Employment: payment of wages.

Labor

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Limón
Last action: 2025-10-08
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 468, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide specific details about the effective date of the changes.

Employment: Payment of Wages

This law revises the definition of 'pay scale' and extends the time workers have to sue if they think their wages are unfair compared to others doing similar work.

What This Bill Does

Revises the definition of 'pay scale' to mean an estimate of what a new employee might be paid when hired, based on what the employer reasonably expects in good faith.
Prohibits employers from paying employees at wage rates less than those paid to employees of another sex for substantially similar work and extends the time workers can sue for unfair wages up to 3 years after the last unfair payment.
Allows employees to seek relief for up to 6 years if they were paid less than others doing similar work, instead of limiting it to 2 or 3 years as before.

Who It Names or Affects

Employers who must share pay scale information with job applicants and employees.
Employees who can sue employers if they believe they are being paid unfairly compared to others doing similar work.

Terms To Know

Pay Scale: An estimate of the salary or hourly wage range that an employer reasonably expects to pay for a position upon hire and is made in good faith.
Wages: Money paid regularly by employers to employees in exchange for work done.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify the exact effective date, so it is unclear when these changes will start.
It only applies to wage discrimination based on gender and race/ethnicity for substantially similar work, not other types of discrimination.

Bill History

2025-10-08 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 468, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-08 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-17 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 10. Page 2717.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 58. Noes 15. Page 3007.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (August 29).
2025-08-20 California Legislative Information
August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-07-09 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 3.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-07-09 California Legislative Information
Coauthors revised.
2025-06-26 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 25). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-06-09 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on L. & E. and JUD.
2025-06-04 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 1448.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 1208.) (May 23).
2025-05-20 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-19 California Legislative Information
May 19 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-09 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 19.
2025-05-01 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-30 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 2. Page 942.) (April 29).
2025-04-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 4. Noes 1. Page 870.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-04-10 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R.
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 29 in JUD. pending receipt.
2025-04-04 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 23.
2025-03-12 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on L., P.E. & R. and JUD.
2025-02-21 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
2025-02-20 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 642, Limón.
Employment: payment of wages.
Existing law imposes varying requirements upon employers to share the pay scale for a position with an applicant or in a job posting, as provided. Existing law defines “pay scale” as the salary or hourly wage range that the employer reasonably expects to pay for the position.
This bill would revise the definition of “pay scale” to mean an estimate of this expected wage range that an employer reasonably expects to pay for the position upon hire and is made in good faith.
Existing law prohibits an employer from paying its employees at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of the opposite sex or another race or ethnicity for substantially similar work, except under specified circumstances. Existing law requires a civil action to recover wages for a violation of those provisions to be commenced
no later than 2 years after the cause of action occurs or, if the cause of action arises out of a willful violation, no later than 3 years after the cause of action occurs.
This bill would prohibit an employer from paying employees at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of another sex instead of the opposite sex, and would require a civil action to recover wages to be commenced no later than 3 years after the last date the cause of action occurs. The bill would provide that an employee is entitled to obtain relief for the entire period of time in which a violation of its provisions exists, but not to exceed 6 years.
This bill would specify that a cause of action occurs when
an alleged unlawful
compensation decision or practice is adopted, when an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice, or when an individual is affected by the application of the decision or practice. The bill would provide that its provisions do not prohibit the application of prescribed legal doctrine. The bill would define “wages,” “wage rates,” and “sex” for purposes of those provisions, and would specify that its provisions shall not be construed to define these terms for other purposes.

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