Bill Text: CA AB1999 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Employment: family caregiver status protection.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2012-08-16 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB1999 Detail]
Download: California-2011-AB1999-Amended.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 1999 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 30, 2012
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Brownley
FEBRUARY 23, 2012
An act to amend Sections 51 and 54 of the Civil Code, to amend
Section 32228 of the Education Code, to amend Section 354.5 of the
Elections Code, to amend Sections 11135, 12920, 12921, 12926,
12926.1, and 12940 , and 12955.2 of the
Government Code, to amend Section 868.8 of the Penal Code, and to
amend Section 4900 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to
employment.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1999, as amended, Brownley. Employment: familial
family caregiver status protection.
Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act,
protects and safeguards the right and opportunity of all persons to
seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination or
abridgment on account of race, religious creed, color, national
origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical
condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender
identity, gender expression, age, or sexual orientation.
This bill would include "familial "family
caregiver status" as an additional basis upon which the right
to seek, obtain, and hold employment cannot be denied.
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. Section 51 of the Civil Code is amended to read:
51. (a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as the
Unruh Civil Rights Act.
(b) All persons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and
equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion,
ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic
information, marital status, or sexual orientation are entitled to
the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities,
privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind
whatsoever.
(c) This section shall not be construed to confer any right or
privilege on a person that is conditioned or limited by law or that
is applicable alike to persons of every sex, color, race, religion,
ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, marital
status, or sexual orientation or to persons regardless of their
genetic information.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any
construction, alteration, repair, structural or otherwise, or
modification of any sort whatsoever, beyond that construction,
alteration, repair, or modification that is otherwise required by
other provisions of law, to any new or existing establishment,
facility, building, improvement, or any other structure, nor shall
anything in this section be construed to augment, restrict, or alter
in any way the authority of the State Architect to require
construction, alteration, repair, or modifications that the State
Architect otherwise possesses pursuant to other laws.
(e) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Disability" means any mental or physical disability as
defined in Sections 12926 and 12926.1 of the Government Code.
(2) (A) "Genetic information" means, with respect to any
individual, information about any of the following:
(i) The individual's genetic tests.
(ii) The genetic tests of family members of the individual.
(iii) The manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members
of the individual.
(B) "Genetic information" includes any request for, or receipt of,
genetic services, or participation in clinical research that
includes genetic services, by an individual or any family member of
the individual.
(C) "Genetic information" does not include information about the
sex or age of any individual.
(3) "Medical condition" has the same meaning as defined in Section
12926 of the Government Code.
(4) "Religion" includes all aspects of religious belief,
observance, and practice.
(5) "Sex" includes, but is not limited to, pregnancy, childbirth,
or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth. "Sex" also
includes, but is not limited to, a person's gender. "Gender" means
sex, and includes a person's gender identity and gender expression.
"Gender expression" means a person's gender-related appearance and
behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's
assigned sex at birth.
(6) "Sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin,
disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status,
or sexual orientation" includes a perception that the person has any
particular characteristic or characteristics within the listed
categories or that the person is associated with a person who has, or
is perceived to have, any particular characteristic or
characteristics within the listed categories.
(7) "Sexual orientation" has the same meaning as defined in
Section 12926 of the Government Code.
(f) A violation of the right of any individual under the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-336) shall also
constitute a violation of this section.
SEC. 2. Section 54 of the Civil Code is amended to read:
54. (a) Individuals with disabilities or medical conditions have
the same right as the general public to the full and free use of the
streets, highways, sidewalks, walkways, public buildings, medical
facilities, including hospitals, clinics, and physicians' offices,
public facilities, and other public places.
(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Disability" means any mental or physical disability as
defined in Section 12926 of the Government Code.
(2) "Medical condition" has the same meaning as defined in Section
12926 of the Government Code.
(c) A violation of the right of an individual under the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336) also constitutes a
violation of this section.
SEC. 3. Section 32228 of the Education Code is amended to read:
32228. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that public
schools serving pupils in any of grades 8 to 12, inclusive, have
access to supplemental resources to establish programs and strategies
that promote school safety and emphasize violence prevention among
children and youth in the public schools.
(b) It is also the intent of the Legislature that public schools
have access to supplemental resources to combat bias on the basis of
race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender,
gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, as
defined in Section 12926 of the Government Code, and to prevent and
respond to acts of hate violence and bias-related incidents. Sexual
orientation shall not include pedophilia.
(c) It is further the intent of the Legislature that schoolsites
receiving funds pursuant to this article accomplish all of the
following goals:
(1) Teach pupils techniques for resolving conflicts without
violence.
(2) Train school staff and administrators to support and promote
conflict resolution and mediation techniques for resolving conflicts
between and among pupils.
(3) Reduce incidents of violence at the schoolsite with an
emphasis on prevention and early detection.
(4) Provide age-appropriate instruction in domestic violence
prevention, dating violence prevention, and interpersonal violence
prevention.
SEC. 4. Section 354.5 of the Elections Code is amended to read:
354.5. (a) "Signature" includes either of the following:
(1) A person's mark if the name of the person affixing the mark is
written near the mark by a witness over 18 years of age designated
by the person and the designee subscribes his or her own name as a
witness thereto. For purposes of this paragraph, a signature stamp
may be used as a mark, provided that the authorized user complies
with the provisions of this paragraph.
(2) An impression made by the use of a signature stamp pursuant to
the requirements specified in subdivision (c).
