Amended in Assembly May 24, 2013

Amended in Assembly March 19, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 241


Introduced by Assembly Member Ammiano

February 6, 2013


An act tobegin delete amend Sections 3351, 3352, 3551, 3708, and 3715 of, and toend delete add Part 4.5 (commencing with Section 1450) to Division 2 of, the Labor Code, relating to domestic work employees.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 241, as amended, Ammiano. Domestic work employees: labor standards.

(1) Existing law regulates the wages, hours, and working conditions of any man, woman, and minor employed in any occupation, trade, or industry, whether compensation is measured by time, piece, or otherwise, except as specified. Existing law creates the Industrial Welfare Commission and authorizes it to adopt rules, regulations, and orders to ensure that employers comply with those provisions. Existing law makes violations of certain of these provisions a misdemeanor.

This bill would specially regulate the wages, hours, and working conditions of domestic work employees, as defined, with specified exceptions. The bill would define domestic work as services related to the care of persons in private households or maintenance of private households or their premises, which would include childcare providers, caregivers of people with disabilities, sick, convalescing, or elderly persons, house cleaners, housekeepers, maids, and other household occupations. The bill would provide an overtime compensation rate for domestic work employees, with specified exceptions. The bill would expressly apply Wage Order No. 15-2001 of the Industrial Welfare Commission, with specified exceptions, to a domestic work employee, except that the new domestic work provisions established by this bill will prevail over provisions that afford less protection. The bill would prescribe standards for determining whether travel time spent by a personal attendant, as defined, accompanying a domestic work employer are to be considered hours worked. The bill would further establish standards for sleeping periods, including accommodations for a domestic work employee who is required to sleep in a private household and would apply provisions regarding meal and rest breaks, as specified, to personal attendants.begin delete The bill would require that a domestic worker, after one year of work with the same employer, receive paid days of rest in each calendar year that would be compensated at the employee’s regular rate of pay and calculated pursuant to a specified method related to the number of hours worked in an average week.end delete The bill would require the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement to enforce these provisions. The bill would also provide a domestic work employee a private right of action to enforce these provisions. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

begin delete

(2) Existing law requires employers to secure the payment of workers’ compensation for injuries incurred by their employees that arise out of and in the course of employment. The failure to secure workers’ compensation as required by the workers’ compensation law is a misdemeanor. Under existing law, employers of persons who engage in specified types of household domestic service and who work less than a specified number of hours are excluded from that definition of employer and are therefore excluded from the requirement to secure the payment of workers’ compensation, as specified. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

end delete
begin delete

This bill would remove that exclusion and require all domestic work employers, as defined, to secure the payment of workers’ compensation and would make conforming changes. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

end delete
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(3)

end delete

begin insert(2)end insert The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P3    1

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:

3(a) As recognized by the State of California in Resolution
4Chapter 119 of the Statutes of 2010, it is the policy of the state to
5encourage and protect the rights of domestic work employees.

6(b) California’s domestic workers, which includes housekeepers,
7nannies, and caregivers for children, persons with disabilities, and
8the elderly, work in private households to care for the health, safety,
9and well-being of the most important aspects of Californians’ lives:
10their families and homes.

11(c) Domestic workers play a critical role in California’s
12economy, working to ensure the health and prosperity of California
13families and freeing others to participate in the workforce, which
14is increasingly necessary in these difficult economic times. The
15labor of domestic workers is central to the ongoing prosperity of
16the state but, despite the value of their work, domestic workers
17have not received the same protection under state laws as workers
18in other industries. Although domestic workers labor to support
19families and children of their own, and often are primary income
20earners, many earn low wages and live below the poverty line.

21(d) Because domestic workers care for the most important
22elements of their employers’ lives, their families and homes, it is
23in the interest of employees, employers, and the people of the State
24of California to ensure that the rights of domestic workers are
25respected, protected, and enforced.

