BILL NUMBER: AB 1522	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 15, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 28, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 23, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 28, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 13, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Gonzalez
   (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Levine)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo, Ammiano, Bonta, Campos,
Dickinson, Roger Hernández, Lowenthal, Rendon, Stone, Ting,
Wieckowski, and Williams)
   (Coauthor: Senator Hueso)

                        JANUARY 16, 2014

   An act to amend Section 226 of, and to add Article 1.5 (commencing
with Section 245) to Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 2 of, the Labor
Code, relating to employment.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1522, as amended, Gonzalez. Employment: paid sick days.
   Existing law authorizes employers to provide their employees paid
sick leave.
   This bill would enact the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act
of 2014 to provide that an employee who on or after July 1, 2015,
works in California for  7   30  or more
days in a calendar year is entitled to paid sick days, to be accrued
at a rate of no less than one hour for every 30 hours worked. An
employee would be entitled to use accrued sick days beginning on the
90th calendar day of employment. The bill would authorize an employer
to limit an employee's use of paid sick days to 24 hours or 3 days
in each calendar year. The bill would require an employer to provide
paid sick days, upon the request of the employee, for diagnosis,
care, or treatment of health conditions of the employee or an
employee's family member, or for leave related to domestic violence,
sexual assault, or stalking. The bill would prohibit an employer from
discriminating or retaliating against an employee who requests paid
sick days. The bill would require employers to satisfy specified
posting and notice and recordkeeping requirements. The bill would
define terms for those purposes and make conforming changes.
   The bill would require the Labor Commissioner to administer and
enforce these requirements, including the promulgation of
regulations, and the investigation, mitigation, and relief of
violations of these requirements. The bill would authorize the Labor
Commissioner to impose specified administrative fines for violations
and would authorize the commissioner or the Attorney General to
recover specified civil penalties against an offender  on behalf
of the aggrieved  , as well as attorney's fees, costs, and
interest.
   The bill would specify that it does not apply to employees covered
by a collective bargaining agreement that provides for paid sick
days, nor lessen any other obligations of the employer to employees.
The bill would not apply to employees in the construction industry
covered by a collective bargaining agreement if the agreement
contains specified terms and was either entered into before January
1, 2015, or expressly waives the requirements of the bill in clear
and unambiguous terms. The bill would apply to certain public
authorities established to deliver in-home supportive services,
except where a collective bargaining agreement provides for an
incremental wage increase sufficient to satisfy the bill's
requirements for accrual of sick days.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares the following:
   (a) Nearly every worker in the State of California will at some
time during the year need some time off from work to take care of his
or her own health or the health of family members.
   (b) Many workers in California do not have any paid sick days, or
have an inadequate number of paid sick days, to care for their own
health or the health of family members.
   (c) Low-income workers are significantly less likely to have paid
sick time than other workers.
   (d) Providing workers time off to attend to their own health care
and the health care of family members will ensure a healthier and
more productive workforce in California.
   (e) Paid sick days will have an enormously positive impact on the
public health of Californians by allowing sick workers paid time off
to care for themselves when ill, thus lessening their recovery time
and reducing the likelihood of spreading illness to other members of
the workforce.
   (f) Paid sick days will allow parents to provide personal care for
their sick children. Parental care ensures children's speedy
recovery, prevents more serious illnesses, and improves children's
overall mental and physical health.
   (g) Providing paid sick days is affordable for employers and good
for business.
   (h) Employers who provide paid sick days enjoy greater employee
retention and reduce the likelihood of employees coming to work sick.
Studies have shown that costs of decreased productivity caused by
sick workers exceed the costs of employee absenteeism.
   (i) Many adults have significant elder care responsibilities
requiring them to take time off from work or to work reduced hours.
   (j) Employees frequently lose their jobs or are disciplined for
taking sick days to care for sick family members or to recover from
their own illnesses.