(b) A mark attested as provided in paragraph (1) of subdivision
(a), or an impression made by a signature stamp as provided in
paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), may serve as a signature for any
purpose specified in this code, including a sworn statement.
(c) An authorized user of a signature stamp may use it to affix a
signature to a document or writing any time that a signature is
required by this code, provided that all of the following conditions,
as applicable, are met:
(1) A signature stamp used to obtain a ballot or vote by mail
ballot in any local, state, or federal election shall be used only by
the authorized user of that signature stamp.
(2) A signature stamp shall be affixed by the authorized user in
the presence of the Secretary of State, his or her designee, the
local elections official, or his or her designee, to obtain a ballot,
in any local, state, or federal election unless the authorized user
of the signature stamp votes by vote by mail ballot. If the owner of
a signature stamp votes by vote by mail ballot, he or she shall affix
the signature stamp on the identification envelope in accordance
with Section 3019.
(d) A signature affixed with a signature stamp by an authorized
user in accordance with this section shall be treated in the same
manner as a signature made in writing.
(e) A registered voter or any person who is eligible to vote, who
qualifies as an authorized user pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subdivision (g), may use a signature stamp only after he or she first
submits his or her affidavit of registration or a new affidavit of
registration, whichever is applicable, in the presence of a county
elections official, using the signature stamp to sign the affidavit.
(f) The Secretary of State shall report to the Legislature not
later than January 1, 2009, regarding the use of signature stamps
during the 2008 elections.
(g) The following definitions apply for purposes of this section:
(1) "Authorized user" means either of the following:
(A) A person with a disability who, by reason of that disability,
is unable to write and who owns a signature stamp.
(B) A person using the signature stamp on behalf of the owner of
the stamp with the owner's express consent and in the presence of the
owner.
(2) "Disability" means a medical condition, mental disability, or
physical disability, as those terms are defined in Section 12926 of
the Government Code.
(3) "Signature stamp" means a stamp that contains the impression
of any of the following:
(A) The actual signature of a person with a disability.
(B) A mark or symbol that is adopted by the person with the
disability.
(C) A signature of the name of a person with a disability that is
made by another person and is adopted by the person with the
disability.
SEC. 5. Section 11135 of the Government Code is amended to read:
11135. (a) No person in the State of California shall, on the
basis of race, national origin, ethnic group identification,
religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, color, genetic information,
or disability, be unlawfully denied full and equal access to the
benefits of, or be unlawfully subjected to discrimination under, any
program or activity that is conducted, operated, or administered by
the state or by any state agency, is funded directly by the state, or
receives any financial assistance from the state. Notwithstanding
Section 11000, this section applies to the California State
University.
(b) With respect to discrimination on the basis of disability,
programs and activities subject to subdivision (a) shall meet the
protections and prohibitions contained in Section 202 of the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132), and
the federal rules and regulations adopted in implementation thereof,
except that if the laws of this state prescribe stronger protections
and prohibitions, the programs and activities subject to subdivision
(a) shall be subject to the stronger protections and prohibitions.
(c) (1) As used in this section, "disability" means any mental or
physical disability, as defined in Section 12926.
(2) The Legislature finds and declares that the amendments made to
this act are declarative of existing law. The Legislature further
finds and declares that in enacting Senate Bill 105 of the 2001-02
Regular Session (Chapter 1102 of the Statutes of 2002), it was the
intention of the Legislature to apply subdivision (d) to the
California State University in the same manner that subdivisions (a),
(b), and (c) already applied to the California State University,
notwithstanding Section 11000. In clarifying that the California
State University is subject to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d), it
is not the intention of the Legislature to increase the cost of
developing or procuring electronic and information technology. The
California State University shall, however, in determining the cost
of developing or procuring electronic or information technology,
consider whether technology that meets the standards applicable
pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) will reduce the
long-term cost incurred by the California State University in
providing access or accommodations to future users of this technology
who are persons with disabilities, as required by existing law,
including this section, Title II of the federal Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 and following), and
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794).
(d) (1) The Legislature finds and declares that the ability to
utilize electronic or information technology is often an essential
function for successful employment in the current work world.
(2) In order to improve accessibility of existing technology, and
therefore increase the successful employment of individuals with
disabilities, particularly blind and visually impaired and deaf and
hard-of-hearing persons, state governmental entities, in developing,
procuring, maintaining, or using electronic or information
technology, either indirectly or through the use of state funds by
other entities, shall comply with the accessibility requirements of
Section 508 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29
U.S.C. Sec. 794d), and regulations implementing that act as set
forth in Part 1194 of Title 36 of the Federal Code of Regulations.
(3) Any entity that contracts with a state or local entity subject
to this section for the provision of electronic or information
technology or for the provision of related services shall agree to
respond to, and resolve , any complaint regarding
accessibility of its products or services that is brought to the
attention of the entity.
(e) As used in this section, "sex" and "sexual orientation" have
the same meanings as those terms are defined in Section 12926.
(f) As used in this section, "race, national origin, ethnic group
identification, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, color, or
disability" includes a perception that a person has any of those
characteristics or that the person is associated with a person who
has, or is perceived to have, any of those characteristics.
(g) As used in this section, "genetic information" has the same
definition as in paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 51 of
the Civil Code.
