New Laws California Employers Will Need To Know In 2024

• SB 616: Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Expansion - Effective January 1, 2024, California employers will need to provide employees with five days or 40 hours of paid sick leave. In the case of accrual caps where an employee accrues one hour for every 30 hours worked, the accrual can be capped at 80 hours or 10 days.

• SB 848: Reproductive-Related Bereavement Leave - The reproductive-related bereavement leave established by SB 848 is a separate leave from California’s existing bereavement leave law. The new leave applies to employers with more than five employees. Eligible employees are entitled to up to five days of bereavement leave that can be taken within three months of the event. An eligible employee is someone who suffers from what is defined as a reproductive loss event. This includes situations like miscarriage or stillbirth, unsuccessful assisted reproduction, failed surrogacy or failed adoption. this is going to cover a procedure such as an in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI). Unlike bereavement leave, the bereavement leave established by SB 848 doesn’t allow employers to ask for documentation. The new law also has a cap: it grants up to 20 days a year. Both parents, including the non-birthing parent, are eligible for this leave

• AB 2188: Cannabis Use - AB 2188 passed in 2022, but it had a delayed implementation date. The new law affects which tests employers can use to screen employees for cannabis use. Employers can no longer use hair tests as cannabis use can stay in those samples for weeks. Instead, employers can use only tests that measure psychoactive cannabis metabolites. The law does not apply to some employers. Federal contractors and those in the construction and building trades are exempted from AB 2188.

• SB 700: Cannabis Use - This new law prohibits employers from asking job applicants about cannabis use, including in job applications or interviews. Also, information received about the applicant’s cannabis use from criminal history is off limits unless the employer is specifically allowed to consider it under the Fair Chance Act. SB 700 does not apply to federal contractors.

Why It Matters?

• Many of these new laws, are bills that CalChamber and the Yorba Linda Chamber tried to lobby against. In partnership with CalChamber, the Yorba Linda Chamber tracked more than 700 bills this year, formally opposing more than 100. Most of the legislation that was opposed was either stopped or amended to address concerns. These are a few of the bills that passed despite these efforts.



• The Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce joined the California Chamber of Commerce throughout the year in political advocacy efforts to support pro business champions. "Our small businesses and the hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs they create are a critical element of California’s economy,” CalChamber President and CEO Jennifer Barrera said yesterday. “It is more important than ever that our policy makers hear and fully understand the issues and costs our small business employers face in keeping their operations profitable and growing. Parts of your membership go to fund our advocacy efforts and continued collaboration with CalChamber. As the new legislative session begins in 2024, we will continue to fight for your business and support policies that help the local economy.