   (k) Workers whose jobs involve significant contact with the
public, such as service workers and restaurant workers, are very
unlikely to have paid sick days. Often, these workers have no choice
but to come to work when they are ill, thereby spreading illness to
coworkers and customers.
   (l) Domestic violence and sexual assault affect many persons
without regard to age, race, national origin, sexual orientation, or
socioeconomic status.
   (m) Domestic violence is a crime that has a devastating effect on
families, communities, and the workplace. It impacts productivity,
effectiveness, absenteeism, and employee turnover in the workplace.
The National Crime Survey estimates that 175,000 days of work each
year are missed due to domestic violence.
   (n) Survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault may be
vulnerable at work when trying to end an abusive relationship because
the workplace may be the only place where the perpetrator knows to
contact the victim. Studies show that up to one-half of domestic
violence victims experience job loss. Forty percent reported
on-the-job harassment. Nearly 50 percent of sexual assault survivors
lose their jobs or are forced to quit in the aftermath of the
assaults.
   (o) Affording survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
paid sick days is vital to their independence and recovery.
  SEC. 2.  In enacting this act, it is the intent of the Legislature
to do the following:
   (a) Ensure that workers in California can address their own health
needs and the health needs of their families by requiring employers
to provide a minimum level of paid sick days including time for
family care.
   (b) Decrease public and private health care costs in California by
enabling workers to seek early and routine medical care for
themselves and their family members and to address domestic violence
or sexual assault.
   (c) Protect employees in California from losing their jobs while
they use sick days to care for themselves or their families.
   (d) Provide economic security to employees in California who take
time off from work for reasons related to domestic violence or sexual
assault.
   (e) Safeguard the welfare, health, safety, and prosperity of the
people of and visitors to California.
  SEC. 3.  Section 226 of the Labor Code is amended to read:
   226.  (a) An employer shall, semimonthly or at the time of each
payment of wages, furnish to each employee, either as a detachable
part of the check, draft, or voucher paying the employee's wages, or
separately if wages are paid by personal check or cash, an accurate
itemized statement in writing showing (1) gross wages earned, (2)
total hours worked by the employee, unless the employee's
compensation is solely based on a salary and the employee is exempt
from payment of overtime under subdivision (a) of Section 515 or an
applicable order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, (3) the number
of piece-rate units earned and the applicable piece rate if the
employee is paid on a piece-rate basis, (4) all deductions, provided
that all deductions made on written orders of the employee may be
aggregated and shown as one item, (5) net wages earned, (6) the
inclusive dates of the period for which the employee is paid, (7) the
name of the employee and only the last four digits of his or her
social security number or an employee identification number other
than a social security number, (8) the name and address of the legal
entity that is the employer and, if the employer is a farm labor
contractor, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1682, the name
and address of the legal entity that secured the services of the
employer, (9) paid sick leave accrued and used pursuant to Article
1.5 (commencing with Section 245), and (10) all applicable hourly
rates in effect during the pay period and the corresponding number of
hours worked at each hourly rate by the employee and, beginning July
1, 2013, if the employer is a temporary services employer as defined
in Section 201.3, the rate of pay and the total hours worked for
each temporary services assignment. The deductions made from payment
of wages shall be recorded in ink or other indelible form, properly
dated, showing the month, day, and year, and a copy of the statement
and the record of the deductions shall be kept on file by the
employer for at least three years at the place of employment or at a
central location within the State of California. For purposes of this
subdivision, "copy" includes a duplicate of the itemized statement
provided to an employee or a computer-generated record that
accurately shows all of the information required by this subdivision.

   (b) An employer that is required by this code or a regulation
adopted pursuant to this code to keep the information required by
subdivision (a) shall afford current and former employees the right
to inspect or copy records pertaining to their employment, upon
reasonable request to the employer. The employer may take reasonable
steps to ensure the identity of a current or former employee. If the
employer provides copies of the records, the actual cost of
reproduction may be charged to the current or former employee.