SEC. 6. Section 12920 of the Government Code is amended to read:
12920. It is hereby declared as the public policy of this state
that it is necessary to protect and safeguard the right and
opportunity of all persons to seek, obtain, and hold employment
without discrimination or abridgment on account of race, religious
creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental
disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status,
familial family caregiver status, sex,
gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, or sexual
orientation.
It is recognized that the practice of denying employment
opportunity and discriminating in the terms of employment for these
reasons foments domestic strife and unrest, deprives the state of the
fullest utilization of its capacities for development and
advancement, and substantially and adversely affects the interests of
employees, employers, and the public in general.
Further, the practice of discrimination because of race, color,
religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual
orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial
status, source of income, disability, or genetic information in
housing accommodations is declared to be against public policy.
It is the purpose of this part to provide effective remedies that
will eliminate these discriminatory practices.
This part shall be deemed an exercise of the police power of the
state for the protection of the welfare, health, and peace of the
people of this state.
SEC. 7. Section 12921 of the Government Code is amended to read:
12921. (a) The opportunity to seek, obtain, and hold employment
without discrimination because of race, religious creed, color,
national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability,
medical condition, genetic information, marital status,
familial family caregiver status, sex, gender,
gender identity, gender expression, age, or sexual orientation is
hereby recognized as and declared to be a civil right.
(b) The opportunity to seek, obtain, and hold housing without
discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender
identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status,
national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income,
disability, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by
Section 51 of the Civil Code is hereby recognized as and declared to
be a civil right.
SEC. 8. Section 12926 of the Government Code is amended to read:
12926. As used in this part in connection with unlawful
practices, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the
context:
(a) "Affirmative relief" or "prospective relief" includes the
authority to order reinstatement of an employee, awards of backpay,
reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, hiring, transfers,
reassignments, grants of tenure, promotions, cease and desist orders,
posting of notices, training of personnel, testing, expunging of
records, reporting of records, and any other similar relief that is
intended to correct unlawful practices under this part.
(b) "Age" refers to the chronological age of any individual who
has reached his or her 40th birthday.
(c) "Employee" does not include any individual employed by his or
her parents, spouse, or child, or any individual employed under a
special license in a nonprofit sheltered workshop or rehabilitation
facility.
(d) "Employer" includes any person regularly employing five or
more persons, or any person acting as an agent of an employer,
directly or indirectly, the state or any political or civil
subdivision of the state, and cities, except as follows:
"Employer" does not include a religious association or corporation
not organized for private profit.
(e) "Employment agency" includes any person undertaking for
compensation to procure employees or opportunities to work.
(f) "Essential functions" means the fundamental job duties of the
employment position the individual with a disability holds or
desires. "Essential functions" does not include the marginal
functions of the position.
(1) A job function may be considered essential for any of several
reasons, including, but not limited to, any one or more of the
following:
(A) The function may be essential because the reason the position
exists is to perform that function.
(B) The function may be essential because of the limited number of
employees available among whom the performance of that job function
can be distributed.
(C) The function may be highly specialized, so that the incumbent
in the position is hired for his or her expertise or ability to
perform the particular function.
(2) Evidence of whether a particular function is essential
includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) The employer's judgment as to which functions are essential.
(B) Written job descriptions prepared before advertising or
interviewing applicants for the job.
(C) The amount of time spent on the job performing the function.
(D) The consequences of not requiring the incumbent to perform the
function.
(E) The terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
(F) The work experiences of past incumbents in the job.
(G) The current work experience of incumbents in similar jobs.
(g) (1) In
connection with unlawful employment practices, "familial
"Family caregiver status" includes being
means an individual who is, who will
be, or who is perceived to be, a family caregiver
provides medical or supervisory care to a family member . For
purposes of this paragraph subdivision
, "family member " means any of the following:
(A)
(1) A child as defined in Section 3302 of the
Unemployment Insurance Code.
(B)
(2) A parent as defined in Section 3302 of the
Unemployment Insurance Code.
(C)
(3) A spouse, which means the partner of a lawful
marriage.
(D)
(4) A domestic partner as defined in Section 297 of the
Family Code.
(E)
(5) A parent-in-law, which means the parent of a spouse
or domestic partner.
(F)
(6) A sibling as defined in paragraph
subdivision (c) of Section 362.1 of the Welfare
and Institutions Code.
(G)
(7) A grandparent.
(H)
(8) A grandchild.
(2) In connection with unlawful housing practices, "familial
status" has the same meaning as defined in Section 12955.2.
(h) (1) "Genetic information" means, with respect to any
individual, information about any of the following:
(A) The individual's genetic tests.
(B) The genetic tests of family members of the individual.
(C) The manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members
of the individual.
(2) "Genetic information" includes any request for, or receipt of,
genetic services, or participation in clinical research that
includes genetic services, by an individual or any family member of
the individual.
(3) "Genetic information" does not include information about the
sex or age of any individual.
(i) "Labor organization" includes any organization that exists and
is constituted for the purpose, in whole or in part, of collective
bargaining or of dealing with employers concerning grievances, terms
or conditions of employment, or of other mutual aid or protection.
(j) "Medical condition" means either of the following:
(1) Any health impairment related to or associated with a
diagnosis of cancer or a record or history of cancer.
(2) Genetic characteristics. For purposes of this section,
"genetic characteristics" means either of the following:
(A) Any scientifically or medically identifiable gene or
chromosome, or combination or alteration thereof, that is known to be
a cause of a disease or disorder in a person or his or her
offspring, or that is determined to be associated with a
statistically increased risk of development of a disease or disorder,
and that is presently not associated with any symptoms of any
disease or disorder.
