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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 8, 2019 03:34 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Wayne D. Fontana |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Anti-Harassment Training |
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act requires the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission to issue a fair employment practices notice to employers to post in the workplace for purposes of providing employees with information regarding workplace harassment and discrimination. However, the Act does not require that the notice include explanations or examples of the types of behaviors and comments that constitute unlawful discrimination or harassment under the law. The Act also fails to require employers to provide interactive training regarding discrimination, harassment and retaliation to all employees and supervisors. Many advocates and law firms specializing in workplace harassment policies suggest that in order to improve workplace harassment policies and employer-employee safety, employers should provide better training and notices regarding what constitutes discrimination and harassment. By having more thorough explanations and case examples, staff will better understand which acts would constitute a violation. For this reason I plan to reintroduce legislation that would require employers covered under the Pa. Human Relations Act to provide interactive, training for all employees with explanations and examples of different acts that would constitute unlawful discriminatory, harassing or retaliatory conduct. Furthermore, my legislation will require the Commission’s fair employment practices notice to include descriptions of discrimination, harassment and retaliation that violate the law. Last session this bill was introduced as SB 1147 and co sponsors included Senators Farnese, Boscola, Hughes, Costa, Tartaglione, Brewster, Blake, Williams and Browne. I hope you will consider signing onto this employee-friendly bill. |
Introduced as SB498