Plain English Breakdown
The official text does not specify an effective date; it only lists action dates in 2026.
AB-1073: Wage Data Sharing and Appellate Court Judge Disqualification
This law allows employees to share their wage data with approved third-party vendors for a fee, while also extending rules that let parties request new judges in appellate courts if they believe the current justices are biased.
What This Bill Does
- Requires the Employment Development Department (EDD) to release an employee's wage information to a qualified vendor only after receiving written permission from that employee.
- Allows employees to request electronic transmission of their wage data directly to or through a qualified third-party vendor for specific allowed uses.
- Prohibits the EDD from using state funds for these agreements and requires vendors to pay fees covering startup costs and administrative expenses.
- Extends existing rules so parties can ask appellate court justices to step down if they show prejudice against a party or attorney, preventing a fair trial.
- Requires courts to assign new panels of three justices when cases are sent back from the California Supreme Court after certain motions are made.
- Makes it a crime (misdemeanor) for anyone to knowingly access, use, or share this wage information without proper authorization.
Who It Names or Affects
- Employees who want their wage data shared with third-party vendors.
- Qualified third-party vendors that handle electronic transmission of wage data.
- Parties and attorneys involved in appellate court cases seeking to disqualify justices.
- The Employment Development Department (EDD) and California courts.
Terms To Know
- Qualified third-party vendor
- A company approved by the EDD to receive and use employee wage information for specific allowed purposes defined in the law.
- Permissible uses
- The specific reasons defined in the law that allow a vendor to access or share an employee's wage data.
- Remittitur
- A document sent by a higher court returning a case to a lower court for further action after reversing a decision.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law does not specify which companies qualify as vendors or how much they must charge employees.
- It is unclear exactly what 'prejudice' means in practice, though the bill states it prevents fair trials.
- The effective date for when these rules begin is listed as blank in the provided text.