AB 1556 — Employment discrimination: unlawful employment practices.

Summary

Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) , protects and safeguards the right and opportunity of all persons to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination, abridgment, or harassment on account of 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, except as specified. The FEHA also prohibits the owner of any housing accommodation from discriminating against any person because of the race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income, disability, or genetic information of that person. In furtherance of these purposes, the FEHA establishes the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the Fair Employment and Housing Council and prescribes the duties of that department and council. The FEHA also establishes procedures for the prevention and elimination of unlawful employment practices and of discrimination in housing. Existing law requires every employer in this state to permit any employee who indicates in writing a desire in a reasonable time and can demonstrate the ability to do so, to continue his or her employment beyond any retirement date contained in any private pension or retirement plan. Existing law, the Moore-Brown-Roberti Family Rights Act, makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, as defined, to refuse to grant a request by an eligible employee to take up to 12 workweeks of unpaid protected leave during any 12-month period (1) to bond with a child who was born to, adopted by, or placed for foster care with, the employee, (2) to care for the employee's parent, spouse, or child who has a serious health condition, as defined, or (3) because the employee is suffering from a serious health condition rendering him or her unable to perform the functions of the job. This bill would revise these provisions by deleting gender-specific personal pronouns and by making other conforming changes. Existing law makes it an unlawful employment practice, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification, for the governing board of any school district to, among other things, refuse to hire or employ a female person because of pregnancy or for an employer to, among other things, refuse to allow a female employee disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition to take a leave for a reasonable period of time not to exceed 4 months and thereafter return to work. This bill would make these provisions gender neutral by deleting references to "female person" and "female employee" and referring instead to "person" and "employee" and by making other conforming changes.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 10/14/17 - Chaptered Current pdf October 14, 2017
• Enrolled 09/07/17 - Enrolled pdf September 07, 2017
• Amended 06/19/17 - Amended Senate pdf June 19, 2017
• Amended 05/31/17 - Amended Senate pdf May 31, 2017
• Amended 03/28/17 - Amended Assembly pdf March 28, 2017
• Introduced 02/17/17 - Introduced pdf February 17, 2017
• AB1556 View text html

Action History

1. October 14, 2017

   Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 799, Statutes of 2017.

2. October 14, 2017

   Approved by the Governor.

3. September 12, 2017

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2:30 p.m.

4. September 05, 2017

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 63. Noes 7. Page 2942.).

5. August 31, 2017

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after September 2 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.

6. August 31, 2017

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 1. Page 2324.).

7. June 19, 2017

   Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.

8. June 15, 2017

   From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 13).

9. May 31, 2017

   From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD.

10. May 18, 2017

    Referred to Com. on JUD.

11. May 04, 2017

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

12. May 04, 2017

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 62. Noes 5. Page 1384.)

13. May 02, 2017

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

14. May 01, 2017

    Ordered to second reading.

15. May 01, 2017

    Withdrawn from committee.

16. April 26, 2017

    Measure version as amended on March 28 corrected.

17. April 20, 2017

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 1.) (April 19). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

18. March 29, 2017

    Re-referred to Com. on L. & E.

19. March 28, 2017

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended.

20. March 27, 2017

    Referred to Com. on L. & E.

21. February 19, 2017

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

22. February 17, 2017

    Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

• Mark Stone · Primary

Votes

Subjects