Bill > SB261

This bill aims to strengthen labor law enforcement and combat wage theft by introducing several key provisions. The bill requires the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement to post information about employers with unsatisfied wage judgments on their website, including names and essential business information, but with personal employee details redacted to protect privacy. If an employer has an unsatisfied wage judgment after 180 days, they will be subject to a civil penalty of up to three times the outstanding judgment amount, with half of the penalty going to the affected employees and half to labor law enforcement. The bill also mandates that courts award reasonable attorney's fees and costs to prevailing plaintiffs in wage judgment enforcement actions. Additionally, the legislation requires the Labor Commissioner to post copies of labor order decisions on the division's website after the appeal period expires, further increasing transparency. The bill's underlying motivation is to address wage theft, which studies suggest costs low-wage workers billions of dollars annually in California, by creating more robust enforcement mechanisms and financial consequences for non-compliant employers. By providing these new tools, the bill seeks to ensure workers are paid promptly and to deter future wage theft violations.

Budget and Finance, Justice, Labor and Employment

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB261