CA SB 642
enactedEmployment: payment of wages.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper
Quick answers
Did CA SB 642 pass?
Yes. CA SB 642 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-08. Latest recorded action (2025-10-08): Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 468, Statutes of 2025.
What is CA SB 642 about?
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.
Who sponsors CA SB 642?
Limón is the primary sponsor of CA SB 642, joined by 1 cosponsor.
Description
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.
- Introduced
- 2025-02-20
- Latest action
- 2025-10-08 — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 468, Statutes of 2025.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Limónauthor
- Kalracoauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2025-02-20
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
introduction,reading-1,referral-committee
2025-02-21
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
2025-03-12
Referred to Coms. on L., P.E. & R. and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-04-04
Set for hearing April 23.
2025-04-09
Set for hearing April 29 in JUD. pending receipt.
2025-04-10
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-04-23
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.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-04-30
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 2. Page 942.) (April 29).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-05-01
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-05-09
Set for hearing May 19.
2025-05-19
May 19 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-20
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-23
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-05-23
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 1208.) (May 23).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-27
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-06-03
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 1448.) Ordered to the Assembly.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-06-04
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
reading-1
2025-06-09
Referred to Coms. on L. & E. and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-06-26
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 25). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-07-09
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 3.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-07-09
Coauthors revised.
2025-08-20
August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-08-29
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (August 29).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-02
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-09-03
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-08
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 58. Noes 15. Page 3007.) Ordered to the Senate.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-09-08
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-09
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 10. Page 2717.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-17
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
executive-receipt
2025-10-08
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2025-10-08
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 468, Statutes of 2025.
became-law
Versions
- 02/20/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-20Compare
- 04/10/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-04-10Compare
- 05/01/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-05-01Compare
- 05/23/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-05-23Compare
- 09/02/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-09-02Compare
- 09/12/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-12Compare
- 10/08/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-08Compare
- SB642Compare
- (document, no version)Compare
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Votes
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2025-04-23 · pass · 4-1
Member-level votes (5)
- Cortese: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Laird: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Strickland: no
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-04-29 · pass · 11-2
Member-level votes (13)
- Arreguín: yes
- Allen: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Laird: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Stern: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Valladares: no
- Niello: no
Placed on suspense file
2025-05-19 · pass · 5-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Wahab: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Cabaldon: other
- Dahle: other
Do pass as amended
2025-05-23 · pass · 5-1
Member-level votes (7)
- Caballero: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Seyarto: no
- Dahle: other
3rd Reading
2025-06-03 · pass · 28-10
Member-level votes (40)
- Gonzalez: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Becker: yes
- Laird: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Stern: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Allen: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Limón: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Valladares: no
- Choi: no
- Seyarto: no
- Niello: no
- Strickland: no
- Ochoa Bogh: no
- Alvarado-Gil: no
- Grove: no
- Dahle: no
- Jones: no
- Reyes: other
- Hurtado: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2025-06-25 · pass · 5-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Ward: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Lee: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Chen: other
- Flora: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-07-08 · pass · 9-3
Member-level votes (12)
- Bryan: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Papan: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Hart: yes
- Macedo: no
- Sanchez: no
- Dixon: no
Do pass as amended.
2025-08-29 · pass · 11-4
Member-level votes (15)
- Elhawary: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Fong: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Solache: yes
- Sanchez: no
- Ta: no
- Tangipa: no
- Dixon: no
SB 642 Limón Senate Third Reading By Kalra
2025-09-08 · pass · 58-15
Member-level votes (80)
- Ahrens: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Addis: yes
- Ward: yes
- Haney: yes
- Hart: yes
- Fong: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Bains: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Soria: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Berman: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Papan: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Lee: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Solache: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Zbur: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Krell: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Patel: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Johnson: no
- Dixon: no
- Hadwick: no
- Tangipa: no
- Lackey: no
- Ávila Farías: no
- Macedo: no
- Gallagher: no
- Jeff Gonzalez: no
- Sanchez: no
- Ta: no
- Castillo: no
- Ellis: no
- Patterson: no
- DeMaio: no
- Hoover: other
- Nguyen: other
- Wallis: other
- Alanis: other
- Chen: other
- Davies: other
- Flora: other
Unfinished Business SB642 Limón et al. Concurrence
2025-09-09 · pass · 30-10
Member-level votes (40)
- Stern: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Becker: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Laird: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Limón: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Allen: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Niello: no
- Ochoa Bogh: no
- Dahle: no
- Grove: no
- Jones: no
- Valladares: no
- Seyarto: no
- Strickland: no
- Choi: no
- Alvarado-Gil: no
- Richardson: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- McNerney: yes
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
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Attribution
Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z
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