TRENTON — A bill sponsored by Senator Fred Madden that requires the state to withhold payments from delinquent vendors who fail to contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund cleared the Senate Labor Committee today.
The bill, S-1622, is in response to a state audit of the unemployment fund that found at least 170 state vendors owed $36.7 million in unpaid unemployment compensation contributions to the fund as of June of last year. Meanwhile, these same companies received at least $111.3 million in payments from state contracts during the 2011 and 2012 fiscal years, the audit found.
The state Treasury Department has a system in place that withholds payments from delinquent vendors, but the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) has not been taking advantage of it. This bill would ensure the DOLWD works with the Department of Treasury to ensure employers with state contracts settle their delinquent Unemployment Insurance collections.
“This is common sense legislation that helps protect a fund that is a lifeline for the unemployed while also protecting employers who are asked to contribute more when the fund is depleted,” said Madden (D-Camden, Gloucester).
New Jersey had to borrow roughly $2 billion from the federal government to cover the increased unemployment costs caused by the Great Recession. The borrowing costs were passed on to employers in the form of higher unemployment insurance taxes. Madden worked with the DOLWD and the business community to hold down unemployment tax increases and restore solvency to the Unemployment Trust Fund.
Madden’s bill would allow the Labor Department to refer delinquent accounts to the Treasury Department for garnishment. The bill would also impose a fee on delinquent accounts to pay for the administrative costs of enforcement.
The bill would also apply to the state’s Disability Benefits fund and the Family Temporary Disability Leave Account.
