CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE providing the Office of City Auditor independent audit authority, including access to employer records, after a case is closed by the Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) in order to evaluate SOCR's enforcement efforts of Chapters 14.16, 14.17, 14.19, and 14.20 of the Seattle Municipal Code (SMC); amending Sections 3.40.040, 14.16.060, and 14.20.050 of the SMC; and creating a new Section 14.19.065 of the SMC.
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WHEREAS, in 2011 the Seattle City Council passed Ordinance 123698, the Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, which took effect September 1, 2012; and
WHEREAS, the Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance requires employers with more than four full-time equivalent employees to provide workers with paid leave for their and their family members' illness, preventative care, and critical safety needs related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking; and
WHEREAS, the Office of City Auditor (OCA) was requested to perform an enforcement audit of Seattle's Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, the OCA performed an enforcement audit covering the period of September 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013; and
WHEREAS, OCA issued its report on October 17, 2014; and
WHEREAS, the OCA report made 13 recommendations to address its findings and strengthen the Seattle Office for Civil Rights' (SOCR) enforcement efforts; and
WHEREAS, among OCA's recommendations was to amend the City's four labor laws, including the Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, the Minimum Wage Ordinance, the Administrative Wage Theft Ordinance, and the Job Assistance Ordinance, to provide OCA independent authority to obtain and audit employers' records and interview complainants and respondents of closed cases in order to evaluate SOCR's enforcement efforts; and
WHEREAS, it is the City Council's intent through this ordinance to provide the OCA with such independent audit authority fo...
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