(B) Inherited characteristics that may derive from the individual
or family member, that are known to be a cause of a disease or
disorder in a person or his or her offspring, or that are determined
to be associated with a statistically increased risk of development
of a disease or disorder, and that are presently not associated with
any symptoms of any disease or disorder.
(k) "Mental disability" includes, but is not limited to, all of
the following:
(1) Having any mental or psychological disorder or condition, such
as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental
illness, or specific learning disabilities, that limits a major life
activity. For purposes of this section:
(A) "Limits" shall be determined without regard to mitigating
measures, such as medications, assistive devices, or reasonable
accommodations, unless the mitigating measure itself limits a major
life activity.
(B) A mental or psychological disorder or condition limits a major
life activity if it makes the achievement of the major life activity
difficult.
(C) "Major life activities" shall be broadly construed and shall
include physical, mental, and social activities and working.
(2) Any other mental or psychological disorder or condition not
described in paragraph (1) that requires special education or related
services.
(3) Having a record or history of a mental or psychological
disorder or condition described in paragraph (1) or (2), which is
known to the employer or other entity covered by this part.
(4) Being regarded or treated by the employer or other entity
covered by this part as having, or having had, any mental condition
that makes achievement of a major life activity difficult.
(5) Being regarded or treated by the employer or other entity
covered by this part as having, or having had, a mental or
psychological disorder or condition that has no present disabling
effect, but that may become a mental disability as described in
paragraph (1) or (2).
"Mental disability" does not include sexual behavior disorders,
compulsive gambling, kleptomania, pyromania, or psychoactive
substance use disorders resulting from the current unlawful use of
controlled substances or other drugs.
(l) "On the bases enumerated in this part" means or refers to
discrimination on the basis of one or more of the following: race,
religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical
disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic
information, marital status, familial family
caregiver status, sex, age, or sexual orientation.
(l)
(m) "Physical disability" includes, but is not limited
to, all of the following:
(m)
(1) Having any physiological disease, disorder,
condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss that does both
of the following:
(A) Affects one or more of the following body systems:
neurological, immunological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs,
respiratory, including speech organs, cardiovascular, reproductive,
digestive, genitourinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin, and endocrine.
(B) Limits a major life activity. For purposes of this section:
(i) "Limits" shall be determined without regard to mitigating
measures such as medications, assistive devices, prosthetics, or
reasonable accommodations, unless the mitigating measure itself
limits a major life activity.
(ii) A physiological disease, disorder, condition, cosmetic
disfigurement, or anatomical loss limits a major life activity if it
makes the achievement of the major life activity difficult.
(iii) "Major life activities" shall be broadly construed and
includes physical, mental, and social activities and working.
(2) Any other health impairment not described in paragraph (1)
that requires special education or related services.
(3) Having a record or history of a disease, disorder, condition,
cosmetic disfigurement, anatomical loss, or health impairment
described in paragraph (1) or (2), which is known to the employer or
other entity covered by this part.
(4) Being regarded or treated by the employer or other entity
covered by this part as having, or having had, any physical condition
that makes achievement of a major life activity difficult.
(5) Being regarded or treated by the employer or other entity
covered by this part as having, or having had, a disease, disorder,
condition, cosmetic disfigurement, anatomical loss, or health
impairment that has no present disabling effect but may become a
physical disability as described in paragraph (1) or (2).
(6) "Physical disability" does not include sexual behavior
disorders, compulsive gambling, kleptomania, pyromania, or
psychoactive substance use disorders resulting from the current
unlawful use of controlled substances or other drugs.
(n) Notwithstanding subdivisions (k) and (m), if the
definition of "disability" used in the federal Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-336) would result in broader
protection of the civil rights of individuals with a mental
disability or physical disability, as defined in subdivision (k) or
(m), or would include any medical condition not included within those
definitions, then that broader protection or coverage shall be
deemed incorporated by reference into, and shall prevail over
conflicting provisions of, the definitions in subdivisions (k) and
(m).
(o) "Race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry,
physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic
information, marital status, familial family
caregiver status, sex, age, or sexual orientation" includes a
perception that the person has any of those characteristics or that
the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to
have, any of those characteristics.
(p) "Reasonable accommodation" may include either of the
following:
(1) Making existing facilities used by employees readily
accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities.
(2) Job restructuring, part-time or modified work schedules,
reassignment to a vacant position, acquisition or modification of
equipment or devices, adjustment or modifications of examinations,
training materials or policies, the provision of qualified readers or
interpreters, and other similar accommodations for individuals with
disabilities.
(q) "Religious creed," "religion," "religious observance,"
"religious belief," and "creed" include all aspects of religious
belief, observance, and practice.
(r) "Sex" includes, but is not limited to, pregnancy, childbirth,
or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth. "Sex" also
includes, but is not limited to, a person's gender. "Gender" means
sex, and includes a person's gender identity and gender expression.
"Gender expression" means a person's gender-related appearance and
behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's
assigned sex at birth.
(s) "Sexual orientation" means heterosexuality, homosexuality, and
bisexuality.
(t) "Supervisor" means any individual having the authority, in the
interest of the employer, to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off,
recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other
employees, or the responsibility to direct them, or to adjust their
grievances, or effectively to recommend that action, if, in
connection with the foregoing, the exercise of that authority is not
of a merely routine or clerical nature, but requires the use of
independent judgment.
