[Approved by Governor September 28, 2016. Filed with Secretary of State September 28, 2016.]
SB 1001, Mitchell. Employment: unfair practices.
Existing law prohibits an employer or any other person from engaging in, or directing another person to engage in, an unfair immigration-related practice against a person for the purpose of or intent to retaliate against any person for exercising a protected right, as specified. Existing law defines requesting more or different documents than are required under federal law, or refusing to honor documents tendered that on their face reasonably appear to be genuine, as an unfair immigration-related practice.
This bill would make it unlawful for an employer to request more or different documents than are required under federal law, to refuse to honor documents tendered that on their face reasonably appear to be genuine, to refuse to honor documents or work authorization based upon the specific status or term of status that accompanies the authorization to work, or to reinvestigate or reverify an incumbent employee’s authorization to work, as specified. The bill would authorize an applicant for employment or an employee who is subject to an unlawful act that is prohibited by these provisions, or a representative of that applicant for employment or employee, to file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. The bill would specify that any person who violates these provisions shall be subject to a penalty imposed by the Labor Commissioner not exceeding $10,000, and be liable for equitable relief.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 1019.1 is added to the Labor Code, to read:
(a) It is unlawful for an employer, in the course of satisfying the requirements of Section 1324a(b) of Title 8 of the United States Code, to do any of the following:
(1) Request more or different documents than are required under Section 1324a(b) of Title 8 of the United States Code.
(2) Refuse to honor documents tendered that on their face reasonably appear to be genuine.
(3) Refuse to honor documents or work authorization based upon the specific status or term of status that accompanies the authorization to work.
(4) Attempt to reinvestigate or reverify an incumbent employee’s authorization to work using an unfair immigration-related practice.
(b) (1) Any person who violates this section shall be subject to a penalty imposed by the Labor Commissioner and liability for equitable relief.
(2) An applicant for employment or an employee who is subject to an unlawful act that is prohibited by this section, or a representative of that applicant for employment or employee, may file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement pursuant to Section 98.7.
(3) The penalty recoverable by the applicant or employee, or by the Labor Commissioner, for a violation of this section shall not exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per violation.
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