TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Troy Singleton and Senator Steve Oroho that would require contractors to register under “The Public Works Contractor Registration Act” was advanced by the Senate today.
The bill, S-62, would require all contractors that are required under current law to pay their workers the prevailing wage rate to register under the “Public Works Contractor Registration Act.” Currently, contractors are only required to register under the Act if they enter into contracts that are subject to it. This bill would expand the registration requirement to contractors that work with public entities that require the contractors to pay the prevailing wage rate, but are not technically subject to the Prevailing Wage Act.
“Prevailing wage is good for workers and good for New Jersey. We are preventing a ‘race to the bottom’ approach that many contractors in other states do in order to undercut their workers,” said Senator Singleton (D-Burlington). “Not all contractors are subject to the Act even if they are required to pay. We need to make sure that they are actually following labor laws and treating their workers with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
The “Public Works Contractor Registration Act” requires contractors that interact with certain public entities or on certain public work projects to register with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The purpose of the Act is to establish a registration system for contractors engaged in public works projects in order to better enforce existing labor laws and regulations in the public works industry.
By expanding the Public Works Contractor Registration Act to include all contractors subject to the prevailing wage, this bill will enhance the Department’s monitoring and enforcement of prevailing wage rate payments.
The bill was released from the Senate by a vote of 36-1, and next heads to the Assembly for further consideration.