(u) "Undue hardship" means an action requiring significant
difficulty or expense, when considered in light of the following
factors:
(1) The nature and cost of the accommodation needed.
(2) The overall financial resources of the facilities involved in
the provision of the reasonable accommodations, the number of persons
employed at the facility, and the effect on expenses and resources
or the impact otherwise of these accommodations upon the operation of
the facility.
(3) The overall financial resources of the covered entity, the
overall size of the business of a covered entity with respect to the
number of employees, and the number, type, and location of its
facilities.
(4) The type of operations, including the composition, structure,
and functions of the workforce of the entity.
(5) The geographic separateness, administrative, or fiscal
relationship of the facility or facilities.
SEC. 9. Section 12926.1 of the Government Code is amended to read:
12926.1. The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(a) The law of this state in the area of disabilities provides
protections independent from those in the federal Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-336). Although the federal act
provides a floor of protection, this state's law has always, even
prior to passage of the federal act, afforded additional protections.
(b) The law of this state contains broad definitions of physical
disability, mental disability, and medical condition. It is the
intent of the Legislature that the definitions of physical disability
and mental disability be construed so that applicants and employees
are protected from discrimination due to an actual or perceived
physical or mental impairment that is disabling, potentially
disabling, or perceived as disabling or potentially disabling.
(c) Physical and mental disabilities include, but are not limited
to, chronic or episodic conditions such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis,
epilepsy, seizure disorder, diabetes, clinical depression, bipolar
disorder, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease. In addition, the
Legislature has determined that the definitions of "physical
disability" and "mental disability" under the law of this state
require a "limitation" upon a major life activity, but do not
require, as does the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,
a "substantial limitation." This distinction is intended to result
in broader coverage under the law of this state than under that
federal act. Under the law of this state, whether a condition limits
a major life activity shall be determined without respect to any
mitigating measures, unless the mitigating measure itself limits a
major life activity, regardless of federal law under the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990. Further, under the law of this state,
"working" is a major life activity, regardless of whether the actual
or perceived working limitation implicates a particular employment or
a class or broad range of employments.
(d) Notwithstanding any interpretation of law in Cassista v.
Community Foods (1993) 5 Cal.4th 1050, the Legislature intends (1)
for state law to be independent of the federal Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, (2) to require a "limitation" rather than a
"substantial limitation" of a major life activity, and (3) by
enacting paragraph (4) of subdivision (k) and paragraph (4) of
subdivision (m) of Section 12926, to provide protection when an
individual is erroneously or mistakenly believed to have any physical
or mental condition that limits a major life activity.
(e) The Legislature affirms the importance of the interactive
process between the applicant or employee and the employer in
determining a reasonable accommodation, as this requirement has been
articulated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in its
interpretive guidance of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990.
SEC. 10. Section 12940 of the Government Code is amended to read:
12940. It is an unlawful employment practice, unless based upon a
bona fide occupational qualification, or, except where based upon
applicable security regulations established by the United States or
the State of California:
(a) For an employer, because of the race, religious creed, color,
national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability,
medical condition, genetic information, marital status,
familial family caregiver status, sex, gender,
gender identity, gender expression, age, or sexual orientation of any
person, to refuse to hire or employ the person or to refuse to
select the person for a training program leading to employment, or to
bar or to discharge the person from employment or from a training
program leading to employment, or to discriminate against the person
in compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.
(1) This part does not prohibit an employer from refusing to hire
or discharging an employee with a physical or mental disability, or
subject an employer to any legal liability resulting from the refusal
to employ or the discharge of an employee with a physical or mental
disability, where the employee, because of his or her physical or
mental disability, is unable to perform his or her essential duties
even with reasonable accommodations, or cannot perform those duties
in a manner that would not endanger his or her health or safety or
the health or safety of others even with reasonable accommodations.
(2) This part does not prohibit an employer from refusing to hire
or discharging an employee who, because of the employee's medical
condition, is unable to perform his or her essential duties even with
reasonable accommodations, or cannot perform those duties in a
manner that would not endanger the employee's health or safety or the
health or safety of others even with reasonable accommodations.
Nothing in this part shall subject an employer to any legal liability
resulting from the refusal to employ or the discharge of an employee
who, because of the employee's medical condition, is unable to
perform his or her essential duties, or cannot perform those duties
in a manner that would not endanger the employee's health or safety
or the health or safety of others even with reasonable
accommodations.
(3) Nothing in this part relating to discrimination on account of
marital status or familial family caregiver
status shall do either of the following:
(A) Affect the right of an employer to reasonably regulate, for
reasons of supervision, safety, security, or morale, the working of
spouses in the same department, division, or facility, consistent
with the rules and regulations adopted by the commission.
(B) Prohibit bona fide health plans from providing additional or
greater benefits to employees with dependents than to those employees
without or with fewer dependents.
(4) Nothing in this part relating to discrimination on account of
sex shall affect the right of an employer to use veteran status as a
factor in employee selection or to give special consideration to
Vietnam-era veterans.
(5) (A) This part does not prohibit an employer from refusing to
employ an individual because of his or her age if the law compels or
provides for that refusal. Promotions within the existing staff,
hiring or promotion on the basis of experience and training, rehiring
on the basis of seniority and prior service with the employer, or
hiring under an established recruiting program from high schools,
colleges, universities, or trade schools do not, in and of
themselves, constitute unlawful employment practices.
