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<ns0:Id>20250AB__249599INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-20</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Kalra</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR_ORIGINATING">(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Mark González)</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_ORIGINATING">(Coauthor: Assembly Member Ortega)</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_OPPOSITE">(Coauthors: Senators Durazo, Gonzalez, Pérez, and Reyes)</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Kalra</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Mark González</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Ortega</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Durazo</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Gonzalez</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Pérez</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Reyes</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 1019 of the Labor Code, relating to employment. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>employment</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Unlawful immigration-related practices.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law prohibits an employer or any other person from engaging in, or directing another person to engage in, an unfair immigration-related practice against a person for the purpose of, or with the intent of, retaliating against any person for exercising a right protected under state labor and employment laws or under a local ordinance applicable to employees, as specified. Existing law defines unfair immigration-related practice to include, among other things, threatening to file or filing a false police report. Existing law authorizes a civil action for equitable relief and damages or penalties, as specified, by an employee or other person who is the subject of an unfair immigration-related practice.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would also prohibit an employer or other person or entity from engaging in or directing another person or entity to engage in
coercion against any person by engaging in unfair immigration-related practices. The bill would make an employer who violates these provisions liable for a civil penalty not exceeding $10,000 per employee for each violation, as specified. The bill would also make related and conforming changes to these provisions.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 1019 of the
<ns0:DocName>Labor Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>1019.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
It is unlawful for an employer or any other person or entity to engage in, or to direct another person or entity to engage in, unfair immigration-related practices against any person for the purpose of, or with the intent of, retaliating against any person for exercising any right protected under this code or by any local ordinance applicable to employees. Exercising a right protected by this code or local ordinance includes the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Filing a complaint or informing any person of an employer’s or other party’s alleged violation of this code or local ordinance, so long as the complaint or disclosure is made in good faith.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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Seeking information regarding whether an employer or other party
is in compliance with this code or local ordinance.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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Informing a person of
their potential rights and remedies under this code or local ordinance, and assisting them in asserting those rights.
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<html:p>
(b)
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It is unlawful for an employer or any other person or entity to engage in or to direct another person or entity to engage in coercion against any person by engaging in unfair immigration-related practices.
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<html:p>
(c)
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(1)
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As used in this chapter, “unfair immigration-related practice” means any of the following practices, when undertaken for the retaliatory or coercive purposes prohibited by subdivisions (a) or (b):
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Requesting more or different documents than are required under Section 1324a(b) of Title 8 of the United States Code, or a refusal to honor documents tendered pursuant to that section that on their face reasonably appear to be genuine.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Using the federal E-Verify system to check the employment authorization status of a person
at a time or in a manner not required under Section 1324a(b) of Title 8 of the United States Code, or not authorized under any memorandum of understanding governing the use of the federal E-Verify system.
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<html:p>
(C)
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Implicitly or explicitly threatening to file or the filing of a false police report, or a false report or complaint with any state or federal agency.
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<html:p>
(D)
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Implicitly or explicitly threatening to contact or contacting immigration authorities.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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“Unfair immigration-related practice” does not include conduct undertaken at the express and specific direction or request of the federal government.
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<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Engaging in an unfair immigration-related practice against a person within 90 days of the person’s exercise of rights protected under this code or local ordinance applicable to employees shall raise a rebuttable presumption of having done so in retaliation for the exercise of those rights.
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<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
An employee or other person who is the subject of an unfair immigration-related practice prohibited by this section, or a representative of that employee or person, may bring a civil action for equitable
relief, any applicable damages, and penalties as provided under paragraph (5).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Upon a finding by a court of applicable jurisdiction of a violation of this section, upon application by a party or on its own motion, a court may do the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For a first violation, order the appropriate government agencies to suspend all licenses that are held by the violating party for a period of up to 14 days. On receipt of the court’s order and notwithstanding any other law, the appropriate agencies shall suspend the licenses according to the court’s order.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For a
second violation, order the appropriate government agencies to suspend all licenses that are held by the violating party for a period of up to 30 days. On receipt of the court’s order and notwithstanding any other law, the appropriate agencies shall immediately suspend the licenses.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For a third or subsequent violation, order the appropriate government agencies to suspend for a period of up to 90 days all licenses that are held by the violating party. On receipt of the court’s order and notwithstanding any other law, the appropriate agencies shall immediately suspend the licenses.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
In determining whether a suspension of all licenses is appropriate under this subdivision, the court shall consider whether the employer knowingly committed an unfair immigration-related practice, the good faith efforts of the employer to resolve any alleged unfair immigration-related practice
after receiving notice of the violations, as well as the harm other employees of the employer, or employees of other employers on a multiemployer job site, will suffer as a result of the suspension of all licenses.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
An employee or other person who is the subject of an unfair immigration-related practice prohibited by this section, and who prevails in an action authorized by this section, shall recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, including any expert witness costs.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
In addition to other remedies available, an employer who violates this section is liable for a civil penalty not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per employee for each violation of this section, to be awarded to the
employee or employees who suffered the violation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(f)
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As used in this chapter:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
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“License” means any agency permit, certificate, approval, registration, or charter that is required by law and that is issued by any agency for the purposes of operating a business in this state and that is specific to the business location or locations where the unfair immigration-related practice occurred. “License” does not include a professional license.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“To coerce” means to engage in conduct that would dissuade a reasonable person in that person’s position from engaging in conduct which the person has a legal right to engage in under this code, the Government Code, or the Civil Code, or to induce a reasonable person in that person’s position to engage in conduct which the person has a legal right to abstain from under this code, the Government Code, or the Civil Code.
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<html:p>
(3)
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“Violation” means each incident when an unfair immigration-related practice was committed, without reference to the number of employees involved in the incident.
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