California workers and employers are set to face a series of changes to workplace protections after Governor Gavin Newsom signed three new pieces of legislation covering sex discrimination, bereavement leave and anti-hate-speech training. Two measures are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027, while the third introduces new workplace harassment training requirements on January 1, 2028. Some of the new laws—which broaden the definition of sex discrimination under California law, allow employees to take bereavement leave after the death of someone outside of their immediate family and mandate that employers add anti-hate-speech training to their existing harassment training—have drawn opposition, particularly from religious and conservative groups.
Assembly Bill (AB) 1803 changes California's existing workplace harassment-prevention training requirements. Under the current law, employers with five or more employees are generally required to provide at least two hours of sexual-harassment training to supervisors and at least one hour to nonsupervisory employees every two years. AB 1803 says employers must add anti-hate-speech training to the existing program by January 1, 2028.
The new measure means employers must provide practical guidance on how employees should recognize, report and confront workplace speech that "vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred" against people based on characteristics protected under California's Fair Employment and Housing Act, which include race, religion, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation and veteran or military status. The new addition doesn't mean employers need to create a separate course or increase the existing one- and two-hour training programs; it just needs to be added to current training materials. The new law has, however, generated opposition over its potential implications for freedom of religion and expression.
Greg Burt, the vice president of the California Family Council, has argued that the wording leaves uncertainty over what counts as "hate speech." He said in a hearing on the bill, "This training hinges on a term, hate speech, that has no clear legal definition in state law," adding, "You cannot regulate what you cannot define." He argued that traditional Christian views on sexuality and gender could be labeled as "hate" under the new requirements, saying that "unpopular religious beliefs about sexuality or gender are labeled as hate, and then groups like ours, who advocate for these viewpoints, are labeled as hate groups." Newsweek has contacted Burt and the California Family Council for comment. A second law, AB 2563, creates a uniform definition of sex discrimination across California law. The legislation broadens and standardizes what's considered sex discrimination in the Golden State, covering areas such as sex or gender stereotypes, pregnancy, related medical conditions and sexual orientation.
Supporters say the legislation gives Californians a clearer and more consistent definition of sex discrimination, but the measure has also encountered opposition. In a letter sent to the bill's author, Democratic Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, the California Family Council said it "strongly opposes AB 2563." The group argued that the definition could have consequences for women-only spaces, schools and religious organizations. The California Family Council, an advocacy group that promotes "God's design for life, family, and liberty," said the broader definition of sex discrimination could make it harder to maintain key, sex-based rules in places like women's shelters, locker rooms and girls' sports.
It also raised concerns about how gender identity issues could affect parents and schools. The California Family Council criticized the bill for not explicitly exempting churches, religious schools and faith-based nonprofits, arguing that this could create conflicts for organizations that hold traditional beliefs about biological sex. The third change, SB 1149, expands who can qualify for bereavement leave.
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