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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 25, 2021 02:55 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator John T. Yudichak |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Construction Contractor Verification System |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that will help protect commercial construction contractors in Pennsylvania who operate with integrity and follow the state’s laws and regulations, including the Construction Industry Employment Verification Act (Act 75 of 2019) and the Construction Workplace Misclassification Act (Act 72 of 2011). Specifically, my bill will require construction contractors and subcontractors to complete a simple verification form that certifies that they operate in Pennsylvania and allows their employees and the public to identify the business. The verification system would be a simple version of the registration system already in place for home improvement contractors, and would likewise be administered by the Office of Attorney General. The verification system is intended to be straightforward and uncomplicated, requiring only basic and readily available information from the contractor, but will provide an important database for consumer protection and business integrity matters. Several other states require some form of contractor identification to do business within their borders, and these requirements work hand-in-hand with labor, business, and consumer protection laws geared toward the construction industry. For example, Arizona, which was the model for Pennsylvania’s new E-Verify law (Act 75 of 2019), requires construction contractors to receive a specialized license from the state. A simple contractor verification system will bolster the protections already in place for Pennsylvania’s robust construction contractor industry and its employees. It will help to ensure that existing labor and tax laws that have already been approved by this General Assembly are meaningful, especially where enforcement has proven difficult or elusive. Moreover, it will importantly aid our construction industry by reducing competition from businesses that operate underhandedly and that fail to follow our laws. I hope that you will join me in co-sponsoring this important measure. |
Introduced as SB678