California HB-639

2021 | Equal Pay, Fair Pay

STATUS: Enacted

This bill would end the practice of permitting employers to pay specified licensed employees with physical or developmental disabilities at a rate less than the minimum wage.

This bill requires the development of a plan to phase out the use of the subminimum wage certificate program, which authorizes employers to pay less than minimum wage for employees with physical or mental disabilities, as defined, by January 1, 2024. This bill requires the plan to be posted online and reported to the Legislature by January 1, 2023. This bill further requires that no new licenses for the subminimum wage certificate program be issued beginning January 1, 2022, and requires existing license holders to meet benchmarks provided for in the phaseout plan in order to be relicensed.