26(e) The vast majority of domestic workers are women of color
27and immigrants and are particularly vulnerable to unlawful
28employment practices. Domestic workers usually work alone,
29behind closed doors, and out of the public eye, leaving them
30isolated, vulnerable to abuse and exploitation by some employers,
31and unable to advocate collectively for better working conditions.
32Many domestic workers labor under harsh conditions and work
33long hours for low wages without any benefits. For those who are
P4    1live-in employees, when terminated, they lose not only their jobs
2but their homes. This bill recognizes that many personal attendants
3have positive working relationships with their employers. However,
4it must also be recognized that there are other situations where
5domestic workers are verbally and physically abused or sexually
6assaulted, forced to sleep in conditions unfit for human habitation,
7and stripped of their privacy and dignity.

8(f) Many domestic workers are still excluded from the most
9basic protections afforded to the rest of the labor force under state
10and federal law, including the rights to fair wages, safe and healthy
11working conditions,begin delete workers’ compensation,end delete and protection from
12discriminatory and abusive treatment. The treatment of domestic
13workers under federal and state laws has historically reflected
14stereotypical assumptions about the nature of domestic work,
15specifically that the relationship between employer and “servant”
16was “personal,” rather than commercial, in character, that
17employment within a household was not “real” productive work,
18and that women did not work to support their families.

19(g) Recognizing that people with disabilities often need personal
20attendants in order to be active participants in work, community,
21social, and cultural life, this bill creates certain modifications to
22the definition of compensable hours worked to accommodate
23situations when out-of-town travel with a personal attendant is
24necessary. The bill further modifies the existing definition of
25compensable hours worked in Wage Order No. 15-2001 of the
26Industrial Welfare Commission to allow for an unpaid sleep period
27of up to eight hours for personal attendants under specified
28circumstances. Personal attendants, who have long been denied
29the right to take meal and rest breaks, will be afforded the
30protection of Sections 11 and 12 of Minimum Wage Order
31No. 15-2001, which includes a provision for on-duty meals when
32the nature of the work prevents an employee from being relieved
33of all duty.

34(h) Given the limited legal protections historically provided to
35domestic workers, and bearing in mind the unique conditions and
36demands of this private, home-based industry, the Legislature, as
37an exercise of the police power of the State of California for the
38protection of the public welfare, prosperity, health, safety, and
39peace of its people, further finds that domestic workers are entitled
40to industry-specific protections and labor standards that eliminate
P5    1discriminatory provisions in the labor laws and guarantee domestic
2workers basic workplace rights to ensure that domestic workers
3are treated with equality, respect, and dignity.

4

SEC. 2.  

Part 4.5 (commencing with Section 1450) is added to
5Division 2 of the Labor Code, to read:

6 

7PART 4.5.  Domestic Work Employees

8

 

9Chapter  1. General Provisions and Definitions
10

 

11

1450.  

This part shall be known and may be cited as the
12Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.

13

1451.  

As used in this part, the following definitions apply:

14(a) “Domestic work” means services related to the care of
15persons in private households or maintenance of private households
16or their premises. Domestic work occupations include childcare
17providers, caregivers of people with disabilities, sick, convalescing,
18or elderly persons, house cleaners, housekeepers, maids, and other
19household occupations.

20(b) (1) “Domestic work employee” means an individual who
21performs domestic work and includes live-in domestic work
22employees and personal attendants.

23(2) “Domestic work employee” does not include any of the
24 following:

25(A) Any person who performs services through the In-Home
26Supportive Services program under Article 7 (commencing with
27Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare
28and Institutions Code.

29(B) Any person who is the parent, grandparent, spouse, sibling,
30child, or legally adopted child of the domestic work employer.

31(C) Any person under 18 years of age who is employed as a
32babysitter for a minor child of the domestic work employer in the
33employer’s home.

34(D) Any person employed as a casual babysitter for a minor
35child in the domestic employer’s home. A casual babysitter is a
36person whose employment is irregular and intermittent and who
37does not work more than six hours per week caring for the same
38minor child or children. If a person who performs babysitting
39services on an irregular and intermittent basis does a significant
40amount of work other than supervising, feeding, and dressing a
P6    1child, this exemption shall not apply and the person shall be
2considered a domestic work employee. A person who is a casual
3babysitter who is over 18 years of age retains the right to payment
4of minimum wage for all hours worked, pursuant to Wage Order
5No. 15-2001 of the Industrial Welfare Commission.

6(E) Any person employed by a licensed health facility, as
7defined in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code.

