Employment: complaints: agricultural employees.

The document was reformatted from the official authenticated chaptered text (with 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' header) to the web-based bill page layout, adding website navigation elements (home, FAQ, search, sitemap, login), a version selector dropdown, and a digest key showing Vote: MAJORITY, Appropriation: NO, Fiscal Committee: YES, Local Program: NO.

The entire Office of the State Farmworker Ombudsperson was eliminated, including its establishment in the Office of Emergency Services, appointment process, qualifications requirements, funding authority (including a dedicated program account), legal privileges and immunity provisions, statewide reporting system with annual data submissions to the legislature, and cooperation requirements for other advocacy programs.

The obligation to collaborate and transmit complaints was expanded from three named entities (Agricultural Labor Relations Board, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and Division of Occupational Safety and Health) to any department, division, or board within the entire Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

The remaining complaint-transmission requirement is now explicitly conditioned on 'appropriation by the Legislature,' meaning it will not take effect unless the legislature allocates funds for it.

A new privacy protection was added: when transmitting a complaint, the sending entity may not disclose the identity or personal information of the agricultural employee complainant to the extent prohibited by law without that person's consent.

The definition of 'agricultural employee' was changed from a cross-reference to Section 1140.4(a) to a broader three-part definition covering workers in agricultural occupations (Wage Order 14), on-farm product preparation (Wage Order 13), and post-harvest handling (Wage Order 8).

The definition of 'appropriate entity' was expanded to include the Department of Industrial Relations and the Employment Development Department in addition to the previously listed entities.

A new definition for 'reasonable efforts' was added, specifying that it must be consistent with each entity's confidentiality requirements, including Section 6309(c).

The legislative findings section (former Section 2) that justified privacy limitations under the California Constitution's public access provisions was removed, likely because the standalone ombudsperson office that needed those findings no longer exists.

The bill was approved by the Governor on October 11, 2025, and designated as Chapter 624 of the statutes.

Header changed from the enrolled format (with passage dates and clerk signatures) to the authenticated electronic legal material format with chapter number and filing date.

New Labor Code Section 57.2 requires the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and Division of Occupational Safety and Health to collaborate with each other and take all reasonable efforts to transmit complaints from agricultural employees to the appropriate entity for processing and investigation.

New definitions added for 'agricultural employee' (one engaged in agriculture as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1140.4) and 'appropriate entity' (ALRB, DLSE, or Cal/OSHA).

The standalone legislative intent section declaring the Legislature's intent to ensure workers know their rights during extreme heat-related events was removed entirely.

The bill was reclassified from 'relating to occupational safety and health. state government' to 'relating to state government. employment,' reflecting a shift away from a heat-illness-prevention focus toward a broader farmworker ombudsperson and complaint coordination purpose.

The fiscal committee vote changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now carries a fiscal impact that requires fiscal committee review.

Entirely new Chapter 18 added to Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code (Sections 8899.100 through 8899.109), establishing the Office of the State Farmworker Ombudsperson within the Office of Emergency Services.

All advocacy programs receiving state funding or official designation (including programs within Cal/OSHA and the Agricultural Labor Relations Board) must cooperate with the office where appropriate.

The bill title changed from 'An act relating to occupational safety and health' to 'An act to add Chapter 18 (commencing with Section 8899.100) to Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to occupational safety and health. state government.'

The State Farmworker Ombudsperson must have training and experience in cultural and linguistic competence for the agricultural workforce, the legal system, and dispute resolution techniques including investigation, mediation, and negotiation. The position is full-time and appointed by the Director of Emergency Services.

The office must establish a statewide uniform reporting system to collect and analyze data on complaints and conditions in the agricultural workforce, submit that data to the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment by July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, and post it on its website.

Neither the State Ombudsperson nor any immediate family member may have had a pecuniary interest in farm operations within the past three years.

The office may solicit and receive funds, gifts, and contributions; may form a tax-deductible foundation; and must deposit received funds into a newly created State Farmworker Ombudsperson Program Account in the Special Deposit Fund. Revenues are used upon appropriation to support office operations.

All communications by office representatives that are reasonably related to their duties and done in good faith are privileged and serve as a defense to libel or slander actions. Representatives are exempt from being required to testify about confidential matters unless the court deems it necessary.

No discriminatory, disciplinary, or retaliatory action may be taken against a farmworker or volunteer for communications made to aid the office, unless done maliciously or without good faith. Office representatives are also immune from liability for good faith performance of duties.

The original single-section intent declaration about extreme heat-related events was renumbered and moved to the end of the bill as a separate section following the new chapter.