   (c) An employer who receives a written or oral request to inspect
or copy records pursuant to subdivision (b) pertaining to a current
or former employee shall comply with the request as soon as
practicable, but no later than 21 calendar days from the date of the
request. A violation of this subdivision is an infraction.
Impossibility of performance, not caused by or a result of a
violation of law, shall be an affirmative defense for an employer in
any action alleging a violation of this subdivision. An employer may
designate the person to whom a request is made under this
subdivision.
   (d) This section does not apply to an employer of a person
employed by the owner or occupant of a residential dwelling whose
duties are incidental to the ownership, maintenance, or use of the
dwelling, including the care and supervision of children, or whose
duties are personal and not in the course of the trade, business,
profession, or occupation of the owner or occupant.
   (e) (1) An employee suffering injury as a result of a knowing and
intentional failure by an employer to comply with subdivision (a) is
entitled to recover the greater of all actual damages or fifty
dollars ($50) for the initial pay period in which a violation occurs
and one hundred dollars ($100) per employee for each violation in a
subsequent pay period, not to exceed an aggregate penalty of four
thousand dollars ($4,000), and is entitled to an award of costs and
reasonable attorney's fees.
   (2) (A) An employee is deemed to suffer injury for purposes of
this subdivision if the employer fails to provide a wage statement.
   (B) An employee is deemed to suffer injury for purposes of this
subdivision if the employer fails to provide accurate and complete
information as required by any one or more of items (1) to (10),
inclusive, of subdivision (a) and the employee cannot promptly and
easily determine from the wage statement alone one or more of the
following:
   (i) The amount of the gross wages or net wages paid to the
employee during the pay period or any of the other information
required to be provided on the itemized wage statement pursuant to
items (2) to (4), inclusive, (6), (9), and (10) of subdivision (a).
   (ii) Which deductions the employer made from gross wages to
determine the net wages paid to the employee during the pay period.
Nothing in this subdivision alters the ability of the employer to
aggregate deductions consistent with the requirements of item (4) of
subdivision (a).
   (iii) The name and address of the employer and, if the employer is
a farm labor contractor, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section
1682, the name and address of the legal entity that secured the
services of the employer during the pay period.
   (iv) The name of the employee and only the last four digits of his
or her social security number or an employee identification number
other than a social security number.
   (C) For purposes of this paragraph, "promptly and easily determine"
means a reasonable person would be able to readily ascertain the
information without reference to other documents or information.
   (3) For purposes of this subdivision, a "knowing and intentional
failure" does not include an isolated and unintentional payroll error
due to a clerical or inadvertent mistake. In reviewing for
compliance with this section, the factfinder may consider as a
relevant factor whether the employer, prior to an alleged violation,
has adopted and is in compliance with a set of policies, procedures,
and practices that fully comply with this section.
   (f) A failure by an employer to permit a current or former
employee to inspect or copy records within the time set forth in
subdivision (c) entitles the current or former employee or the Labor
Commissioner to recover a penalty of seven hundred fifty dollars
($750) from the employer.
   (g) The listing by an employer of the name and address of the
legal entity that secured the services of the employer in the
itemized statement required by subdivision (a) shall not create any
liability on the part of that legal entity.
   (h) An employee may also bring an action for injunctive relief to
ensure compliance with this section, and is entitled to an award of
costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
   (i) This section does not apply to the state, to a city, county,
city and county, district, or to any other governmental entity,
except that if the state or a city, county, city and county,
district, or other governmental entity furnishes its employees with a
check, draft, or voucher paying the employee's wages, the state or a
city, county, city and county, district, or other governmental
entity shall use no more than the last four digits of the employee's
social security number or shall use an employee identification number
other than the social security number on the itemized statement
provided with the check, draft, or voucher.
  SEC. 4.  Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 245) is added to
Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Labor Code, to read:

      Article 1.5.  Paid Sick Days


   245.   (a)    This article shall be known and
may be cited as the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014.

