Committee advances Sen. Reyes’s bill extending WARN-style notice for AI displacements
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Summary
SB 951 would expand the WARN framework to require 90 days’ advance notice for technological displacements, bar discharges during the notice period absent substantiated cause, and require reporting on roles and technologies used; it moved out after robust testimony for transparency from labor groups and opposition from business.
Sen. Reyes presented SB 951, the California Worker Technological Displacement Act, saying the bill updates WARN-style notice requirements to reflect AI-driven displacement by requiring a 90-day advance written notice to workers, local governments and the Employment Development Department, mandatory reporting on roles and technology, and a right-of-first-consideration for displaced workers at firms with 100 or more employees. "Because we cannot manage what we cannot measure," the author said.
Labor sponsors described rapid layoffs allegedly tied to AI investment and said the bill would provide necessary data to plan workforce responses. Sarah Flox (California Federation of Labor Unions) said employers are replacing human judgment at scale and that transparency will allow policymakers and workforce boards to respond.
Opponents including the California Chamber of Commerce raised concerns that SB 951 is overbroad, could force disclosure of proprietary information (including AI model identities), lengthen notice windows compared with existing WARN, and create overlapping compliance obligations and litigation exposure under a private right of action. The opposition suggested narrower definitions, reduced notice burdens, and alignment with existing WARN thresholds.
Committee members debated trade-offs between transparency for affected workers and burdens on employers. The author accepted committee amendments and the bill was moved to the Senate Committee on Privacy, Digital Technologies and Consumer Protection for further consideration.
