The requirement begins in 2028 and adds content to existing harassment-prevention training.
California employers covered by the state’s harassment-training requirements will have to include instruction addressing hate speech beginning January 1, 2028, under legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
AB 1803, approved September 27, adds the requirement to existing training for employers with five or more employees.
The law calls for practical guidance on recognizing, reporting and confronting workplace speech that “vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred” against people based on legally protected characteristics.
Christian advocacy organizations have raised concerns that broad interpretations could affect employees expressing traditional religious beliefs about marriage, sexuality or gender.
California Family Council has warned that the requirement could pressure employers to characterize protected religious convictions as hateful. That is the organization’s assessment of possible implementation, rather than a court finding about the law.
The legislation also states that training covering unlawful harassment and abusive conduct based on protected characteristics can satisfy the new requirement.
It incorporates the subject into existing training rather than establishing a separate additional block of mandatory hours.
The measure concerns workplace training. It does not expressly declare particular Christian doctrines unlawful. How employers and regulators distinguish protected belief from workplace harassment will be central to implementation.
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Featured image: California State Capitol in Sacramento. File photograph. Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash.