   (b) The provisions of this article are in addition to and
independent of any other rights, remedies, or procedures available
under any other law and do not diminish, alter, or negate any other
legal rights, remedies, or procedures available to an aggrieved
person. 
   245.5.  As used in this article:
   (a) "Employee" does not include the following:
   (1) An employee covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement
if the agreement expressly provides for the wages, hours of work,
and working conditions of employees, and expressly provides for paid
sick days or a paid leave or paid time off policy that permits the
use of sick days for those employees, final and binding arbitration
of disputes concerning the application of its paid sick days
provisions, premium wage rates for all overtime hours worked, and
regular hourly rate of pay of not less than 30 percent more than the
state minimum wage rate.
   (2) An employee in the construction industry covered by a valid
collective bargaining agreement if the agreement expressly provides
for the wages, hours of work, and working conditions of employees,
premium wage rates for all overtime hours worked, and regular hourly
pay of not less than 30 percent more than the state minimum wage
rate, and the agreement either (A) was entered into before January 1,
2015, or (B) expressly waives the requirements of this article in
clear and unambiguous terms. For purposes of this subparagraph,
"employee in the construction industry" means an employee performing
onsite work associated with construction, including work involving
alteration, demolition, building, excavation, renovation, remodeling,
maintenance, improvement, repair work, and any other work as
described by Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 7000) of Division 3
of the Business and Professions Code, and other similar or related
occupations or trades.
   (b) "Employer" means any person employing another under any
appointment or contract of hire and includes the state, political
subdivisions of the state, and municipalities.
   (c) "Family member" means any of the following:
   (1) A child, which for purposes of this article means a
biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild, legal ward, or a
child to whom the employee stands in loco parentis. This definition
of a child is applicable regardless of age or dependency status.
   (2) A biological, adoptive, or foster parent, stepparent, or legal
guardian of an employee or the employee's spouse or registered
domestic partner, or a person who stood in loco parentis when the
employee was a minor child.
   (3) A spouse.
   (4) A registered domestic partner.
   (5) A grandparent.
   (6) A grandchild.
   (7) A sibling.
   (d) "Health care provider" has the same meaning as defined in
paragraph (6) of subdivision (c) of Section 12945.2 of the Government
Code.
   (e) "Paid sick days" means time that is compensated at the same
wage as the employee normally earns during regular work hours and is
provided by an employer to an employee for the purposes described in
Section 246.5.
   246.  (a) An employee who, on or after July 1, 2015, works in
California for  seven   30  or more days in
a calendar year is entitled to paid sick days as specified in this
section.
   (b) (1) An employee shall accrue paid sick days at the rate of not
less than one hour per every 30 hours worked, beginning at the
commencement of employment or the operative date of this article,
whichever is later.
   (2) An employee who is exempt from overtime requirements as an
administrative, executive, or professional employee under a wage
order of the Industrial Welfare Commission is deemed to work 40 hours
per workweek for the purposes of this section, unless the employee's
normal workweek is less than 40 hours, in which case the employee
shall accrue paid sick days based upon that normal workweek.
   (c) An employee shall be entitled to use accrued paid sick days
beginning on the 90th calendar day of employment, after which day the
employee may use paid sick days as they are accrued.
   (d) Accrued paid sick days shall carry over to the following year
of employment. However, an employer may limit an employee's use of
paid sick days to 24 hours or three days in each calendar year of
employment.
   (e) An employer is not required to provide additional paid sick
days pursuant to this section if the employer has a paid leave policy
or paid time off policy and the employer makes available an amount
of leave that satisfies the accrual requirements of this section and
that may be used for the same purposes and under the same conditions
as specified in this section.
   (f) (1) Except as specified in paragraph (2), an employer is not
required to provide compensation to an employee for accrued, unused
paid sick days upon termination, resignation, retirement, or other
separation from employment.
   (2) If an employee separates from an employer and is rehired by
the employer within one year, previously accrued and unused paid sick
days shall be reinstated. The employee shall be entitled to use
those previously accrued and unused paid sick days and to accrue
additional paid sick days upon rehiring.
