California Enacts Fair Pay Act

On October 6, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown signed S.B. 358 into law, amending the California Equal Pay Act (California Labor Code Section 1197.5). The legislation aims to close the wage gap by requiring employers to show that differences in wages are due to reasonable, job-related factors other than gender. The California state assembly overwhelmingly passed the legislation on August 27, and three days later the state’s senate unanimously approved the measure. The Act takes effect January 1, 2016.