SB 578

SB578:v95#DOCUMENT

Bill Start

Senate Bill No. 578

CHAPTER 771

An act to add and repeal Division 7 (commencing with Section 11000) of the Labor Code, relating to employment.

[ Approved by Governor October 13, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State October 13, 2025. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 578, Smallwood-Cuevas. California Workplace Outreach Program.

Existing law establishes the Department of Industrial Relations within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to, among other things, foster, promote, and develop the welfare of wage earners, to improve their working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment.

This bill would, until January 1, 2031, require the department, upon appropriation of funds for this purpose, to establish and maintain the California Workplace Outreach Program to promote awareness of, and compliance with, workplace protections that affect workers. The bill would require the department to issue a competitive request for application for qualified organizations, as defined, to provide education and outreach services to workers and to assist workers to assert their workplace rights.

This bill would require the department to guide discussions with qualified organizations regarding priority topics for outreach and education and to consult with those organizations and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and, as relevant, its departments and boards to create education and outreach materials informing workers of their rights on priority topics and training materials for workers and organizations. The bill would require the materials to be translated into non-English languages, to be determined by the department in consultation with each qualified organization, as appropriate for the geographic region the qualified organization serves, and would require the materials to be made in consultation and collaboration with the Civil Rights Department if those materials involve protections under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act or certain other statutes. The bill would require the department and qualified organizations to meet at least twice a year to coordinate outreach and education efforts and for qualified organizations to share information relevant to enforcement activities of the department.

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.

Division 7 (commencing with Section 11000) is added to the Labor Code, to read:

DIVISION 7. California Workplace Outreach Program

11000.

(a) The Department of Industrial Relations, upon appropriation of funds to the department for this purpose, shall establish and administer the California Workplace Outreach Program.

(b) The purpose of the program shall be to promote awareness of, and compliance with, workplace protections that affect California workers, with a focus on low-wage, high-risk, and high-violation industries.

(c) The department shall consult and collaborate with the Civil Rights Department when the program’s outreach and education materials involve protections under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Part 2.8 (commencing with Section 12900) of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) or any statute referenced in subdivision (f) of Section 12930 of the Government Code.

11001.

For purposes of this division, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Department” means the Department of Industrial Relations.

(b) “Program” means the California Workplace Outreach Program.

(c) “Qualified organization” means a nonprofit organization with demonstrated experience in carrying out in-person outreach and education directed at workers in industries and demographic groups deemed by the department or its divisions to be vulnerable to violations of workplace protections.

11002.

The department shall issue a competitive request for application for qualified organizations to provide education and outreach services to workers and to assist workers to assert their workplace rights. The department may require qualified organizations to participate in training.

11003.

(a) The department shall guide discussions with qualified organizations regarding priority topics for outreach and education, which may include, but are not limited to, minimum wage, overtime, paid leave, retaliation, health and safety, excessive heat, discrimination protections, the adjudication processes of the Department of Industrial Relations and issues that affect certain low-wage, high-risk, and high-violation industries differently.

(b) The department shall consult with qualified organizations and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and, as relevant, its departments and boards to create education and outreach materials informing workers of their rights on priority topics and training materials for workers and organizations. The materials shall be translated into non-English languages, to be determined by the department in consultation with each qualified organization, as appropriate for the geographic region the qualified organization serves. The department may require its final approval of education, outreach, and training materials, and organizations shall implement any changes required by the department.

11004.

The department and qualified organizations shall meet twice a year, or more frequently at the discretion of the department, to coordinate efforts around outreach and education, and for qualified organizations to share information relevant to enforcement activities of the department, in accordance with applicable privacy and confidentiality laws.

11005.

This division shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2031, and as of that date is repealed.