   (g) An employer may lend paid sick days to an employee in advance
of accrual, at the employer's discretion and with proper
documentation.
   246.5.  (a) Upon the oral or written request of an employee, an
employer shall provide paid sick days for the following purposes:
   (1) Diagnosis, care, or treatment of an existing health condition
of, or preventive care for, an employee or an employee's family
member.
   (2) For an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual
assault, or stalking, the purposes described in subdivision (c) of
Section 230 and subdivision (a) of Section 230.1.
   (b) An employer shall not require as a condition of using paid
sick days that the employee search for or find a replacement worker
to cover the days during which the employee uses paid sick days.
   (c) (1) An employer shall not deny an employee the right to use
 accrued  sick days, discharge, threaten to discharge,
demote, suspend, or in any manner discriminate against an employee
for using    accrued  sick days, attempting to
exercise the right to use    accrued  sick days,
filing a complaint with the department or  in a court
 alleging a violation of this article, cooperating in an
investigation or prosecution of an alleged violation of this article,
or opposing any policy or practice or act that is prohibited by this
article.
   (2) There shall be a rebuttable presumption of unlawful
retaliation if an employer denies an employee the right to use 
accrued  sick days, discharges, threatens to discharge, demotes,
suspends, or in any manner discriminates against an employee within
30 days of any of the following:
   (A) The filing of a complaint by the employee with the Labor
Commissioner or  in a court  alleging a violation of
this article.
   (B) The cooperation of an employee with an investigation or
prosecution of an alleged violation of this article.
   (C) Opposition by the employee to a policy, practice, or act that
is prohibited by this article.
   247.  (a) An employer shall give each employee written notice of
the requirements of this article in English, the languages set forth
in subdivision (b) of Section 1632 of the Civil Code, and any other
language spoken by at least 5 percent of the employees.  The
Labor Commissioner shall create a written notice containing this
information and make it available to employers.  The written
notice shall state the following:
   (1) That an employee is entitled to accrue, request, and use paid
sick days.
   (2) The amount of paid sick days provided for by this article.
   (3) The terms of use of paid sick days.
   (4) That retaliation or discrimination against an employee who
requests paid sick days or uses paid sick days, or both, is
prohibited and that an employee has the right under this article to
file a complaint or bring a civil action against an employer who
retaliates or discriminates against the employee.
   (b) In each workplace of the employer, the employer shall display
a poster in a conspicuous place containing all the information
specified in subdivision (a). The Labor Commissioner shall create a
poster containing this information and make it available to
employers.
   (c) An employer who willfully violates the notice and posting
requirements of this section is subject to a civil penalty of not
more than one hundred dollars ($100) per each offense.
   247.5.  An employer shall keep for at least five years records
documenting the hours worked and paid sick days accrued and used by
an employee. An employer shall allow the Labor Commissioner access to
these records with appropriate notice and at a mutually agreeable
time to monitor compliance with this article. An employer shall make
these records available to an employee pursuant to Section 226. If an
employer does not maintain adequate records pursuant to this
section, it shall be presumed that the employee is entitled to the
maximum number of hours accruable under this article, unless the
employer can show otherwise by clear and convincing evidence.
   248.  The Labor Commissioner shall coordinate implementation and
enforcement of this article and promulgate guidelines and regulations
for those purposes.
   248.5.  (a) The Labor Commissioner shall enforce this article,
including investigating an alleged violation, and ordering
appropriate temporary relief to mitigate the violation or to maintain
the status quo pending the completion of a full investigation or
hearing.
