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Measure SB 303
Authors Smallwood-Cuevas  
Subject Employment: bias mitigation training: unlawful discrimination.
Relating To relating to discrimination.
Title An act to add Section 12940.2 to the Government Code, relating to discrimination.
Last Action Dt 2025-10-01
State Chaptered
Status Chaptered
Active? Y
Vote Required Majority
Appropriation No
Fiscal Committee No
Local Program No
Substantive Changes None
Urgency No
Tax Levy No
Leginfo Link Bill
Actions
2025-10-01     Approved by the Governor.
2025-10-01     Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 216, Statutes of 2025.
2025-09-09     Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
2025-09-02     Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 2407.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-08-28     In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-08-28     Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 2769.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-07-10     Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-07-09     From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 8).
2025-07-02     From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-06-16     June 24 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-06-05     Referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-05-28     In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-05-28     Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 1306.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-01     Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.
2025-04-30     From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 944.) (April 29).
2025-04-23     From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 11. Noes 2. Page 834.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
2025-04-11     Set for hearing April 29 in PUB. S. pending receipt.
2025-04-03     Set for hearing April 22.
2025-04-01     April 8 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-03-25     Set for hearing April 8.
2025-02-19     Referred to Coms. on JUD. and PUB. S.
2025-02-11     From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 13.
2025-02-10     Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Keywords
Tags
Versions
Chaptered     2025-10-01
Enrolled     2025-09-04
Amended Assembly     2025-07-02
Amended Senate     2025-05-01
Introduced     2025-02-10
Last Version Text 
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		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas</ns0:AuthorText>
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		<ns0:Title> An act to add Section 12940.2 to the Government Code, relating to discrimination.</ns0:Title>
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			<ns0:Subject>Employment: bias mitigation training: unlawful discrimination.</ns0:Subject>
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			<html:p>Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, prohibits various forms of employment and housing discrimination, including various types of discrimination because of national origin. Existing law empowers the Civil Rights Department to investigate and prosecute complaints alleging unlawful practices.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would provide that an employee’s assessment, testing, admission, or acknowledgment of their own personal bias that was made in good faith and solicited or required as part of a bias mitigation training does not constitute unlawful discrimination, as prescribed.</html:p>
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				Section 12940.2 is added to the 
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								(a)
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								Notwithstanding any other law, an employee’s assessment, testing, admission, or acknowledgment of their own personal bias that was made in good faith and solicited or required as part of a bias mitigation training does not, by itself, constitute unlawful discrimination.
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								(b)
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								It is the intent of the Legislature to do both of the following:
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								(1)
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								Encourage employers to conduct bias mitigation trainings.
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								(2)
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								Affirm that conducting a bias mitigation training does not, by itself, constitute unlawful discrimination.
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								(c)
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								(1)
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								For
						purposes of this section, “bias mitigation training” means bias mitigation or bias elimination training, education, and activities provided by an employer for the purpose of educating employees on understanding, recognizing, or acknowledging the influence of conscious and unconscious thought processes and their associated impacts. Bias mitigation training shall include implementing specific strategies to mitigate the impact of employees’ personal biases.
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								(2)
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								For purposes of paragraph (1), “specific strategies” includes, but is not limited to, assessing or testing for personal bias, analyzing bias assessments or tests, conducting bias training, conducting workshops, using toolkits, and tracking bias mitigation and elimination.
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Last Version Text Digest Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, prohibits various forms of employment and housing discrimination, including various types of discrimination because of national origin. Existing law empowers the Civil Rights Department to investigate and prosecute complaints alleging unlawful practices. This bill would provide that an employee’s assessment, testing, admission, or acknowledgment of their own personal bias that was made in good faith and solicited or required as part of a bias mitigation training does not constitute unlawful discrimination, as prescribed.