8(F) Any person who is employed by, or contracts with, an
9organization vendored or contracted through a regional center or
10the State Department of Developmental Services pursuant to the
11Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Division 4.5
12(commencing with Section 4500) of the Welfare and Institutions
13 Code) and the California Early Intervention Services Act (Title
1414 (commencing with Section 95000) of the Government Code)
15to provide services and support for persons with developmental
16disabilities, as defined in Section 4512 of the Welfare and
17Institutions Code, when funding for those services is provided
18through the State Department of Developmental Services.

19(G) Any person who provides child care and who, pursuant to
20subdivision (d) or (f) of Section 1596.792 of the Health and Safety
21Code, is exempt from the licensing requirements of Chapters 3.4
22(commencing with Section 1596.70), 3.5 (commencing with
23Section 1596.90), and 3.6 (commencing with Section 1597.30) of
24Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code, if the parent or guardian
25of the child to whom child care is provided receives child care and
26development services pursuant to any program authorized under
27the Child Care and Development Services Act (Chapter 2
28(commencing with Section 8200) of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title
291 of the Education Code) or the California Work Opportunity and
30Responsibility to Kids Act (Chapter 2 (commencing with Section
3111200) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions
32Code).

33(c) (1) “Domestic work employer” means a person, including
34corporate officers or executives, who directly or indirectly, or
35through an agent or any other person, including through the
36services of a third-party employer, temporary service, or staffing
37agency or similar entity, employs or exercises control over the
38wages, hours, or working conditions of a domestic work employee.

39(2) “Domestic work employer” does not include any of the
40following:

P7    1(A) The State of California or an individual who receives
2domestic work services through the In-Home Supportive Services
3 program under Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of
4Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions
5Code or who is eligible for that program based on his or her
6income.

7(B) An employment agency that complies with Section
81812.5095 of the Civil Code and that operates solely to procure,
9offer, refer, provide, or attempt to provide work to domestic
10workers if the relationship between the employment agency and
11the domestic workers for whom the agency procures, offers, refers,
12provides, or attempts to provide domestic work is characterized
13by all of the factors listed in subdivision (b) of Section 1812.5095
14of the Civil Code and Section 687.2 of the Unemployment
15Insurance Code.

16(C) A licensed health facility, as defined in Section 1250 of the
17Health and Safety Code.

18(d) “Emergency” means an unpredictable or unavoidable
19occurrence of a serious nature that occurs unexpectedly requiring
20immediate action.

21(e) “Hours worked” means the time during which a domestic
22work employee is subject to the control of a domestic work
23employer and includes all time the domestic work employee is
24suffered or permitted to work, whether or not required to do so.

25(f) “Live-in domestic work employee” means an employee who
26resides in the domestic work employer’s household at least five
27days per week and for whom the employer makes sleep
28accommodations available in compliance with Section 1457.

29(g) “Personal attendant” means any person employed by a
30private party or employed by any third-party employer recognized
31in the health care industry to work in a private household, to
32supervise, feed, or dress a person who, by reason of advanced age,
33physical disability, or mental deficiency, needs supervision. A
34person is a personal attendant only if no significant amount of
35work other than the foregoing is required. For purposes of this
36subdivision, no significant amount of work means that the work
37did not exceed 20 percent of the total weekly hours worked.

38

1452.  

The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement shall
39enforce this part.

P8    1

1453.  

(a) Any domestic work employee aggrieved by a
2violation of this part may bring an administrative action pursuant
3to Section 98 or may bring a civil action in a court of competent
4jurisdiction against the domestic work employer violating this part.

5(b) A domestic work employee who brings an action pursuant
6to this section and prevails shall be entitled to any legal or equitable
7relief permitted by law as may be appropriate to remedy the
8violation. A domestic work employee bringing a civil action
9pursuant to this section shall also be entitled to an award of
10reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, including expert witness fees.

11(c) The rights and remedies specified in this part are cumulative
12and nonexclusive and are in addition to any other rights or remedies
13afforded by contract or under other provisions of law. If a provision
14of Wage Order No. 15-2001 of the Industrial Welfare Commission
15or any other provision of law affords less protection to a domestic
16work employee, this part shall prevail. If a provision of Wage
17Order No. 15-2001 of the Industrial Welfare Commission or any
18other provision of law affords more protection to a domestic work
19employee, the wage order shall prevail.

