New 2007 Laws Affecting Business - Be Aware!

From the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
February 2007 Newsletter – www.lbchamber.com

New 2007 Laws Affecting Business—Be Aware!

The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is urging employers to be aware of new
laws that may affect the ways in which they operate their
businesses in 2007.

The following is a list of new laws that
have recently gone into effect:

Discrimination, SB 1441 – Adds sexual orientation to
existing classifications protected from discrimination by
recipients of state funds and expands the definition of
discrimination to include the perception that the victim is
a member of a protected class.

Employment, AB 546 – Outlaws the use of state-owned
or state-leased computers by government officials or
employees to access obscene materials.

Employment, SB 1759 – Establishes requirements for
background checks of certain administrators, executives
and employees in the health care industry, and a process
for transmission of fingerprint images.

Health and Safety, AB 2067 – Extends and clarifies the
prohibition on smoking in the workplace.

Health and Safety, AB 409 – Immediately authorizes
suspension of the license of a cosmetologist, barber,
estheticians, manicurist, and electrologist if required to
protect the public health and safety. Provides a means for
temporary stay and appeal of the suspension.

Safety, AB 881 – Requires all roofing contractors to have
workers’ compensation insurance, whether or not having
current employees.

Safety, SB 1613 – Effective July 1, 2008, limits the use of
cell phones while driving to those having hands-free
operation except for contacts with law enforcement and
public safety agencies and certain commercial vehicles
for whom the effective date is July 1, 2011.

Sexual Harassment, AB 2095 – Limits mandated sexual
harassment training to supervisors located in California.
State Government, AB 3058 – Directs development of
a web-based small business handbook on emergency
preparedness.

State Government, AB 1302 – Amends the process by
which state government agencies can create and impose
emergency regulations and the duration of the period
during which emergency regulations can remain in effect.

State Government, SB 1436 – Requires state agencies
to improve their communication regarding regulations
and assistance with the business community, with an
emphasis on small business.

Payroll Taxation, SB 1827 – Permits registered domestic
partners to file joint state income tax and have their
earnings treated as community property on a par with
married couples.

Unemployment Insurance, SB 1428 – Permits payroll
services companies in the motion picture industry to be
treated as the employer for purposes of unemployment
tax filings and responsibility.

Unemployment Insurance, AB 2293 – Penalizes an educational
employer that submits willfully false statements
about a worker’s employment or termination to the
Employment Development Department.

Wages, AB 2613 – Establishes conditions for a state
overtime exemption for teachers in private educational
institutions.

Wages, SB 1468 – This law extends the repeal date of
the Car Wash Industry compliance program from January
1, 2007 to January 1, 2010.

Wages, SB 1719 – Permits employers and unions in the
entertainment industry to establish conditions for payment
of final paychecks by collective bargaining.

Wages, AB 1835 – Increases California’s minimum wage
and exempt salary standards for all California employers.
This law increases the California minimum wage to $7.50
per hour on January 1, 2007, and to $8 per hour on
January 1, 2008.

Wages, AB 2095 – Permits reporting of overtime hours
on the same payroll date as the hours are paid when
overtime is paid in the payroll period subsequent to the
one in which it is earned.

Wage Deductions, AB 2440 – Imposes a penalty on an
employer that assists an employee or contractor with
child support obligations evade meeting those obligations,
including failure to file reports upon hiring.

Workers’ Compensation, AB 1368 – Excludes public
safety employees from the presumption that medical
apportionment applied to certain specified job-related
illnesses or injuries.

Workers’ Compensation, AB 2068 – Permits pre-designation
of a medical group as the primary treating physician
and extends the sunset date of the right of pre-designation.
Workers’ Compensation, AB 2292 – Provides for payment
of workers’ compensation death benefits to the
For all your personal and business banking needs.
estate of the deceased worker. Labor Code Section
4706.5 requires workers’ compensation death benefits to
be paid to the California State Department of Industrial
Relations (DIR) if the employee does not leave surviving
any person entitled to a dependency death benefit.
For more information about the new laws, visit
www.hrcalifornia.com.

Daylight-Saving Extended

President Bush signed an energy bill into law that
extends Daylight-Saving Time in the U.S. by one month
beginning in 2007. The provisions of the Energy Policy
Act of 2005 call for Daylight-Saving Time to begin
three weeks earlier on the second Sunday in March,
and end one week later on the first Sunday in
November. Beginning this year, Daylight-Saving Time
will begin on March 11 and end on November 4.
The recently enacted law to extend Daylight-
Saving Time (DST) by four weeks may impact computers
and other devices which automatically adjust
to DST. Many computers, clocks and other devices
automatically adjust for Daylight-Saving Time. Without
intervention, these devices will show incorrect times
during the beginning and end of the new DST period.
Depending on the nature of what the device is supporting,
the impact of incorrect time can range from
being a nuisance to significantly impacting client
deliverables.
One of the biggest reasons we change our clocks
to Daylight Saving Time (DST) is that it saves energy.
Energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting
our homes is directly connected to when we go to
bed and when we get up. When we go to bed, we
turn off the lights and TV. In the average home, 25
percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and
small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos. A
good percentage of energy consumed by lighting
and appliances occurs in the evening when families
are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, we can
cut the amount of electricity we consume each day.
(Source: California Energy Commission)