SB 588

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) The Enforcement of Judgments Law provides for the enforcement of money judgments and other civil judgments. Under that law, a judgment creditor may levy upon the property of a judgment debtor to satisfy a judgment, and a levying officer holds the property until the final determination of any exemptions claimed by the judgment debtor. This bill would enact special provisions for the enforcement of judgments against an employer arising from the employer's nonpayment of wages for work performed in this state. The bill would authorize the Labor Commissioner to use any of the existing remedies available to a judgment creditor and to act as a levying officer when enforcing a judgment pursuant to a writ of execution, as provided. The bill would also authorize the Labor Commissioner to issue a notice of levy, as specified, if the levy is for a deposit, credits, money, or property in the possession or under the control of a bank or savings and loan association or for an account receivable or other general intangible owed to the judgment debtor by an account debtor. (2) Existing law authorizes the Labor Commissioner to investigate employee complaints and to provide for a hearing in any action to recover wages, penalties, and other demands for compensation. Existing law requires the Labor Commissioner to determine all matters arising under his or her jurisdiction. Existing law makes any employer or other person acting on behalf of an employer who violates or causes to be violated specified provisions regulating hours and days of work in any order of the Industrial Welfare Commission to be subject to a civil penalty, as specified. A violation of the general provisions governing working hours is a crime. This bill would authorize the Labor Commissioner to provide for a hearing to recover civil penalties against any employer or other person acting on behalf of an employer, as defined, for a violation of those provisions regulating hours and days of work in any order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, as specified. This bill would provide that any employer or other person acting on behalf of an employer, as defined, who violates, or causes to be violated, any provision regulating minimum wages or hours and days of work in any order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, or violates, or causes to be violated, other related provisions of law is authorized to be held liable as the employer for such violation. Because the bill expands liability and a violation of those provisions would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, within a specified period of time after service of notice of an order, decision, or award, the parties are authorized to seek review by filing an appeal to the superior court, where the appeal is required to be heard de novo. This bill, beginning 20 days after a judgment is entered by a court of competent jurisdiction in favor of the Labor Commissioner, or in favor of any employee pursuant to an appeal, would authorize the Labor Commissioner to, with the consent of any employee in whose favor the judgment is entered, collect any outstanding amount of the judgment by mailing a notice of levy upon all persons having in their possession, or who will have in their possession or under their control, any credits, money, or property, belonging to the judgment debtor, or who owe any debt to the judgment debtor at the time they receive the notice of levy. The bill would also require the judgment debtor to be served with a copy of the notice of levy. The bill would require any person who surrenders to the Labor Commissioner any credits, money, or property, or pays the debts owed to the judgment debtor to be discharged from any obligation or liability to the judgment debtor to the extent of the amount paid to the Labor Commissioner as a result of the levy. The bill would make any person noticed with a levy who fails or refuses to surrender any credits, money, or property or pay any debts owed to the judgment debtor liable in his or her own person or estate to the Labor Commissioner in an amount equal to the value of the credits, money, or property or in the amount of the levy, as provided. If a final judgment against an employer arising from the employer's nonpayment of wages for work performed in this state remains unsatisfied after a specified period of time after the time to appeal has expired and no appeal is pending, the bill would prohibit an employer from continuing to conduct business in this state, as specified, unless the employer has obtained a bond from a surety company and has filed a copy of that bond with the Labor Commissioner, as provided. As an alternative to the bond requirement, the bill would authorize the employer to provide the Labor Commissioner with a notarized copy of an accord reached with an individual holding an unsatisfied final judgment. The bill would make any employer conducting business without satisfying the bond requirement subject to a specified civil penalty, as provided. The bill, where an employer is conducting business in violation of the bond requirement, would authorize the Labor Commissioner to issue and serve on such employer a stop order prohibiting the use of employee labor by the employer until the employer complies with the bond requirement provided that the stop order would not compromise or imperil public safety or the life, health, and care of vulnerable individuals. The bill would make the failure of an employer, owner, director, officer, or managing agent of the employer to observe a stop order guilty of a misdemeanor. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Subject to required prior notice to the employer, the bill would authorize the Labor Commissioner to create a lien on any real or personal property in California of an employer or a successor employer with respect to real property, as described, that is conducting business without satisfying the bond requirement for the full amount of any wages, interest, and penalties claimed to be owed to an employee, as specified. Existing law generally provides for the licensure and regulation of various types of long-term care facilities by the State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Social Services. If a final judgment against an employer arising from the employer's nonpayment of wages remains unsatisfied after the time to appeal has expired and there is no pending appeal and an employer in the long-term care industry, as specified, is found to be conducting business without obtaining a bond or reaching an accord with an individual holding an unsatisfied judgment, this bill would authorize those departments to deny a new license or the renewal of an existing license. The bill would also authorize the Labor Commissioner to notify those departments of such a violation. The bill would require any individual or business entity that contracts for services in the property services or long-term care industries to be jointly and severally liable for any unpaid wages where the individual or business entity has been provided notice, by any party, of any proceeding or investigation by the Labor Commissioner in which the employer is found liable for those unpaid wages, to the extent the amounts are for services performed under that contract, as provided. 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.