HB 293 Summary: Senator Helen Gordon Davis Fair Pay Protection Act

• Prohibits employers from providing less favorable employment opportunities to employees based on sex, including assigning lower-skill work, withholding promotion information, or limiting career advancement opportunities.

• Expands wage discrimination protections to require substantially similar work (rather than equal work) and clarifies that wage differentials must be based on seniority systems, merit systems, production-based systems, or bona fide factors job-related to business necessity.

• Establishes civil penalties of up to $2,500 for first violation, $3,000 for second violation, and $5,000 for third or subsequent violations; allows employees to recover unpaid wages plus liquidated damages within 3 years of the alleged violation.

• Prohibits employers from seeking, requesting, or relying on wage or salary history of prospective or current employees when determining compensation, with limited exception allowing confirmation only if employee voluntarily provides prior wage information to justify a higher offer.

• Prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for discussing wages, inquiring about other employees' wages, or refusing to sign waivers restricting wage discussions; effective July 1, 2022.