Employment: payment of wages.

Senator Limón's wage transparency legislation modifies California's pay disclosure and discrimination laws by redefining employer obligations and extending employee protections. The bill revises the definition of "pay scale" to require employers provide good faith estimates of expected wages for positions, while maintaining existing requirements that companies with 15 or more employees include pay ranges in job postings.

The legislation broadens wage discrimination protections by prohibiting pay disparities between employees of any sex, moving beyond the current law's focus on "opposite sex" comparisons. It extends the statute of limitations for wage discrimination claims to three years from the last violation, allowing employees to seek remedies for discriminatory practices occurring up to 10 years prior. The bill specifies that violations arise when discriminatory compensation decisions are made, when individuals become subject to such decisions, or when employees are affected by their application.

Under the amended provisions, employers must maintain detailed wage records during employment plus three years, with documents open to Labor Commissioner inspection. The bill preserves existing enforcement mechanisms, including civil penalties ranging from $100 to $10,000 per violation, while clarifying definitions of wages, wage rates, and sex specifically for these sections. Third-party recruiters and job sites must include employer-provided pay scales in postings, aligning with the law's transparency requirements.