Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 550
       
       
        
       By Senator Cruz
       
       
       
       
       
       18-00413-22                                            2022550__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to unlawful employment practices;
    3         amending s. 760.10, F.S.; revising the unlawful
    4         employment practices in the Florida Civil Rights Act
    5         of 1992 to include discriminatory practices relating
    6         to military status; reenacting s. 760.11(1) and (15),
    7         F.S., relating to administrative and civil remedies,
    8         to incorporate the amendment made to s. 760.10, F.S.,
    9         in references thereto; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Subsections (1) and (2), paragraphs (a) and (b)
   14  of subsection (3), subsections (5) and (6), and paragraph (a) of
   15  subsection (8) of section 760.10, Florida Statutes, are amended
   16  to read:
   17         760.10 Unlawful employment practices.—
   18         (1) It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer:
   19         (a) To discharge or to fail or refuse to hire any
   20  individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual
   21  with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges
   22  of employment, because of such individual’s race, color,
   23  religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap,
   24  military status, or marital status.
   25         (b) To limit, segregate, or classify employees or
   26  applicants for employment in any way which would deprive or tend
   27  to deprive any individual of employment opportunities, or
   28  adversely affect any individual’s status as an employee, because
   29  of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy,
   30  national origin, age, handicap, military status, or marital
   31  status.
   32         (2) It is an unlawful employment practice for an employment
   33  agency to fail or refuse to refer for employment, or otherwise
   34  to discriminate against, any individual because of race, color,
   35  religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap,
   36  military status, or marital status or to classify or refer for
   37  employment any individual on the basis of race, color, religion,
   38  sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap, military status,
   39  or marital status.
   40         (3) It is an unlawful employment practice for a labor
   41  organization:
   42         (a) To exclude or to expel from its membership, or
   43  otherwise to discriminate against, any individual because of
   44  race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age,
   45  handicap, military status, or marital status.
   46         (b) To limit, segregate, or classify its membership or
   47  applicants for membership, or to classify or fail or refuse to
   48  refer for employment any individual, in any way that would
   49  deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment
   50  opportunities, or adversely affect any individual’s status as an
   51  employee or as an applicant for employment, because of such
   52  individual’s race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national
   53  origin, age, handicap, military status, or marital status.
   54         (5) Whenever, in order to engage in a profession,
   55  occupation, or trade, it is required that a person receive a
   56  license, certification, or other credential, become a member or
   57  an associate of any club, association, or other organization, or
   58  pass any examination, it is an unlawful employment practice for
   59  any person to discriminate against any other person seeking such
   60  license, certification, or other credential, seeking to become a
   61  member or associate of such club, association, or other
   62  organization, or seeking to take or pass such examination,
   63  because of such other person’s race, color, religion, sex,
   64  pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap, military status, or
   65  marital status.
   66         (6) It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer,
   67  labor organization, employment agency, or joint labor-management
   68  committee to print, or cause to be printed or published, any
   69  notice or advertisement relating to employment, membership,
   70  classification, referral for employment, or apprenticeship or
   71  other training, indicating any preference, limitation,
   72  specification, or discrimination, based on race, color,
   73  religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, absence of
   74  handicap, military status, or marital status.
   75         (8) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, it
   76  is not an unlawful employment practice under ss. 760.01-760.10
   77  for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint
   78  labor-management committee to:
   79         (a) Take or fail to take any action on the basis of
   80  religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap,
   81  military status, or marital status in those certain instances in
   82  which religion, sex, condition of pregnancy, national origin,
   83  age, absence of a particular handicap, military status, or
   84  marital status is a bona fide occupational qualification
   85  reasonably necessary for the performance of the particular
   86  employment to which such action or inaction is related.
   87         Section 2. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
   88  made by this act to section 760.10, Florida Statutes, in
   89  references thereto, subsections (1) and (15) of section 760.11,
   90  Florida Statutes, are reenacted to read:
   91         760.11 Administrative and civil remedies; construction.—
   92         (1) Any person aggrieved by a violation of ss. 760.01
   93  760.10 may file a complaint with the commission within 365 days
   94  of the alleged violation, naming the employer, employment
   95  agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee,
   96  or, in the case of an alleged violation of s. 760.10(5), the
   97  person responsible for the violation and describing the
   98  violation. Any person aggrieved by a violation of s. 509.092 may
   99  file a complaint with the commission within 365 days of the
  100  alleged violation naming the person responsible for the
  101  violation and describing the violation. The commission, a
  102  commissioner, or the Attorney General may in like manner file
  103  such a complaint. On the same day the complaint is filed with
  104  the commission, the commission shall clearly stamp on the face
  105  of the complaint the date the complaint was filed with the
  106  commission. In lieu of filing the complaint with the commission,
  107  a complaint under this section may be filed with the federal
  108  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or with any unit of
  109  government of the state which is a fair-employment-practice
  110  agency under 29 C.F.R. ss. 1601.70-1601.80. If the date the
  111  complaint is filed is clearly stamped on the face of the
  112  complaint, that date is the date of filing. The date the
  113  complaint is filed with the commission for purposes of this
  114  section is the earliest date of filing with the Equal Employment
  115  Opportunity Commission, the fair-employment-practice agency, or
  116  the commission. The complaint shall contain a short and plain
  117  statement of the facts describing the violation and the relief
  118  sought. The commission may require additional information to be
  119  in the complaint. The commission, within 5 days of the complaint
  120  being filed, shall by registered mail send a copy of the
  121  complaint to the person who allegedly committed the violation.
  122  The person who allegedly committed the violation may file an
  123  answer to the complaint within 25 days of the date the complaint
  124  was filed with the commission. Any answer filed shall be mailed
  125  to the aggrieved person by the person filing the answer. Both
  126  the complaint and the answer shall be verified.
  127         (15) In any civil action or administrative proceeding
  128  brought pursuant to this section, a finding that a person
  129  employed by the state or any governmental entity or agency has
  130  violated s. 760.10 shall as a matter of law constitute just or
  131  substantial cause for such person’s discharge.
  132         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.