(B) The provisions of this part relating to discrimination on the
basis of age do not prohibit an employer from providing health
benefits or health care reimbursement plans to retired persons that
are altered, reduced, or eliminated when the person becomes eligible
for Medicare health benefits. This subparagraph applies to all
retiree health benefit plans and contractual provisions or practices
concerning retiree health benefits and health care reimbursement
plans in effect on or after January 1, 2011.
(b) For a labor organization, because of the race, religious
creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental
disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status,
familial family caregiver status, sex,
gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, or sexual
orientation of any person, to exclude, expel, or restrict from its
membership the person, or to provide only second-class or segregated
membership or to discriminate against any person because of the race,
religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical
disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic
information, marital status, familial family
caregiver status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender
expression, age, or sexual orientation of the person in the election
of officers of the labor organization or in the selection of the
labor organization's staff or to discriminate in any way against any
of its members or against any employer or against any person employed
by an employer.
(c) For any person to discriminate against any person in the
selection or training of that person in any apprenticeship training
program or any other training program leading to employment because
of the race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry,
physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic
information, marital status, familial family
caregiver status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender
expression, age, or sexual orientation of the person discriminated
against.
(d) For any employer or employment agency to print or circulate or
cause to be printed or circulated any publication, or to make any
nonjob-related inquiry of an employee or applicant, either verbal or
through use of an application form, that expresses, directly or
indirectly, any limitation, specification, or discrimination as to
race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical
disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic
information, marital status, familial family
caregiver status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender
expression, age, or sexual orientation, or any intent to make any
such limitation, specification, or discrimination. This part does not
prohibit an employer or employment agency from inquiring into the
age of an applicant, or from specifying age limitations, where the
law compels or provides for that action.
(e) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) or (3), for any
employer or employment agency to require any medical or psychological
examination of an applicant, to make any medical or psychological
inquiry of an applicant, to make any inquiry whether an applicant has
a mental disability or physical disability or medical condition, or
to make any inquiry regarding the nature or severity of a physical
disability, mental disability, or medical condition.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an employer or employment
agency may inquire into the ability of an applicant to perform
job-related functions and may respond to an applicant's request for
reasonable accommodation.
(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an employer or employment
agency may require a medical or psychological examination or make a
medical or psychological inquiry of a job applicant after an
employment offer has been made but prior to the commencement of
employment duties, provided that the examination or inquiry is job
related and consistent with business necessity and that all entering
employees in the same job classification are subject to the same
examination or inquiry.
(f) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), for any employer or
employment agency to require any medical or psychological examination
of an employee, to make any medical or psychological inquiry of an
employee, to make any inquiry whether an employee has a mental
disability, physical disability, or medical condition, or to make any
inquiry regarding the nature or severity of a physical disability,
mental disability, or medical condition.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an employer or employment
agency may require any examinations or inquiries that it can show to
be job related and consistent with business necessity. An employer or
employment agency may conduct voluntary medical examinations,
including voluntary medical histories, which are part of an employee
health program available to employees at that worksite.
(g) For any employer, labor organization, or employment agency to
harass, discharge, expel, or otherwise discriminate against any
person because the person has made a report pursuant to Section
11161.8 of the Penal Code that prohibits retaliation against hospital
employees who report suspected patient abuse by health facilities or
community care facilities.
(h) For any employer, labor organization, employment agency, or
person to discharge, expel, or otherwise discriminate against any
person because the person has opposed any practices forbidden under
this part or because the person has filed a complaint, testified, or
assisted in any proceeding under this part.
(i) For any person to aid, abet, incite, compel, or coerce the
doing of any of the acts forbidden under this part, or to attempt to
do so.
(j) (1) For an employer, labor organization, employment agency,
apprenticeship training program or any training program leading to
employment, or any other person, because of race, religious creed,
color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental
disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status,
familial family caregiver status, sex,
gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, or sexual
orientation, to harass an employee, an applicant, or a person
providing services pursuant to a contract. Harassment of an employee,
an applicant, or a person providing services pursuant to a contract
by an employee, other than an agent or supervisor, shall be unlawful
if the entity, or its agents or supervisors, knows or should have
known of this conduct and fails to take immediate and appropriate
corrective action. An employer may also be responsible for the acts
of nonemployees, with respect to sexual harassment of employees,
applicants, or persons providing services pursuant to a contract in
the workplace, where the employer, or its agents or supervisors,
knows or should have known of the conduct and fails to take immediate
and appropriate corrective action. In reviewing cases involving the
acts of nonemployees, the extent of the employer's control and any
other legal responsibility which the employer may have with respect
to the conduct of those nonemployees shall be considered. An entity
shall take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment from occurring.
Loss of tangible job benefits shall not be necessary in order to
establish harassment.
(2) The provisions of this subdivision are declaratory of existing
law, except for the new duties imposed on employers with regard to
harassment.
(3) An employee of an entity subject to this subdivision is
personally liable for any harassment prohibited by this section that
is perpetrated by the employee, regardless of whether the employer or
covered entity knows or should have known of the conduct and fails
to take immediate and appropriate corrective action.
(4) (A) For purposes of this subdivision only, "employer" means
any person regularly employing one or more persons or regularly
receiving the services of one or more persons providing services
pursuant to a contract, or any person acting as an agent of an
employer, directly or indirectly, the state, or any political or
civil subdivision of the state, and cities. The definition of
"employer" in subdivision (d) of Section 12926 applies to all
provisions of this section other than this subdivision.
