Bill: SB 462, 85(R) - 2017
Committee
Senate Natural Resources & Economic Development
Vote Recommendation
| Vote Recommendation |
Economic Freedom |
Property Rights |
Personal Responsibility |
Limited Government |
Individual Liberty |
| No |
Negative |
Neutral |
Neutral |
Negative |
Neutral |
Author(s)
Sylvia Garcia
Co-Author(s)
José RodrÃguez
Bill Caption
Relating to a database of employers penalized for failure to pay
wages or convicted of certain offenses involving wage theft.
Fiscal Notes
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Bill Analysis
Under current law, an employer that acts in bad faith, fails to pay wages, or commits service theft is subject to administrative penalties and compulsory wage payment. SB 462 would require the Texas Workforce Commission to publish, on its public website, a database containing the company names, owner names, and violations of all businesses that have been subject to the aforementioned charges in the past three years. Employers would be given notice before placement on the public list and procedures would be put in place for an employer to dispute their presence on the list.
Vote Recommendation Notes
This bill would infringe on the principles of limited government and the free market because it is not the proper role of government to keep a "naughty list" of businesses that have had these violations. The private sector already has mechanisms for gathering and publishing this information. Internet review sites, the Better Business Bureau, and social media campaigns all act as a private, grassroots response to bad businesses. No government action in this area is necessary or desirable. For these reasons, we oppose SB 462.
