Bill: HB 48, 86(R) - 2019
Committee
House International Relations & Economic Development
Vote Recommendation
| Vote Recommendation |
Economic Freedom |
Property Rights |
Personal Responsibility |
Limited Government |
Individual Liberty |
| No |
Negative |
Neutral |
Neutral |
Negative |
Neutral |
Author(s)
Mary Gonzalez
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
HB48 would amend Subchapter D, Chapter 301 of the Labor Code by adding subsection 301.075 regarding wage theft. This section would order The Texas Workforce Commission to make available on it's website a publicly accessible list of all employers in this state
that have been:
(1) assessed an administrative penalty under Sect. 61.053;
(2) ordered to pay wages by a final order of the
commission and have failed to comply by paying the wages. The Commission would provide notice to the employers when the are placed on the list and establish a process by which employers may dispute their inclusion on the list. The employers would be listed for 3 years from the date on which the dispute is filed.
Vote Recommendation Notes
Texas Action opposes HB 48 because it violates the principles of the free market and limited government. We believe that this bill would increase the size and scope of government by creating a database of
employers who have had judgments against them. The government should not create a database for the purpose of publicly shaming these employers. The free market adequately
addresses this issue in a variety of ways including through crowd-sourced
review websites such as Yelp.