(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), for purposes of this
subdivision, "employer" does not include a religious association or
corporation not organized for private profit, except as provided in
Section 12926.2.
(C) For purposes of this subdivision, "harassment" because of sex
includes sexual harassment, gender harassment, and harassment based
on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
(5) For purposes of this subdivision, "a person providing services
pursuant to a contract" means a person who meets all of the
following criteria:
(A) The person has the right to control the performance of the
contract for services and discretion as to the manner of performance.
(B) The person is customarily engaged in an independently
established business.
(C) The person has control over the time and place the work is
performed, supplies the tools and instruments used in the work, and
performs work that requires a particular skill not ordinarily used in
the course of the employer's work.
(k) For an employer, labor organization, employment agency,
apprenticeship training program, or any training program leading to
employment, to fail to take all reasonable steps necessary to prevent
discrimination and harassment from occurring.
(l) For an employer or other entity covered by this part to refuse
to hire or employ a person or to refuse to select a person for a
training program leading to employment or to bar or to discharge a
person from employment or from a training program leading to
employment, or to discriminate against a person in compensation or in
terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of a conflict
between the person's religious belief or observance and any
employment requirement, unless the employer or other entity covered
by this part demonstrates that it has explored any available
reasonable alternative means of accommodating the religious belief or
observance, including the possibilities of excusing the person from
those duties that conflict with his or her religious belief or
observance or permitting those duties to be performed at another time
or by another person, but is unable to reasonably accommodate the
religious belief or observance without undue hardship on the conduct
of the business of the employer or other entity covered by this part.
Religious belief or observance, as used in this section, includes,
but is not limited to, observance of a Sabbath or other religious
holy day or days, and reasonable time necessary for travel prior and
subsequent to a religious observance.
(m) For an employer or other entity covered by this part to fail
to make reasonable accommodation for the known physical or mental
disability of an applicant or employee. Nothing in this subdivision
or in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) shall be construed to
require an accommodation that is demonstrated by the employer or
other covered entity to produce undue hardship to its operation.
(n) For an employer or other entity covered by this part to fail
to engage in a timely, good faith, interactive process with the
employee or applicant to determine effective reasonable
accommodations, if any, in response to a request for reasonable
accommodation by an employee or applicant with a known physical or
mental disability or known medical condition.
(o) For an employer or other entity covered by this part, to
subject, directly or indirectly, any employee, applicant, or other
person to a test for the presence of a genetic characteristic.
SEC. 11. Section 12955.2 of the Government Code
is amended to read:
12955.2. For purposes of this part in connection with unlawful
housing practices, "familial status" means one or more individuals
under 18 years of age who reside with a parent, another person with
care and legal custody of that individual, a person who has been
given care and custody of that individual by a state or local
governmental agency that is responsible for the welfare of children,
or the designee of that parent or other person with legal custody of
any individual under 18 years of age by written consent of the parent
or designated custodian. The protections afforded by this part
against discrimination on the basis of familial status also apply to
any individual who is pregnant , who is in the process of securing
legal custody of any individual under 18 years of age, or who is in
the process of being given care and custody of any individual under
18 years of age by a state or local governmental agency responsible
for the welfare of children.
SEC. 12. SEC. 11. Section 868.8 of
the Penal Code is amended to read:
868.8. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in any
criminal proceeding in which the defendant is charged with a
violation of Section 243.4, 261, 273a, 273d, 285, 286, 288, 288a,
288.5, or 289, subdivision (1) of Section 314, Section 647.6, or
former Section 647a, or any crime that constitutes domestic violence
defined in Section 13700, committed with or upon a person with a
disability or a minor under 11 years of age, the court shall take
special precautions to provide for the comfort and support of the
person with a disability or minor and to protect him or her from
coercion, intimidation, or undue influence as a witness, including,
but not limited to, any of the following:
(a) In the court's discretion, the witness may be allowed
reasonable periods of relief from examination and cross-examination
during which he or she may retire from the courtroom. The judge may
also allow other witnesses in the proceeding to be examined when the
person with a disability or child witness retires from the courtroom.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 68110 of the Government Code, in his
or her discretion, the judge may remove his or her robe if the judge
believes that this formal attire intimidates the person with a
disability or the minor.
(c) In the court's discretion the judge, parties, witnesses,
support persons, and court personnel may be relocated within the
courtroom to facilitate a more comfortable and personal environment
for the person with a disability or child witness.
(d) In the court's discretion, the taking of the testimony of the
person with a disability or the minor may be limited to normal school
hours if there is no good cause to take the testimony of the person
with a disability or the minor during other hours.
(e) For the purposes of this section, the term "disability" is
defined in Section 12926 of the Government Code.
SEC. 13. SEC. 12. Section 4900 of
the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:
4900. (a) The definitions contained in this section shall govern
the construction of this division, unless the context requires
otherwise. These definitions shall not be construed to alter or
impact the definitions or other provisions of the Elder Abuse and
Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act (Chapter 11 (commencing with
Section 15600)), or Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 15750), of
Part 3 of Division 9.
(b) "Abuse" means an act, or failure to act, that would constitute
abuse as that term is defined in federal regulations pertaining to
the authority of protection and advocacy agencies, including Section
51.2 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations or Section
1386.19 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations. "Abuse" also
means an act, or failure to act, that would constitute abuse as that
term is defined in Section 15610.07 of this code or Section 11165.6
of the Penal Code.
