I believe a new independent contractor misclassification bill will be introduced. SB 622 passed this year, after a last minute compromise–but remember, in 2006, it was AB 2186, and it didn’t even make it out of committee. With the U.S. Congress also taking up the issue, I believe this issue isn’t going away.
This is far from a bold prediction, but I am sure we will see a number of workers’ compensation bills aimed at increasing benefits. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a strong push behind a San Francisco-style paid sick leave initiative as well.
Michael Fox believes that “familial status” discrimination, and “familial status” as a potential protected class will be back. We often lead on those issues here in California. (Thanks for the kind mention, too, Michael.)
Why should next year be any different? It’s a presidential election year, and a big one. Each party will do what it can to eliminate motivating issues for the other. California probably isn’t realistically in play, but some Congressional districts are. At this point, I just can’t say which direction that will move these issues. However, I think we will see more laws enacted next year in that environment than we did this year, where the entire session was overshadowed by a budget showdown, and the extraordinary sessions on health care and water.
I hope to have my new software up and running by the time legislators can start placing bills in the hopper, too.
