Landlord & Tenant - SB 1403Requires a 60 day notice to move out for RESIDENTIAL renters who have lived there for a year or more.....was 30 days. FROM 2001 Unemployment Insurance Tax - SB 40Increased benefits to the unemployed to $370/wk causing an increase in permiums affectiive January 1st, 2003. EFFECTIVE July 1, 2003 Privacy - AB 700and SB 1386 Requires employers that maintain electronic files containing personally identifiable data on employees or customers (such as Social Security Numbers) to notify them if the security of the data has been violated. EFFECTIVE 2004 Family Temporary Disability Insurance - SB 1661Although not effective until 2004, the new FTDI program provides up to six weeks per year of partial wage replacement for employees who miss work to care for a sick family member or a newborn, or newly placed adopted or foster child. To back-page, Use your browser BACK button