(c) "Complaint" has the same meaning as "complaint" as defined in
federal statutes and regulations pertaining to the authority of
protection and advocacy agencies, including Section 10802(1) of Title
42 of the United States Code, Section 51.2 of Title 42 of the Code
of Federal Regulations, or Section 1386.19 of Title 45 of the Code of
Federal Regulations.
(d) "Disability" means a developmental disability, as defined in
Section 15002(8) of Title 42 of the United States Code, a mental
illness, as defined in Section 10802(4) of Title 42 of the United
States Code, a
disability within the meaning of the federal Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq.), as defined
in Section 12102(2) of Title 42 of the United States Code, or a
disability within the meaning of the California Fair Employment and
Housing Act (Part 2.8 (commencing with Section 12900) of Division 3
of Title 2 of the Government Code), as defined in Section 12926 of
the Government Code.
(e) "Facility" or "program" means a public or private facility or
program providing services, support, care, or treatment to persons
with disabilities, even if only on an as-needed basis or under
contractual arrangement. "Facility" or "program" includes, but is not
limited to, a hospital, a long-term health care facility, a
community living arrangement for people with disabilities, including
a group home, a board and care home, an individual residence or
apartment of a person with a disability where services are provided,
a day program, a juvenile detention facility, a homeless shelter, a
jail, or a prison, including all general areas, as well as special,
mental health, or forensic units. The term includes any facility
licensed under Division 2 (commencing with Section 1200) of the
Health and Safety Code and any facility that is unlicensed but is not
exempt from licensure as provided in subdivision (a) of Section
1503.5 of the Health and Safety Code. The term also includes a public
or private school or other institution or program providing
education, training, habilitation, therapeutic, or residential
services to persons with disabilities.
(f) "Legal guardian," "conservator," or "legal representative"
means a person appointed by a state court or agency empowered under
state law to appoint and review the legal guardian, conservator, or
legal representative, as appropriate. With respect to an individual
described under paragraph (2) of subdivision (i), this person is one
who has the legal authority to consent to health or mental health
care or treatment on behalf of the individual. With respect to an
individual described under paragraphs
paragraph (1) or (3) of subdivision (i), this person is one who
has the legal authority to make all decisions on behalf of the
individual. These terms include the parent of a minor who has legal
custody of the minor. These terms do not include a person acting
solely as a representative payee, a person acting solely to handle
financial matters, an attorney or other person acting on behalf of an
individual with a disability solely in individual legal matters, or
an official or his or her designee who is responsible for the
provision of treatment or services to an individual with a
disability.
(g) "Neglect" means a negligent act, or omission to act, that
would constitute neglect as that term is defined in federal statutes
and regulations pertaining to the authority of protection and
advocacy agencies, including Section 10802(5) of Title 42 of the
United States Code, Section 51.2 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, or Section 1386.19 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal
Regulations. "Neglect" also means a negligent act, or omission to
act, that would constitute neglect as that term is defined in
subdivision (b) of Section 15610.07 of this code or Section 11165.2
of the Penal Code.
(h) "Probable cause" to believe that an individual has been
subject to abuse or neglect, or is at significant risk of being
subjected to abuse or neglect, exists when the protection and
advocacy agency determines that it is objectively reasonable for a
person to entertain that belief. The individual making a probable
cause determination may base the decision on reasonable inferences
drawn from his or her experience or training regarding similar
incidents, conditions, or problems that are usually associated with
abuse or neglect. Information supporting a probable cause
determination may result from monitoring or other activities,
including, but not limited to, media reports and newspaper articles.
(i) "Protection and advocacy agency" means the private nonprofit
corporation designated by the Governor in this state pursuant to
federal law for the protection and advocacy of the rights of persons
with disabilities, including the following:
(1) People with developmental disabilities, as authorized under
the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights
Act of 2000, contained in Chapter 144 (commencing with Section 15001)
of Title 42 of the United States Code.
(2) People with mental illness, as authorized under the federal
Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individuals Amendments Act
of 1991, contained in Chapter 114 (commencing with Section 10801) of
Title 42 of the United States Code.
(3) People with disabilities within the meaning of the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et
seq.) as defined in Section 12102(2) of Title 42 of the United States
Code, who do not have a developmental disability as defined in
Section 15002(8) of Title 42 of the United States Code, people with a
mental illness as defined in Section 10802(4) of Title 42 of the
United States Code, and who are receiving services under the federal
Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights Act as defined in
Section 794e of Title 29 of the United States Code, or people with a
disability within the meaning of the California Fair Employment and
Housing Act (Part 2.8 (commencing with Section 12900) of Division 3
of Title 2 of the Government Code), as defined in Section 12926 of
the Government Code.
(j) "Reasonable unaccompanied access" means access that permits
the protection and advocacy agency, without undue interference, to
monitor, inspect, and observe conditions in facilities and programs,
to meet and communicate with residents and service recipients
privately and confidentially on a regular basis, formally or
informally, by telephone, mail, electronic mail, and in person, and
to review records privately and confidentially, in a manner that
minimizes interference with the activities of the program or service,
that respects residents' privacy interests and honors a resident's
request to terminate an interview, and that does not jeopardize the
physical health or safety of facility or program staff, residents,
service recipients, or protection and advocacy agency staff.
