California governor vetoes household domestic service worker safety bill
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A California bill designed to add greater occupational safety protections for domestic service workers was recently vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, but the state Senate is now reconsidering the measure in preparation for a possible legislative override.
The governor on Saturday vetoed Senate Bill 686, but the upper legislative chamber is once again considering the proposal, which would add household domestic service workers as protected employees under the California Occupational Safety and Health Act, according to legislative records.
The measure would narrow the exclusion of household domestic service from the definition of “employment” to only exclude publicly funded household domestic service and family daycare homes.
The bill would require household domestic service employers to comply with all occupational safety and health regulations by January 2025 and it would also make community-based organizations responsible for developing education and outreach materials pertaining to health and safety standards for household domestic service workers.
Both the state Assembly and Senate had approved the bill in September.
It was not clear whether the legislature had enough votes to overturn the governor’s veto.