20(d) Notwithstanding any provision of this code or Section 340
21of the Code of Civil Procedure, to commence an action for a
22violation of this part a domestic work employee shall file an
23administrative or civil complaint within three years of the violation.

24 

25Chapter  2. Domestic Work Employee Rights
26

 

27

1454.  

A domestic work employee shall be compensated
28pursuant to Section 510, except as provided in Section 1455 or
291456.

30

1455.  

(a) A domestic work employee who is a live-in employee
31or is required to be on duty for 24 consecutive hours or more shall
32have a minimum of eight consecutive hours for uninterrupted sleep,
33except in an emergency. Any time worked during an emergency
34interruption constitutes hours worked.

35(b) If a domestic work employee is a live-in employee or is
36required to be on duty for 24 consecutive hours or more, the
37domestic work employer and the domestic work employee may
38agree in writing to exclude from hours worked a bona fide regularly
39scheduled sleeping period of not more than eight hours for
40uninterrupted sleep from hours worked, provided that the employee
P9    1has eight hours free of duty and available for continuous,
2uninterrupted sleep and the domestic work employer otherwise
3complies with this section and Section 1457. Absent a written
4agreement, the eight hours available for sleep shall constitute hours
5worked.

6

1456.  

If a domestic work employer who is a person with a
7disability needs to be accompanied by a personal attendant when
8traveling out of town, all time spent accompanying the employer
9in transit, and all time attending to, or carrying out, directives of
10the employer constitutes hours worked. Periods during which the
11personal attendant is completely relieved of duty, is not required
12to be at the same location as the employer, and that are long enough
13to enable the attendant to use the time effectively for his or her
14own purposes do not constitute hours worked. The employer and
15the employee may agree to exclude from hours worked a bona fide
16sleeping period of not more than eight hours, provided that there
17is a written agreement and the employee has eight hours free of
18duty and available for continuous, uninterrupted sleep.

19

1457.  

Any domestic work employee who is required to sleep
20in the private household of his or her employer shall be provided
21sleeping accommodations that are adequate, decent, and sanitary
22according to usual customary standards. These domestic work
23employees shall be provided a room separate from any household
24resident and shall not be required to share a bed.

25

1458.  

Sections 11 and 12 of Wage Order No. 15-2001 of the
26Industrial Welfare Commission shall apply to a personal attendant.

27

1460.  

A domestic work employer shall permit a domestic work
28employee who works five hours or more a day to choose the food
29he or she eats and to prepare his or her own meals. A domestic
30work employer shall permit a domestic work employee to use the
31job site’s kitchen facilities and kitchen appliances without charge
32or deduction from pay. If a domestic work employee is informed
33that a person in the household has bona fide health issues related
34to food, including, but not limited to, food allergies, or has religious
35or dietary restrictions which make presence of some foods
36unacceptable, the employee shall not eat or prepare that food in
37the household.

begin delete
38

1461.  

After one year of work with the same employer, a
39domestic worker shall be entitled to paid days of rest in each
P10   1calendar year that shall be compensated at the employee’s regular
2rate of pay and calculated as follows:

3(a) If the employee worked an average of fewer than a total of
420 hours per week for an employer over the last year, the employee
5is entitled to one day of paid rest from that employer for the
6calendar year, as long as the employee is not employed on a casual
7basis. Employment on a casual basis, for purposes of this section,
8is work that is intermittent or irregular.

9(b) If the employee worked an average of 20 but fewer than 30
10hours per week for an employer over the last year, the employee
11is entitled to two days of paid rest from that employer for the
12calendar year.

13(c) If the employee worked an average of 30 or more hours per
14week for an employer, the employee is entitled to three days of
15paid rest for the calendar year from that employer.

16(d) If an employee is terminated or quits without having used
17all paid days of rest, the unused paid days of rest shall be paid to
18the employee as wages at the final rate of pay. An employee shall
19carry over accrued unused paid days of rest from one year to the
20next.

end delete
begin delete
21

SEC. 3.  

