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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →California’s AB 2751 proposed giving employees a right to ignore employer communications during agreed nonworking hours, with exceptions for emergencies and certain last-minute schedule changes. It did not establish that right: lawmakers shelved the bill in May 2024, according to the Associated Press.
Did California pass a right-to-disconnect law?
No. AB 2751 was a proposal in the 2023–2024 legislative session, not an enacted right to disconnect. The Associated Press reported that lawmakers shelved it in May 2024. The bill’s provisions therefore describe what the measure would have required, not a rule created by AB 2751.
The official California AB 2751 text identifies the measure as “Employer communications during nonworking hours.” Assembly Member Haney introduced it on February 15, 2024; the displayed amended text was published March 21, 2024.
What would AB 2751 have allowed employees to do?
The draft would have required public and private employers to establish a workplace policy allowing employees to disconnect from employer communications during their nonworking hours. In practical terms, employees could ignore work-related communications in that period, subject to the bill’s exceptions.
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How the bill defined nonworking hours
Nonworking hours meant the time before and after an employee’s assigned work hours, whether those hours were stated in a job description or otherwise. The employer and employee would have had to establish the hours in a written agreement.
Exceptions for emergencies and scheduling
The proposed policy could permit employer contact during nonworking hours in an emergency or for scheduling. The bill defined scheduling for this purpose as a change to a schedule within 24 hours. That exception was about a short-notice schedule change, not an unrestricted exception for routine messages.
Who would have been covered, and how could complaints work?
The proposed requirement applied to public and private employers, but the draft excluded employees covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement.
For enforcement, the draft defined a “pattern of violation” as three or more documented instances. An employee could file a complaint about such a pattern with the Labor Commissioner. The text said the pattern would not be punished as a misdemeanor under Labor Code section 1199 and specified a fine of at least $100. These were proposed provisions, not penalties imposed under an enacted AB 2751 law.
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Why did the bill stall?
The Associated Press reported that supporters said workers were often expected to remain reachable and argued that the proposal could help clarify boundaries between work and home life. Opponents, including the California Chamber of Commerce, argued that the bill was too vague and could make it harder for companies to operate effectively. Those were competing arguments about the proposal, not established findings about its effects.
In its May 2024 coverage, AP characterized California as potentially the first state to adopt a measure of this kind. That was a description of the proposal at the time; it does not establish California’s current position relative to other states.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should California workers take from AB 2751?
AB 2751 is relevant as a past legislative proposal, but it is not a basis for assuming that employees currently have the specific right described in its draft. The bill’s text and reported shelving answer what the measure proposed and what happened to it; they do not establish whether later legislation or other current rules have changed the legal position. For a workplace dispute, rely on current, applicable legal guidance rather than treating AB 2751’s proposed terms as law.
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