Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Policy Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate Labor Committee advances a package of labor-related measures, including studies, delays and reforms
Summary
The committee moved multiple labor and employment bills—AB 14 39 (study of labor standards for PERS/STRS projects), AB 16 97 (one-year delay to AB 6 92), AB 18 03 (workplace anti-hate training), AB 21 20 (selective certification for LAUSD), AB 22 92 (ban administrative fees for SDI/PFL forms), and AB 11 98 (prevailing-wage timing reform)—sending them on to subsequent committees or placing them on call.
During a long hearing, the Senate Labor and Public Employment and Retirement Committee advanced a series of labor-related measures to follow-up committees.
AB 14 39, a study bill asking the UC Berkeley Labor Center to analyze labor standards protections for PERS- and STRS-funded real estate and infrastructure projects, drew support from building trades and union groups who said self-certification by contractors leaves gaps. Mike West of the State Building and Construction Trades Council said the study is needed to protect pension investments and worker standards.
AB 16 97, offered to delay certain provisions of AB 6 92 by one year to Jan. 1, 2027, attracted support from some professional leagues and financial services groups that asked for an even longer delay; the committee voted to move it to Judiciary for further work.
AB 18 03, a bill added as a Jewish caucus priority to require anti-hate-speech modules in workplace harassment training for businesses with five or more employees, prompted heated testimony. Dr. Connie Tan of Stop AAPI Hate said training could prevent workplace-targeted hate, while opponents warned of First Amendment concerns and urged a no vote; the committee nevertheless moved the bill to Judiciary.
AB 21 20 (selective certification for Los Angeles Unified) was moved to Education after LAUSD representatives said the tool helps them hire for hard-to-fill specialized positions. AB 22 92, prohibiting separate administrative fees for SDI and PFL certification forms, was passed out of committee after debate with medical provider groups about nominal cost recovery. AB 11 98 (Fair Pay for Construction Workers) to align prevailing wages to when work is actually performed rather than when a project was advertised was advanced to Appropriations despite opposition from city and county groups citing long-project budget uncertainty.
Taken together, the measures reflect a mix of workforce protections, study requests to assess enforcement gaps, and procedural changes aimed at clarifying employer and provider obligations. Most bills were reported out of committee or referred to the next committee on an on-call basis.