   (b) If the Labor Commissioner, after a hearing that contains
adequate safeguards to ensure that the parties are afforded due
process, determines that a violation of this article has occurred, he
or she may order any appropriate relief, including reinstatement,
backpay, the payment of sick days unlawfully withheld, and the
payment of an additional sum in the form of an administrative penalty
to an employee or other person whose rights under this article were
violated. If paid sick days were unlawfully withheld, the dollar
amount of paid sick days withheld from the employee multiplied by
three, or two hundred fifty dollars ($250), whichever amount is
greater, shall be included in the administrative penalty. In
addition, if a violation of this article results in other harm to the
employee or person, such as discharge from employment, or otherwise
results in a violation of the rights of the employee or person, the
administrative penalty shall include a sum of fifty dollars ($50) for
each day or portion thereof that the violation occurred or
continued.
   (c) Where prompt compliance by an employer is not forthcoming, the
Labor Commissioner may take any appropriate enforcement action to
secure compliance, including the filing of a civil action. In
compensation to the state for the costs of investigating and
remedying the violation, the commissioner may order the violating
employer to pay to the state a sum of not more than fifty dollars
($50) for each day or portion of a day a violation occurs or
continues for each employee or other person whose rights under this
article were violated. These funds shall be allocated to the Labor
Commissioner to offset the costs of implementing and enforcing this
article.
   (d) An employee or other person may report to the Labor
Commissioner a suspected violation of this article. The commissioner
shall encourage reporting pursuant to this subdivision by keeping
confidential, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the
name and other identifying information of the employee or person
reporting the violation. However, the commissioner may disclose that
person's name and identifying information as necessary to enforce
this article or for other appropriate purposes, upon the
authorization of that person.
   (e) The Labor Commissioner or the Attorney General may bring a
civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction against the
employer or other person violating this article and, upon prevailing,
shall be entitled to  collect  legal or equitable relief
 on behalf of the aggrieved  as may be appropriate to remedy
the violation, including reinstatement, backpay, the payment of sick
days unlawfully withheld, the payment of an additional sum as
liquidated damages in the amount of fifty dollars ($50) to each
employee or person whose rights under this article were violated for
each day or portion thereof that the violation occurred or continued,
plus, if the employer has unlawfully withheld paid sick days to an
employee, the dollar amount of paid sick days withheld from the
employee multiplied by three; or two hundred fifty dollars ($250),
whichever amount is greater; and reinstatement in employment or
injunctive relief; and further shall be awarded reasonable attorney's
fees and costs, provided, however, that any person or entity
enforcing this article on behalf of the public as provided for under
applicable state law shall, upon prevailing, be entitled only to
equitable, injunctive, or restitutionary relief, and reasonable
attorney's fees and costs.
   (f) In an administrative or civil action brought under this
article, the Labor Commissioner or court, as the case may be, shall
award interest on all amounts due and unpaid at the rate of interest
specified in subdivision (b) of Section 3289 of the Civil Code.
   (g) The remedies, penalties, and procedures provided under this
article are cumulative.
   249.  (a) This article does not limit or affect any laws
guaranteeing the privacy of health information, or information
related to domestic violence or sexual assault, regarding an employee
or employee's family member. That information shall be treated as
confidential and shall not be disclosed to any person except to the
affected employee, or as required by law.
   (b) This article shall not be construed to discourage or prohibit
an employer from the adoption or retention of a paid sick days policy
more generous than the one required herein.
   (c) This article does not lessen the obligation of an employer to
comply with a contract, collective bargaining agreement, employment
benefit plan, or other agreement providing more generous sick days to
an employee than required herein.
   (d) This article establishes minimum requirements pertaining to
paid sick days and does not preempt, limit, or otherwise affect the
applicability of any other law, regulation, requirement, policy, or
standard that provides for greater accrual or
                      use by employees of sick days, whether paid or
unpaid, or that extends other protections to an employee.
   249.5.  (a) A public authority established under Section 12301.6
of the Welfare and Institutions Code shall comply with this article
for individuals who perform domestic services comprising in-home
supportive services under Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300)
of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code.
   (b) A public authority may satisfy this article by entering into a
collective bargaining agreement that provides an incremental hourly
wage adjustment in an amount sufficient to satisfy the accrual
requirements of Section 246.