2019 -- S 0835

========

LC002440

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

____________

A N   A C T

RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT

PRACTICES

     

     Introduced By: Senators Lombardi, Ciccone, Lombardo, Gallo, and McCaffrey

     Date Introduced: April 30, 2019

     Referred To: Senate Labor

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

1

     SECTION 1. Section 28-5-7 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-5 entitled "Fair

2

Employment Practices" is hereby amended to read as follows:

3

     28-5-7. Unlawful employment practices.

4

     It shall be an unlawful employment practice:

5

     (1) For any employer:

6

     (i) To refuse to hire any applicant for employment because of his or her race or color,

7

religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of

8

ancestral origin;

9

     (ii) Because of those reasons, to discharge an employee or discriminate against him or her

10

with respect to hire, tenure, compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment, or any

11

other matter directly or indirectly related to employment. However, if an insurer or employer

12

extends insurance related benefits to persons other than or in addition to the named employee,

13

nothing in this subdivision shall require those benefits to be offered to unmarried partners of

14

named employees;

15

     (iii) In the recruiting of individuals for employment or in hiring them, to utilize any

16

employment agency, placement service, training school or center, labor organization, or any other

17

employee referring source which the employer knows, or has reasonable cause to know,

18

discriminates against individuals because of their race or color, religion, sex, sexual orientation,

 

1

gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin;

2

     (iv) To refuse to reasonably accommodate an employee's or prospective employee's

3

disability unless the employer can demonstrate that the accommodation would pose a hardship on

4

the employer's program, enterprise, or business; or

5

     (v) When an employee has presented to the employer an internal complaint alleging

6

harassment in the workplace on the basis of race or color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual

7

orientation, gender identity or expression, or country of ancestral origin, to refuse to disclose in a

8

timely manner in writing to that employee the disposition of the complaint, including a

9

description of any action taken in resolution of the complaint; provided, however, no other

10

personnel information shall be disclosed to the complainant.

11

     (2) (i) For any employment agency to fail or refuse to properly classify or refer for

12

employment or otherwise discriminate against any individual because of his or her race or color,

13

religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of

14

ancestral origin; or

15

     (ii) For any employment agency, placement service, training school or center, labor

16

organization, or any other employee referring source to comply with an employer's request for the

17

referral of job applicants if the request indicates either directly or indirectly that the employer will

18

not afford full and equal employment opportunities to individuals regardless of their race or color,

19

religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of

20

ancestral origin;

21

     (3) For any labor organization:

22

     (i) To deny full and equal membership rights to any applicant for membership because of

23

his or her race or color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability,

24

age, or country of ancestral origin;

25

     (ii) Because of those reasons, to deny a member full and equal membership rights, expel

26

him or her from membership, or otherwise discriminate in any manner against him or her with

27

respect to his or her hire, tenure, compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment, or

28

any other matter directly or indirectly related to membership or employment, whether or not

29

authorized or required by the constitution or bylaws of the labor organization or by a collective

30

labor agreement or other contract;

31

     (iii) To fail or refuse to classify properly or refer for employment, or otherwise to

32

discriminate against any member because of his or her race or color, religion, sex, sexual

33

orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin; or

34

     (iv) To refuse to reasonably accommodate a member's or prospective member's disability

 

LC002440 - Page 2 of 6

1

unless the labor organization can demonstrate that the accommodation would pose a hardship on

2

the labor organization's program, enterprise, or business;

3

     (4) Except where based on a bona fide occupational qualification certified by the

4

commission or where necessary to comply with any federal mandated affirmative action

5

programs, for any employer or employment agency, labor organization, placement service,

6

training school or center, or any other employee referring source, prior to employment or

7

admission to membership of any individual, to:

8

     (i) Elicit or attempt to elicit any information directly or indirectly pertaining to his or her

9

race or color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or

10

country of ancestral origin;

11

     (ii) Make or keep a record of his or her race or color, religion, sex, sexual orientation,

12

gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin;

13

     (iii) Use any form of application for employment, or personnel or membership blank

