SB 1087

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law requires farm labor contractors to be licensed by the Labor Commissioner and to comply with specified employment laws applicable to farm labor contractors. Existing law requires farm labor contractors to pay license fees to the Labor Commissioner, and continuously appropriates a portion of the fee revenues for enforcement and verification purposes. Under existing law, a person who violates farm labor contractor requirements is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would prohibit a license to operate as a farm labor contractor from being granted to a person who, within the preceding 3 years, has been found by a court or an administrative agency to have committed sexual harassment of an employee, or who, within the preceding 3 years, employed any supervisory employee whom he or she knew or should have known has been found by a court or an administrative agency, within the preceding 3 years of his or her employment with the applicant, to have committed sexual harassment of an employee. These provisions would not apply until the Labor Commissioner makes a specified form available. Existing law authorizes the Labor Commissioner to revoke, suspend, or refuse to renew a farm labor contractor's license under specified circumstances, including that the licensee or an agent of the licensee violated or failed to comply with certain laws. This bill would additionally authorize the Labor Commissioner to revoke, suspend, or refuse to renew a farm labor contractor's license if the licensee has been found by a court or an administrative agency to have committed sexual harassment of an employee, or has employed a supervisory employee whom he or she knew or should have known has been found by a court or an administrative agency, within the preceding 3 years, to have committed sexual harassment of an employee. These provisions would not apply until the Labor Commissioner makes a specified form available. This bill would increase the license fee paid by an applicant from $500 to $600, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would require the amount attributable to the fee increase to be expended by the Labor Commissioner to fund the Farm Labor Contractor Enforcement Unit and the Farm Labor Contractor License Verification Unit. The bill would require an applicant to provide the names and addresses of all persons who performed specified services for him or her in the previous year, in order to be issued a license to act as a farm labor contractor. The bill would require each employee of an applicant for licensure as a farm labor contractor to register as a farm labor contractor employee pursuant to federal law, if that registration is required under federal law. The bill would require an applicant for licensure as a farm labor contractor to execute a written statement attesting that the person's supervisorial employees have been trained in the prevention of sexual harassment, as provided. The bill would require that the bond deposited with the Labor Commissioner in order to be issued a license to act as a farm labor contractor be conditioned upon compliance with, and payment of all damages occasioned by failure to comply with, provisions prohibiting unlawful workplace harassment, as specified. The bill would also authorize certain license fees in the Farmworker Remedial Account which are continuously appropriated, to be used to satisfy claims for damages for violations of provisions prohibiting unlawful workplace harassment, as specified. Existing law requires an applicant for licensure as a farm labor contractor to have taken a written examination that demonstrates an essential degree of knowledge of current laws and regulations concerning farm labor contractors and authorizes the Labor Commissioner to charge a fee of not more than $100 to cover the cost of administering the examination. This bill would require that examination to cover laws and regulations concerning sexual harassment in the workplace. The bill would authorize the Labor Commissioner to consult with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing in preparing the examination. The bill would also increase the maximum amount the Labor Commissioner may charge for developing and administering the examination to $200. Existing law authorizes the Labor Commissioner to renew a license without requiring the applicant to take the examination if during the previous year the applicant has not been found to be in violation of specified laws and regulations, and meets other criteria. This bill would include among those laws that the applicant must not have violated laws and regulations related to workplace harassment. Existing law requires an applicant for a license to act as a farm labor contractor to participate in at least 8 hours of educational classes each year. This bill would increase the requirement to 9 hours of classes and require that those classes include at least one hour of sexual harassment prevention training. Existing law provides that it is a crime for an employer who has made withholdings from an employee's wages willfully or with intent to defraud to fail to remit the withholdings to the proper agency or to fail to make any required payments required. This bill would authorize the Labor Commissioner to refuse to issue or renew the license until the amount of any delinquency under these provisions is fully paid. Existing law requires every licensee to have a written statement ready for inspection stating the rate of compensation he or she receives from the grower and that he or she is paying to employees, as specified. This bill would require that this statement be provided to a current or former employee or the grower within 21 calendar days of a written request. The bill would make a licensee who fails to comply with this requirement subject to a civil penalty of $750 recoverable by the employee or grower. Existing law provides that any farm labor contractor who engages in farm labor contracting activities after his or her license has been suspended or revoked is punishable by a fine of not less than $1,000 but not exceeding $5,000, or by imprisonment for not less than 6 months and not more than one year, or both. This bill would instead provide that any farm labor contractor who engages in farm labor contracting activities after his or her license has been suspended, revoked, or denied reissuance is punishable by a fine of not less than $10,000, or by imprisonment for not less than 6 months and not more than one year, or both. Existing law provides that any violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor. Because this bill would change various provisions, the violation of which are misdemeanors, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.