Section 3351 of the Labor Code is amended to read:

22

3351.  

“Employee” means every person in the service of an
23employer under any appointment or contract of hire or
24apprenticeship, express or implied, oral or written, whether lawfully
25or unlawfully employed, and includes:

26(a) Aliens and minors.

27(b) All elected and appointed paid public officers.

28(c) All officers and members of boards of directors of
29quasi-public or private corporations while rendering actual service
30for the corporations for pay; provided that, where the officers and
31directors of the private corporation are the sole shareholders
32thereof, the corporation and the officers and directors shall come
33under the compensation provisions of this division only by election
34as provided in subdivision (a) of Section 4151.

35(d) A person employed by the owner or occupant of a residential
36dwelling whose duties are incidental to the ownership,
37maintenance, or use of the dwelling, including the care and
38supervision of children, persons of advanced age, or persons with
39physical or mental disabilities, or whose duties are personal and
P11   1not in the course of the trade, business, profession, or occupation
2of the owner or occupant.

3(e) All persons incarcerated in a state penal or correctional
4institution while engaged in assigned work or employment or
5engaged in work performed under contract.

6(f) All working members of a partnership or limited liability
7company receiving wages irrespective of profits from the
8partnership or limited liability company, provided that where the
9working members of the partnership or limited liability company
10are general partners or managers, the partnership or limited liability
11company and the partners or managers shall come under the
12compensation provisions of this division only by election as
13provided in subdivision (a) of Section 4151. If a private corporation
14is a general partner or manager, “working members of a partnership
15or limited liability company” shall include the corporation and the
16officers and directors of the corporation, provided that the officers
17and directors are the sole shareholders of the corporation. If a
18limited liability company is a partner or member, “working
19members of the partnership or limited liability company” shall
20include the managers of the limited liability company.

21(g) For the purposes of subdivisions (c) and (f), the persons
22holding the power to revoke a trust as to shares of a private
23corporation or as to general partnership or limited liability company
24interests held in the trust, shall be deemed to be the shareholders
25of the private corporation, or the general partners of the partnership,
26or the managers of the limited liability company.

27

SEC. 4.  

Section 3352 of the Labor Code is amended to read:

28

3352.  

“Employee” excludes the following:

29(a) Any person defined in subdivision (d) of Section 3351 who
30is employed by his or her parent, spouse, or child.

31(b) Any person performing services in return for aid or
32sustenance only, received from any religious, charitable, or relief
33organization.

34(c) Any person holding an appointment as deputy clerk or deputy
35sheriff appointed for his or her own convenience, and who receives
36no compensation from the county or municipal corporation or from
37the citizens thereof for his or her services as the deputy. This
38exclusion is operative only as to employment by the county or
39municipal corporation and does not deprive any person so
40deputized from recourse against a private person employing him
P12   1or her for injury occurring in the course of and arising out of the
2employment.

3(d) Any person performing voluntary services at or for a
4recreational camp, hut, or lodge operated by a nonprofit
5organization, exempt from federal income tax under Section 501
6of the Internal Revenue Code, of which he or she or a member of
7his or her family is a member and who receives no compensation
8for those services other than meals, lodging, or transportation.

9(e) Any person performing voluntary service as a ski patrolman
10who receives no compensation for those services other than meals
11or lodging or the use of ski tow or ski lift facilities.

12(f) Any person employed by a ski lift operator to work at a snow
13ski area who is relieved of and not performing any prescribed
14duties, while participating in recreational activities on his or her
15own initiative.

16(g) Any person, other than a regular employee, participating in
17sports or athletics who receives no compensation for the
18participation other than the use of athletic equipment, uniforms,
19transportation, travel, meals, lodgings, or other expenses incidental
20thereto.

21(h) Any person performing voluntary service for a public agency
22or a private, nonprofit organization who receives no remuneration
23for the services other than meals, transportation, lodging, or
24reimbursement for incidental expenses.

25(i) Any person, other than a regular employee, performing
26officiating services relating to amateur sporting events sponsored
27by any public agency or private, nonprofit organization, who
28receives no remuneration for these services other than a stipend
29for each day of service no greater than the amount established by
30the Department of Human Resources as a per diem expense for
31employees or officers of the state. The stipend shall be presumed
32to cover incidental expenses involved in officiating, including, but
33not limited to, meals, transportation, lodging, rule books and
34courses, uniforms, and appropriate equipment.

