Lawmakers Considering New COVID-19 Business Reporting Requirements

Sacramento, CA — State lawmakers are debating whether businesses should be required to notify all workers anytime one of the fellow employees has been exposed to COVID-19.

If approved, California would be the first in the nation to mandate the practice. Companies would have to notify workers within 24 hours of learning about exposure, and violators could be fined up to $10,000. The information would also have to be relayed by the business to the state. Currently, it is only recommended that the businesses report the information, as opposed to a legal requirement.

The bill is authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes, who argues that a stricter reporting framework will help the state get the pandemic under control quicker.

The California Chamber of Commerce has come out against the bill, arguing that it will be nearly impossible for businesses to comply with it.

The bill passed the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee yesterday by a 4-1 vote.