With A142 New Jersey has come up with a way to help ensure only those legally allowed to be live and work here can do so. The bill “requires every contractor who is required to pay its employees the prevailing wage rate to verify the employment eligibility of its employees through the E-Verify program.
E-Verify is an electronic verification of work authorization program jointly operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. The bill directs the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to develop a Statewide random auditing program to inspect contractors for compliance with the E36 Verify requirement. The commissioner is also directed, upon receipt of a written and signed complaint against a contractor, or upon an investigation initiated by the commissioner for good cause, to institute an investigation if the commissioner finds reasonable grounds exist that a contractor violated the E-Verify requirement.
The bill provides for the assessment of a civil penalty of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000 on contractors found to be in violation of the E-Verify requirement.
For a first occurrence involving a violation, if the contractor complies within 72 hours of notification by the commissioner, the contractor shall not be assessed a penalty.
Any subsequent occurrence involving a violation by the contractor will result in the assessment of a civil penalty by the commissioner, and the commissioner may deny
renewal, revoke, or suspend, for a period of not more than one year. A subsequent occurrence shall be treated as a first occurrence if the contractor has not committed a violation of the E-Verify requirement within the previous five years