The bill authorizes the director of the division of labor standards and statistics in the department of labor and employment (director) to administer and enforce the law that prohibits an employer from discriminating against an employee on the basis of sex and to issue
awards to employees and impose penalties on employers for violations. The bill removes the director's enforcement authority and instead permits an aggrieved person to bring a civil action in district court to pursue remedies specified in the bill. The bill allows exceptions to the prohibition if the employer demonstrates that a wage differential is based upon one or more factors including a seniority system, a merit system, or a system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production or a bona fide factor other than sex. The bill prohibits an employer from discharging or retaliating against an employee for actions by an employee asserting the rights established by the bill against an employer. An employer is required to announce to all employees employment advancement opportunities and the pay range for the opportunities. The director is authorized to enforce actions against an employer concerning transparency in pay and employment opportunities, including fines of between $500 and $10,000 per violation.0

Year

2018

Current status

  • Senate Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Postpone Indefinitely (05/04/2018)
  • Introduced In Senate - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs (05/01/18)
  • House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments (05/01/18)
  • House Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Committee (04/30/18)
  • House Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole (04/26/18)
  • House Committee on Finance Refer Unamended to Appropriations (04/23/18)
  • Introduced In House - Assigned to Finance (04/10/18)

Sponsors

J. Buckner / J. Danielson / R. Fields / K. Donovan

Bill number

HB18-1378

Position

Support