AB 845
Employment: complaints: agricultural employees.
Vote required
Majority
Fiscal committee
No
Appropriation
No
Current location
Chaptered
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Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
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- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill establishes a process for handling complaints from agricultural employees within California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency. When a complaint is received by any department, division, or board within the agency, those entities must collaborate and make reasonable efforts to forward the complaint to the appropriate agency for processing and investigation. The bill also ensures that the complainant’s identity and personal information are protected and not disclosed without their consent, aligning with existing privacy laws.
Key provisions
- Requires collaboration between agencies upon receipt of an agricultural employee complaint.
- Mandates reasonable efforts to transmit complaints to the appropriate processing entity.
- Prohibits disclosure of complainant’s identity and personal information without consent.
- Defines ‘agricultural employee’ based on Wage Orders 13, 14, and 8.
- Defines ‘appropriate entity’ as including several state agencies.
- Specifies that ‘reasonable efforts’ must align with confidentiality requirements.
- Establishes Section 57.2 within the Labor Code.
Who is affected
- Agricultural Employees
- Agricultural Labor Relations Board
- Department of Industrial Relations
- Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
- Division of Occupational Safety and Health
Notable changes
- Creates a standardized process for handling agricultural employee complaints across multiple state agencies.
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AB845:v94#DOCUMENT
Bill Start
Assembly Bill No. 845
CHAPTER 624
An act to add Section 57.2 to the Labor Code, relating to employment.
[ Approved by Governor October 11, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 11, 2025. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 845, Arambula. Employment: complaints: agricultural employees.
Existing law establishes the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, consisting of various departments and entities, including the Agricultural Labor Relations Board and the Department of Industrial Relations. Existing law requires the Agricultural Labor Relations Board to, among other things, maintain a telephone line, as specified, for the purpose of providing interested persons with information concerning their rights and responsibilities, as prescribed, or for referring persons to the appropriate agency or entity with the capacity to render advice or help in dealing with any situation arising out of agricultural labor disputes. Existing law requires the Department of Industrial Relations to, among other things, perform specified functions, including fostering, promoting, and developing the welfare of the wage earners of California, to improve their working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment. Existing law establishes the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, under the direction of the Labor Commissioner, within the Department of Industrial Relations and sets forth its powers and duties regarding the enforcement of labor laws. Existing law also establishes the Division of Occupational Safety and Health within the Department of Industrial Relations and requires the division to enforce all occupational safety and health standards, as specified.
This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, require the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, or Division of Occupational Safety and Health, upon intake of a complaint from an agricultural employee by any department, division, or board within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, to collaborate with each other and take all reasonable efforts to transmit the complaint to the appropriate entity for processing and investigation. The bill would prohibit the transmitting entity from disclosing the identity and personal information of the agricultural employee complainant to the extent prohibited by law without their consent. The bill would define various terms for these purposes.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO
Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 57.2 is added to the Labor Code, to read:
57.2.
(a) (1) Upon appropriation by the Legislature and notwithstanding any other law, upon intake of a complaint from an agricultural employee by any department, division, or board within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, the appropriate entity shall collaborate with each other and take all reasonable efforts to transmit the complaint to the appropriate entity for processing and investigation.
(2) In transmitting a complaint to the appropriate entity, the transmitting entity shall not disclose the identity and personal information of the agricultural employee complainant to the extent prohibited by law without their consent.
(b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Agricultural employee” means a person employed in any of the following:
(A) An agricultural occupation, as defined in Wage Order No. 14 of the Industrial Welfare Commission.
(B) An industry preparing agricultural products for the market, on the farm, as defined in Wage Order No. 13 of the Industrial Welfare Commission.
(C) An industry handling products after harvest, as defined in Wage Order No. 8 of the Industrial Welfare Commission.
(2) “Appropriate entity” includes, but is not limited to, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Employment Development Department.
(3) “Reasonable efforts” shall be consistent with each entity’s confidentiality requirements, including, but not limited to, subdivision (c) of Section 6309.