"Women's Economic Security Act"

ARTICLE 1 - WOMEN'S ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT

Women's Economic Security Act

ARTICLE 2 - ECONOMIC SECURITY

Adding a non-voting, advisory member to the governor's workforce development council to represent those with expertise in assisting women to obtain high-wage, high demand, nontraditional jobs; establishing the women and high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional jobs grant program; adding sexual assault and stalking to the list of reasons that provide an exception to the denial of unemployment benefits to applicants that quit employment; adding that conduct that was a consequence of sexual assault and stalking are not employment misconduct; requiring certificate of pay equity compliance; appropriating money for the high-wage, high-demand nontraditional jobs program, for women entrepreneurs business development and women and high-wage, high demand nontraditional jobs apprenticeships ; requiring a report on retirement savings plans, appropriating money

ARTICLE 3 - LABOR STANDARDS AND WAGES

Modifying the definition of employee to align with definitions under the federal family and medical leave act; providing for 12 weeks of leave for pregnancy and parenting; expanding the use of personal sick leave to cover the care of a mother-in-law, father-in-
law or grandchildren and for use in circumstances of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking; requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees for
health conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth if the employee requests
accommodation with the advice of her licensed health care provider or certified
doula unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the employer���s business; specifying that a pregnant employee is not required to obtain the advice of her health care provider or doula, and that an employer cannot claim undue hardship for the following accommodations: more frequent restroom, food, and water breaks; seating; and limits on lifting over 20 pounds; a reasonable accommodation includes temporary transfer to a less strenuous or hazardous position; specifying that parental or pregnancy leave may be reduced by any period of paid parental, disability, personal, medical or sick leave, accrued vacation, or leave taken for the same purpose under federal law

ARTICLE 4 - EMPLOYMENT PROTECTIONS

Establishing certain wage disclosure protection provisions; expanding employer duties for nursing mothers accommodations; adding provisions related to wage disclosure protections and nursing mothers to the items the department of labor and industry may investigate and requiring the commissioner to contact an employer within two business days of receiving a complaint regarding a violation of the nursing mothers provision; adding wage disclosure protections and the nursing mothers sections to the list of sections under which a plaintiff may bring civil action; prohibiting labor organizations from discrimination on the basis of familial status; prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of familial status; prohibiting requests for information about a person???s familial status; appropriating money to the commissioner of labor and industry for enforcement
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