14

containing questions or entries directly or indirectly pertaining to race or color, religion, sex,

15

sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin;

16

     (iv) Print or publish or cause to be printed or published any notice or advertisement

17

relating to employment or membership indicating any preference, limitation, specification, or

18

discrimination based upon race or color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or

19

expression, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin; or

20

     (v) Establish, announce, or follow a policy of denying or limiting, through a quota system

21

or otherwise, employment or membership opportunities of any group because of the race or color,

22

religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of

23

ancestral origin of that group;

24

     (5) For any employer or employment agency, labor organization, placement service,

25

training school or center, or any other employee referring source to discriminate in any manner

26

against any individual because he or she has opposed any practice forbidden by this chapter, or

27

because he or she has made a charge, testified, or assisted in any manner in any investigation,

28

proceeding, or hearing under this chapter;

29

     (6) For any person, whether or not an employer, employment agency, labor organization,

30

or employee, to directly or indirectly commit any act declared by this section to be an unlawful

31

employment practice, or to aid, abet, incite, compel, or coerce the doing of any act declared by

32

this section to be an unlawful employment practice, or to obstruct or prevent any person from

33

complying with the provisions of this chapter or any order issued pursuant to this chapter, or to

34

attempt directly or indirectly to commit any act declared by this section to be an unlawful

 

LC002440 - Page 3 of 6

1

employment practice, it being the legislative intent that individuals may be held personally liable

2

for such conduct, including, but not limited to, individual employees of employers;

3

     (7) For any employer to include on any application for employment, except applications

4

for law enforcement agency positions or positions related to law enforcement agencies, a question

5

inquiring or to otherwise inquire either orally or in writing whether the applicant has ever been

6

arrested, charged with or convicted of any crime; provided, that:

7

     (i) If a federal or state law or regulation creates a mandatory or presumptive

8

disqualification from employment based on a person's conviction of one or more specified

9

criminal offenses, an employer may include a question or otherwise inquire whether the applicant

10

has ever been convicted of any of those offenses; or

11

     (ii) If a standard fidelity bond or an equivalent bond is required for the position for which

12

the applicant is seeking employment and his or her conviction of one or more specified criminal

13

offenses would disqualify the applicant from obtaining such a bond, an employer may include a

14

question or otherwise inquire whether the applicant has ever been convicted of any of those

15

offenses; and

16

     (iii) Notwithstanding, any employer may ask an applicant for information about his or her

17

criminal convictions at the first interview or thereafter, in accordance with all applicable state and

18

federal laws.

19

     (8) (i) For any person who, on June 7, 1988, is providing either by direct payment or by

20

making contributions to a fringe benefit fund or insurance program, benefits in violation with §§

21

28-5-6, 28-5-7 and 28-5-38, until the expiration of a period of one year from June 7, 1988 or if

22

there is an applicable collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 7, 1988, until the

23

termination of that agreement, in order to come into compliance with §§ 28-5-6, 28-5-7 and 28-5-

24

38, to reduce the benefits or the compensation provided any employee on June 7, 1988, either

25

directly or by failing to provide sufficient contributions to a fringe benefit fund or insurance

26

program.

27

     (ii) Where the costs of these benefits on June 7, 1988 are apportioned between employers

28

and employees, the payments or contributions required to comply with §§ 28-5-6, 28-5-7 and 28-

29

5-38 may be made by employers and employees in the same proportion.

30

     (iii) Nothing in this section shall prevent the readjustment of benefits or compensation for

31

reasons unrelated to compliance with §§ 28-5-6, 28-5-7 and 28-5-38.

 

LC002440 - Page 4 of 6

1

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

========

LC002440

========

 

LC002440 - Page 5 of 6

EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT

PRACTICES

***

1

     This act would prohibit an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or

2

employee, to directly or indirectly commit any act declared to be an unlawful employment

3

practice, it being the legislative intent that individuals would be held personally liable for such

4

conduct, including, but not limited to, individual employees of employers.

5

     This act would take effect upon passage.

========

LC002440

========

 

LC002440 - Page 6 of 6