SACRAMENTO - A bill to let temporary employees file sexual harassment suits against a business that contracts for their services will open the door to frivolous employment litigation, according to the Civil Justice Association of California.

Assembly Bill 1670 would give independent contractors the ability to sue for sexual harassment any time the contractor provides services customarily performed by employees, or separately, performs any services requiring the contract person to be present at an employer facility for three or more consecutive days. The bill would include temporary employees.

"Creating this new liability encourages lawsuits by people who have little stake in trying to solve a potentially bad work situation with something less than a lawsuit," said John H. Sullivan, President of the Civil Justice Association of California. "Trial lawyers will likely benefit from bringing these kinds of suits, but business will be discouraged from hiring outside contractors-hurting California workers and the economy."

The proper course for a temporary contract employee who encounters any seriously inappropriate condition on a job assignment is to report it to his or her agency, he said.

Sullivan also pointed out that committee authorship of bills is usually reserved for technical, non-controversial bills-not bills with such far-reaching consequences as AB 1670.

"Unfortunately, this Trojan Horse-approach to policymaking seems to be more prevalent these days," said Sullivan.

Assembly Bill 1670 will be heard in Assembly Judiciary Committee on May 11.