Employment: payment of wages.

Senator Limón's wage transparency legislation modifies California's pay disclosure and anti-discrimination requirements by redefining how employers communicate salary information and extending the timeline for wage discrimination claims. The bill revises the definition of "pay scale" to require good faith salary range estimates while maintaining existing requirements for employers to include this information in job postings and provide it upon request.

The legislation strengthens wage discrimination protections by prohibiting pay disparities based on sex rather than only between opposite sexes. It extends the statute of limitations for wage discrimination claims from two years to three years, or from three years to four years for willful violations. The bill also establishes that discriminatory wage payments constitute continuing violations when they stem from ongoing compensation practices, allowing employees to challenge systematic pay inequities over extended periods.

Under the amended provisions, employers must maintain detailed job title and wage rate records for the duration of employment plus three years, enabling the Labor Commissioner to investigate potential wage disparities. The bill preserves existing enforcement mechanisms, including civil penalties ranging from $100 to $10,000 per violation, while specifying that penalties collected will fund the Labor Enforcement and Compliance Fund for ongoing administration and enforcement activities.