AB 266

Under current law, any employer employing 50 or more persons in this state

(employer) who decides upon a permanent or temporary shutdown that affects 25 or

more employees (business closing) or upon a reduction in force affecting at least 25

percent of the employer's workforce or 25 employees, whichever is greater, or

affecting at least 500 employees (mass layoff) must notify, among others: 1) the

Department of Workforce Development (DWD); and 2) any employee who loses, or

who may reasonably be expected to lose, his or her employment with the employer

because of the business closing or mass layoff (affected employee). The notice must

be provided no later than 60 days before the business closing or mass layoff. DWD

must provide a copy of the notice to the Department of Commerce and the Office of

the Commissioner of Insurance and cooperate with those agencies to provide certain

types of assistance to the employer and affected employees and information

regarding health insurance options available to affected employees.

This bill requires the business closing or mass layoff notice to an affected

employee to include contact information for the local workforce development board

serving the area in which the employment site is located. The bill requires DWD to

provide a copy of the notice to that local workforce development board and requires

the board, no later than 30 days after receipt of the notice, to provide to the employer

a list of resources available in that area that provide career planning, job search, job

skills training, and other support services for affected employees. The employer

must provide a copy of this list to an affected employee no later than 14 days after

an affected employee's last day of work or the date of the final payment of the affected

employee's wages, whichever is earlier.