Farm labor contractors: surety bonds.

The bill was reformatted from a printed legislative document with line numbers, page headers/footers, and traditional layout into a clean web-based text format suitable for online publication on the California legislature website.

Website navigation elements were added, including links for accessibility, FAQ, feedback, sitemap, bill tracking, favorites, version comparison, and sharing options.

A 'Digest Key' section was added to the web version providing a structured summary of vote requirement, appropriation status, fiscal committee review, and local program designation.

New civil penalty structure in Section 1683: first citation is $100 per farmworker plus $100 per day (max $10,000), second citation is $200 per farmworker plus $200 per day (max $20,000), third or subsequent citation is $500 per farmworker plus $500 per day (max $50,000). Penalties are deposited into the Farmworker Remedial Account and are in addition to any other penalty provided by law.

Section 1697.25 was deleted entirely. This section would have required the Labor Commissioner to issue a default order, decision, or award in the amount stated in the notice when a grower, farm labor contractor, or person acting as one fails to appear or answer within the time allowed after a complaint is filed, with an appeal right under Section 98.2.

The surety bond requirement in Section 1684 no longer distinguishes between foreign labor contractors (who previously paid lower bonds of $25,000/$50,000/$75,000) and non-foreign labor contractors. All farm labor contractors now face the higher bond tiers: $50,000 for gross receipts up to $500,000, $100,000 for $500,000 to $2,000,000, and $150,000 for over $2,000,000.

New provision requiring that bond amounts be deposited when a farm labor contractor first registers or files the application for their first annual renewal, clarifying the timing of the bond deposit obligation.

The bill now amends both Section 1683 and Section 1684 of the Labor Code (previously only Section 1684 was amended and Section 1697.25 was added). The scope shifted from adding a new default-judgment mechanism to strengthening penalty enforcement for existing violations.

The state-mandated local program designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' meaning the bill now acknowledges it imposes costs on local agencies or school districts that may require reimbursement under Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

Section 1697.25(a) now references 'subdivision (f) of Section 98' specifically rather than just 'Section 98,' narrowing the trigger for default orders when a grower or farm labor contractor fails to appear after a complaint.

Multiple typo corrections were made, including removing a duplicated 'of' in the bill title ('Section 1684 of of' to 'Section 1684 of'), removing a duplicated word 'regulations regulations,' and cleaning up the legislative counsel digest heading.

New Section 1697.25 added to the Labor Code: if a grower, farm labor contractor, or person acting as one fails to appear or answer within the time allowed after a complaint is filed under Section 98, the Labor Commissioner must issue an order, decision, or award in the amount stated in the notice. The order may be appealed under Section 98.2.

The bill now amends Section 1684 AND adds new Section 1697.25 to the Labor Code, expanding its scope beyond just surety bond provisions to include default judgment authority in wage complaint proceedings.

New application requirement (subparagraph G): applicants must submit their certificate of registration as a farm labor contractor with the United States Department of Labor.

New application requirement (subparagraph E): applicants must disclose whether any financially interested person owes unpaid wages, has unpaid judgments, liens, unsatisfied sanctions or contempt orders, pending court suits, or owes payroll taxes, income taxes, social security taxes, or disability insurance. If yes, additional details including amounts owed and payment arrangements are required.

New application requirement (subparagraph F): applicants must disclose whether any financially interested person has ever been charged, cited, or assessed a penalty for a Labor Code or federal labor law violation, including citation dates, nature, penalty amounts, disposition, appeal details, and payment status.

Surety bond basis changed from annual payroll for all employees to annual gross receipts from operations as a farm labor contractor. For contractors registered as foreign labor contractors, the tier amounts remain $25,000 / $50,000 / $75,000 but are now measured by gross receipts. For those not registered as foreign labor contractors, bond amounts are doubled to $50,000 / $100,000 / $150,000 based on gross receipts.

Fiscal note changed from 'State-mandated local program: no' to 'yes,' indicating the amended bill now imposes costs on local agencies that trigger state reimbursement obligations under the California Constitution.

New requirement that the Labor Commissioner include bond information on the public farm labor contractor license database, including bond number, effective and expiration dates, bond size, and surety company contact information for all active bonds and for the previous five years.

New requirement that the Labor Commissioner disclose information about the availability of the surety bond and the process to access it to any worker who has filed a claim against a farm labor contractor during conferences and hearings.