Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes joined other Legislators, and the Stronger California Advocates Network for a joint press conference to announce the Stronger California 2018 legislative priorities. Their legislative priorities aim to help ensure economic security for women and put an end to workplace harassment.
Among the five bills prioritized by the Stronger California Advocates Network is a bill authored by Assemblymember Reyes, AB 1870, the SHARE Act, which would extend the statute of limitations on reporting harassment in the workplace, or related to housing discrimination from one year to three years. Applying to all harassment claims (Gender, Race, Religion, Disability, etc) AB 1870 seeks to address multiple forms of harassment that can occur in the workplace including sexual harassment.
“The time has come to acknowledge the struggles faced by women in the workplace and in society,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “We have reached a real turning point where so many brave women have found their voice to resist and reform the status quo.”
Assemblymember Reyes continued, “This legislation takes one of the shortest timelines to exert one’s legal rights that exist in current law and extends it to three years. Many brave women have contacted my office to recount their stories of finding their voice to speak up about the harassment they faced at their workplace only to find that their complaint is too late to meet the existing timelines. We must ensure that our laws provide equity and justice, rather than loopholes that can leave victims without redress.”
The legislation behind the press conference stems from the last 6 months in which a string of high profile figures from Hollywood to government officials have been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace. In Sacramento specifically, the push behind reform started with a letter signed by nearly 150 women denouncing repeated harassment in the State Capitol and associated businesses.