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Panel debates wide-ranging scheduling bill that would require 14-day notices and penalties for changes
Summary
Senate Bill 436 would require large employers to provide advanced work schedules, written availability statements and pay compensatory penalties for late schedule changes; lawmakers questioned the bill’s scope (500+ threshold, NAICS classifications), enforceability and administrative burden.
A lengthy committee debate on Senate Bill 436 consumed much of the March 12 Labor and Public Employees meeting as lawmakers weighed a proposal to require advanced notice of work schedules for large employers.
The bill would apply to employers with 500 or more employees in specified industries and would require employers to obtain a written availability statement from new hires, provide a good-faith estimate of average weekly hours, and post or transmit work schedules at least 14 days before the start date. When employers change schedules within the 14-day window, they would owe statutory compensation — for example, one hour of pay for added hours and half of the scheduled time when a shift is canceled — and provide rest-period protections and premium pay for short-turnaround shifts.
Representative Weer questioned how the 500-employee threshold was chosen and pressed for clarity on which NAICS codes are covered, whether tribal casinos are included, and how long implementation records must be kept. The chair said the threshold was a compromise reached in chamber negotiations and noted that the S-language delays some implementation tasks to allow consultation with the Department of Labor.
Lawmakers repeatedly sought clearer language. Representative Weer and Senator Samson said the bill’s many "shall" obligations for employers and permissive "may" provisions for employees create an imbalance and could require employers to keep extra staff or pay penalties in unpredictable circumstances such as weather outages. The Chair and supporters said the measure aims to protect low-wage and shift workers (health care, food service, hospitality) from unpredictable schedules and to give employees more stable hours.
The committee voted to JF SB 436 to the floor after discussion; members noted questions about implementation, recordkeeping, and the need for regulatory guidance.
