HARRISBURG, March 20 – State Rep. Jeanne McNeill announced today that her labor broker registration legislation designed to protect workers’ rights has passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

McNeill’s legislation (H.B. 1748) would require construction labor brokers to register with the state Department of Labor and Industry before doing business in the Commonwealth. It would also require contractors who use a labor broker to check the broker’s registration status and prohibit them from doing business with an unregistered labor broker.

“This bill enacts one of the unanimous recommendations made by the Joint Task Force on Misclassification, which was created by Act 85 of 2020. The task force noted that labor brokers currently operate in Pennsylvania without regulation and are key contributors to the problem of misclassification of employees in construction and other industries,” McNeill said.

“Many unethical labor brokers take advantage of workers by misclassifying them as independent contractors,” said McNeill. “Some labor brokers engage in insurance fraud schemes, tax avoidance plans, wage theft violations, and even use workers’ immigration status for leverage to rob workers of their wages and neglect other important workplace protections. These practices negatively impact workers, legitimate contractors, and contractors who choose only to work with responsible labor brokers.

“I am proud that my colleagues stood with me and misclassified workers by voting to pass this legislation and voting to get one step closer to ending worker misclassification and protecting workers’ rights,” McNeill added.

House Bill 1748 now moves to the state Senate for consideration.

House Democrats are committed to promoting better jobs, better schools and better communities. Putting people ahead of politics, House Democrats are leading the charge to lower taxes, help workers save for retirement, put more teachers in local schools, and make communities safer. More information on these successful efforts is at pahouse.com/deliveringforpa.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Declan Shaffer