35(j) Any student participating as an athlete in amateur sporting
36events sponsored by any public agency, public or private nonprofit
37college, university or school, who receives no remuneration for
38the participation other than the use of athletic equipment, uniforms,
39transportation, travel, meals, lodgings, scholarships, grants-in-aid,
40or other expenses incidental thereto.

P13   1(k) Any law enforcement officer who is regularly employed by
2a local or state law enforcement agency in an adjoining state and
3who is deputized to work under the supervision of a California
4peace officer pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section
5 832.6 of the Penal Code.

6(l) Any law enforcement officer who is regularly employed by
7the Oregon State Police, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
8and Public Safety, or the Arizona Department of Public Safety and
9who is acting as a peace officer in this state pursuant to subdivision
10(a) of Section 830.32 of the Penal Code.

11(m) Any person, other than a regular employee, performing
12services as a sports official for an entity sponsoring an
13intercollegiate or interscholastic sports event, or any person
14performing services as a sports official for a public agency, public
15entity, or a private nonprofit organization, which public agency,
16public entity, or private nonprofit organization sponsors an amateur
17sports event. For purposes of this subdivision, “sports official”
18includes an umpire, referee, judge, scorekeeper, timekeeper, or
19other person who is a neutral participant in a sports event.

20(n) Any person who is an owner-builder, as defined in
21subdivision (a) of Section 50692 of the Health and Safety Code,
22who is participating in a mutual self-help housing program, as
23defined in Section 50087 of the Health and Safety Code, sponsored
24by a nonprofit corporation.

25

SEC. 5.  

Section 3551 of the Labor Code is amended to read:

26

3551.  

(a) Every employer subject to the compensation
27provisions of this code, shall give every new employee, either at
28the time the employee is hired or by the end of the first pay period,
29written notice of the information contained in Section 3550. The
30content of the notice required by this section shall be prescribed
31by the administrative director after consultation with the
32Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation.

33(b) The notice required by this section shall be easily
34understandable and available in both English and Spanish. In
35addition to the information contained in Section 3550, the content
36of the notice required by this section shall include:

37(1) Generally, how to obtain appropriate medical care for a job
38injury.

39(2) The role and function of the primary treating physician.

P14   1(3) A form that the employee may use as an optional method
2for notifying the employer of the name of the employee’s “personal
3physician,” as defined by Section 4600, or “personal chiropractor,”
4as defined by Section 4601.

5(c) The content of the notice required by this section shall be
6made available to employers and insurers by the administrative
7director. Insurers shall provide this notice to each of their
8policyholders, with advice concerning the requirements of this
9section and the penalties for a failure to provide this notice to all
10employees.

11

SEC. 6.  

Section 3708 of the Labor Code is amended to read:

12

3708.  

In such action it is presumed that the injury to the
13employee was a direct result and grew out of the negligence of the
14employer, and the burden of proof is upon the employer, to rebut
15the presumption of negligence. It is not a defense to the employer
16that the employee was guilty of contributory negligence, or
17assumed the risk of the hazard complained of, or that the injury
18was caused by the negligence of a fellow servant. No contract or
19regulation shall restore to the employer any of the foregoing
20defenses.

21

SEC. 7.  

Section 3715 of the Labor Code is amended to read:

22

3715.  

(a) Any employee whose employer has failed to secure
23the payment of compensation as required by this division, or his
24or her dependents in case death has ensued, may, in addition to
25proceeding against his or her employer by civil action in the courts
26as provided in Section 3706, file his or her application with the
27appeals board for compensation and the appeals board shall hear
28and determine the application for compensation in like manner as
29in other claims and shall make the award to the claimant as he or
30she would be entitled to receive if the employer had secured the
31payment of compensation as required, and the employer shall pay
32the award in the manner and amount fixed thereby or shall furnish
33to the appeals board a bond, in any amount and with any sureties
34as the appeals board requires, to pay the employee the award in
35the manner and amount fixed thereby.

