Store Research
Assembly Bill 14 (Laird - 2007)
Chapter 568, Statutes of 2007, AB 14
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Civil Rights Act of 2007 - Cross-references protected classes in 51 anti-discrimination provisions located in 12 state codes to the Unruh Civil Rights Act (Civil Code 51) or to Government Code 11135 [which prohibits discrimination in state-funded programs and activities based on race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, sex (including gender identity), marital status, and sexual orientation,], whichever is appropriate. Makes consistent these anti-discrimination statutes spread across various state codes. In doing so, expands the protected classes in some statutes to encompass those recently added to the Unruh Civil Rights Act or to Government Code 11135.
This bill is designed to provide a level of uniformity in various statutes prohibiting discrimination either in the provision of business services or in the operation of programs conducted or funded by the government. The Unruh Act prohibits discrimination in business services, while Government Code Section 11135 prohibits discrimination in programs conducted with government funds. In addition to these two general provisions, there are a number of statutes prohibiting discrimination in specific business transactions and specific government programs. However, many of these specific laws have not been updated to reflect the state's evolving non-discrimination policies, particularly with regard to protection against discrimination on the basis of disability and sexual orientation.
These variances have created deficiencies in protection for Californians, in addition to creating confusion for those charged with implementing and complying with these laws. In order to remedy the lack of protection and the confusion that exists for implementation and compliance, this bill will reference the list of protected classes in the Unruh Act to the business establishment/ public accommodations laws and reference the list of protected classes in Government Code Section 11135 to the government benefit/service statutes.