Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, protects the right to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination because of race, religious creed, physical disability, mental disability, sex, age, and sexual orientation, among other characteristics. The act prohibits various forms of employment discrimination, including discharging or refusing to hire or to select for training programs on a prohibited basis. The act prescribes requirements for filing complaints of employment discrimination with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and charges this department with investigating and determining whether or not to bring a civil action on behalf of the complainant, among other duties. The act exempts employers from remedies for specified unlawful employment practices, including when the discrimination is on the basis of physical or mental disability and the disability prevents the employee from safely performing essential duties even with reasonable accommodations. The act excludes from the definition of "employee," any individual employed under a special license in a nonprofit sheltered workshop or rehabilitation facility. A special license permits the employment of individuals with disabilities at a wage less than the legal minimum wage.
California AB 488 (20152016) — Employment discrimination.
Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, protects the right to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination because of race, religious creed, physical disability, mental disability, sex, age, and sexual orientation, among other characteristics. The act prohibits various forms of employment discrimination, including discharging or refusing to hire or to select for training programs on a prohibited basis. The act prescribes requirements for filing complaints of employment discrimination with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and charges this department with investigating and determining whether or not to bring a civil action on behalf of the complainant, among other duties. The act exempts employers from remedies for specified unlawful employment practices, including when the discrimination is on the basis of physical or mental disability and the disability prevents the employee from safely performing essential duties even with reasonable accommodations. The act excludes from the definition of "employee," any individual employed under a special license in a nonprofit sheltered workshop or rehabilitation facility. A special license permits the employment of individuals with disabilities at a wage less than the legal minimum wage.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
2015-02-23 Read first time. To print. reading-1
2015-02-24 From printer. May be heard in committee March 26.
2015-03-26 Referred to Com. on L. & E. referral-committee
2015-03-26 From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended. reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1
2015-04-06 Re-referred to Com. on L. & E. referral-committee
2015-04-14 From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended. reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1
2015-04-15 Re-referred to Com. on L. & E. referral-committee
2015-04-20 In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2016-01-04 From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. & E. Read second time and amended. reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1
2016-01-04 Re-referred to Com. on L. & E. referral-committee
2016-01-06 From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (January 6). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2016-01-07 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-2, reading-1
2016-01-15 Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 69. Noes 0. Page 3427.) reading-3, passage, reading-1
2016-01-15 In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. reading-1
2016-01-28 Referred to Com. on JUD. referral-committee
2016-03-31 From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD. referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1
2016-06-20 From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (June 14). amendment-introduction, committee-passage, amendment-passage
2016-06-21 Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1
2016-08-02 Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading. reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1
2016-08-03 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-2, reading-1
2016-08-15 Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 26. Noes 11. Page 4970.). reading-3, passage, reading-1
2016-08-26 In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 28 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
2016-08-30 Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 6446.). committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage
2016-09-08 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
2016-09-27 Approved by the Governor. executive-signature
2016-09-27 Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 683, Statutes of 2016.
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/5a225f89-92de-4bb9-a113-b256a1257432. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).
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