36(b) (1) In any claim in which it is alleged that the employer has
37failed to secure the payment of compensation, the director, only
38for purposes of this section and Section 3720, shall determine, on
39the basis of the evidence available to him or her, whether the
40employer was prima facie illegally uninsured. A finding that the
P15   1employer was prima facie illegally uninsured shall be made when
2the director determines that there is sufficient evidence to constitute
3a prima facie case that the employer employed an employee on
4the date of the alleged injury and had failed to secure the payment
5of compensation, and that the employee was injured arising out
6of, and occurring in the course of, the employment.

7(2) Failure of the employer to furnish within 10 days the written
8statement in response to a written demand for a written statement
9prescribed in Section 3711, addressed to the employer at its address
10as shown on the official address record of the appeals board, shall
11constitute in itself sufficient evidence for a prima facie case that
12the employer failed to secure the payment of compensation.

13(3) A written denial by the insurer named in the statement
14furnished by the employer as prescribed in Section 3711, that the
15employer was so insured as claimed, or the nonexistence of a valid
16certificate of consent to self-insure for the time of the claimed
17injury, if the statement furnished by the employer claims the
18employer was self-insured, shall constitute in itself sufficient
19evidence for a prima facie case that the employer had failed to
20secure the payment of compensation.

21(4) The nonexistence of a record of the employer’s insurance
22with the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau shall
23constitute in itself sufficient evidence for a prima facie case that
24the employer failed to secure the payment of compensation.

25(5) The unrebutted written declaration under penalty of perjury
26by the injured employee, or applicant other than the employee,
27that the employee was employed by the employer at the time of
28the injury, and that he or she was injured in the course of his or
29her employment, shall constitute, in itself, sufficient evidence for
30a prima facie case that the employer employed the employee at
31the time of the injury, and that the employee was injured arising
32out of, and occurring in the course of, the employment.

33(c) (1) When the director determines that an employer was
34prima facie illegally uninsured, the director shall mail a written
35notice of the determination to the employer at his or her address
36as shown on the official address record of the appeals board, and
37to any other more recent address the director may possess. The
38notice shall advise the employer of its right to appeal the finding,
39and that a lien may be placed against the employer’s and any parent
P16   1corporation’s property, or the property of substantial shareholders
2of a corporate employer as defined by Section 3717.

3(2) Any employer aggrieved by a finding of the director that it
4was prima facie illegally uninsured may appeal the finding by
5filing a petition before the appeals board. The petition shall be
6filed within 20 days after the finding is issued. The appeals board
7shall hold a hearing on the petition within 20 days after the petition
8is filed with the appeals board. The appeals board shall have
9exclusive jurisdiction to determine appeals of the findings by the
10director, and no court of this state has jurisdiction to review, annul,
11or suspend the findings or the liens created thereunder, except as
12provided by Article 2 (commencing with Section 5950) of Chapter
137 of Part 4 of Division 4.

14(d) (1) Any claim brought against an employer under this
15section may be resolved by the director by compromise and release
16or stipulated findings and award as long as the appeals board has
17acquired jurisdiction over the employer and the employer has been
18given notice and an opportunity to object.

19(2) Notice may be given by service on the employer of an
20appeals board notice of intention to approve the compromise and
21release or stipulated findings and award. The employer shall have
2220 days after service of the notice of intention to file an objection
23with the appeals board and show good cause therefor.

24(3) If the employer objects, the appeals board shall determine
25if there is good cause for the objection.

26(4) If appeals board finds good cause for the objection, the
27director may proceed with the compromise and release or stipulated
28findings and award if doing so best serves the interest of the
29Uninsured Employers Fund, but shall have no cause of action
30against the employer under Section 3717 unless the appeals board
31case is tried to its conclusion and the employer is found liable.

32(5) If appeals board does not find good cause for the objection,
33and the compromise and release or stipulated findings and award
34is approved, the Uninsured Employers Fund shall have a cause of
35action against the employer pursuant to Section 3717.

36(e) The director may adopt regulations to implement and
37interpret the procedures provided for in this section.

end delete
38

begin deleteSEC. 8.end delete
39begin insertSEC. 3.end insert  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
40Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
P17   1the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
2district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
3infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
4for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
5the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
6the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
7Constitution.



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