S.B. No. 174 - Fair and Acceptable Income Required (FAIR) Act

• Enacts the "Fair and Acceptable Income Required (FAIR) Act" to address historical wage disparity and ensure equal pay for women in Ohio.

• Prohibits employers from discriminating in wage payments based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, or gender identity for equal work requiring equal skill, effort, and responsibility.

• Adds sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in wage discrimination provisions, and establishes that employees can sue for twice the wage differential plus attorney fees and costs.

• Transfers wage discrimination enforcement authority from the Director of Commerce to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and creates new protections against employer retaliation for wage-related complaints or discussions.

• Requires employers to demonstrate that wage differentials are based on bona fide factors unrelated to protected characteristics and consistent with business necessity, with the burden shifting to employers once wage discrimination is alleged.