Labor & Employment (Labor Standards)

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Feb 26, 2025

SB 321: An Act relating to transfers of operations, terminations of operations, mass layoffs and changes in control.

SB 321, the Mandatory Severance for Mass Layoffs Act, requires employers with 50+ employees to provide severance pay and advance notice when shutting down a facility, transferring operations, or laying off 50+ workers within 30 days. It mandates 90 days' notice (or federal requirements if longer) to employees, the state labor department, and local officials before such events. Severance pay equals one week of average pay per full year of employment, with an additional four weeks if notice is shorter than required. This applies to most full-time employees but excludes managers, temporary workers, and part-timers working under 20 hours weekly.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates severance pay (1 week avg pay/year) and 90-day notice for mass layoffs/shifts, directly protecting workers' financial security and rights during employment transitions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Unemployment

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 11, 2025

HB 884: An Act establishing the Four-Day Workweek Pilot Program; providing for tax credits to qualifying employers; and imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry and the Department of Revenue.

HB 884 establishes Pennsylvania's Four-Day Workweek Pilot Program, allowing private and public employers to test a four-day workweek for at least 30 employees without pay or benefit cuts. Employers participating must apply to the Department of Labor and Industry, submit a transition plan, and allow the department to study impacts through surveys. Qualifying employers receive tax credits of either $250,000 per business or $5,000 per participating employee, capped at $15 million total annually. The program requires the Department of Labor and Revenue to coordinate administration, study outcomes, and encourage public-sector adoption, with the pilot set to expire after its initial implementation period.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesProvides tax credits to qualifying employers ($250k/business or $5k/employee), reducing tax burden as state-funded incentive for pilot program.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEnsures no pay/benefit cuts for four-day workweek pilot, provides tax credits to incentivize adoption, directly protects worker compensation and supports flexible work standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy Labor Standards

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Feb 12, 2025

HB 560: An Act amending the act of December 17, 1959 (P.L.1913, No.694), known as the Equal Pay Law, providing for pay ranges.

HB 560 amends Pennsylvania's Equal Pay Law to require employers with 15 or more employees to disclose pay ranges for job postings and internal transfer or promotion opportunities. Specifically, employers must provide the pay range to job applicants when a position is advertised and to current employees considered for internal moves. The bill also mandates that employers give new hires and update annually in writing the pay range for the employee's job title and for substantially similar positions within the company. This amendment, which would take effect 60 days after enactment, aims to increase pay transparency under the existing Equal Pay Law.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates pay range disclosure to combat wage discrimination, strengthening equal pay protections for workers under Pennsylvania's Equal Pay Law.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Employment Discrimination Labor Standards

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Mar 21, 2025

SB 487: An Act providing for notification of wage theft and for protection for employees who report wage theft; imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry; establishing the Wage Theft Notification and Protection Restricted Account; and imposing penalties and other relief.

SB 487, the Wage Theft Notification and Protection Act, requires employers in Pennsylvania to provide employees with a plain-language summary of wage theft examples, reporting procedures, and anti-retaliation protections. Employers must post this summary visibly at workplaces or make it electronically accessible within 90 days of hiring or the law's effective date. The bill prohibits retaliation against employees who report wage theft and imposes $500 civil penalties for failing to provide the required notice or comply with posting rules. Funds from these penalties will support enforcement through a newly created Wage Theft Notification and Protection Restricted Account. The law directly affects employers across all sectors and strengthens protections for workers reporting unpaid wages under existing state labor laws.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires employer notification of wage theft rights, prohibits retaliation, imposes $500 penalties for non-compliance - directly protects workers' rights under Labor & Employment.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 26, 2025

HB 1056: An Act providing for criteria for independent contractors in the traveling sales industry and for the powers and duties of the Department of Labor and Industry; and imposing penalties.

HB 1056 requires employers in Pennsylvania’s traveling sales industry (groups selling goods/services door-to-door or in public places) to classify workers as employees - not independent contractors - unless specific conditions are met. It mandates employer registration with the Department of Labor and Industry, prohibits misclassification for benefits like workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, and imposes fines for violations. The bill directly affects businesses employing traveling sales crews, with penalties including administrative fines and potential stop-work orders for noncompliance. Key provisions include mandatory registration, proof of employee status, and prohibitions against retaliation for workers reporting violations.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentPrevents misclassification of traveling sales workers as contractors, ensuring access to workers' comp/unemployment benefits and imposing penalties for violations.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy Labor Standards Unemployment

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Feb 24, 2025

HB 715: An Act amending the act of January 17, 1968 (P.L.11, No.5), known as The Minimum Wage Act of 1968, further providing for penalties.

HB 715 amends Pennsylvania's Minimum Wage Act of 1968 to increase penalties for employers who pay workers below the required minimum wage. It reclassifies violations based on the number of offenses and the total unpaid wages: under $150 for a first offense is a summary offense, while over $150 for a first or second offense becomes a misdemeanor, and third or subsequent offenses are felonies. The bill also establishes that each week an employee is underpaid and each affected employee counts as a separate offense, making penalties more severe for repeated violations. Employers cannot avoid liability by having employees agree to work for less than the minimum wage.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill increases penalties for wage theft under PA's Minimum Wage Act, strengthening enforcement and protecting workers' rights to receive mandated wages.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Minimum Wage

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Feb 24, 2025

HB 718: An Act amending the act of July 14, 1961 (P.L.637, No.329), known as the Wage Payment and Collection Law, further providing for definitions; providing for duty of department to report and for investigations; further providing for civil remedies and penalties, for liquidated damages and for criminal penalties; providing for employer liability; and establishing the Wage Enforcement Fund.

HB 718 amends Pennsylvania's Wage Payment and Collection Law to strengthen wage enforcement, directly affecting employers (including state/local governments, corporations, and contractors) and workers owed unpaid wages. It requires the Department of Labor to collect quarterly data on wage violations, fines, unpaid wages, and complaint resolution, then submit semiannual reports to lawmakers and post them publicly. The bill mandates quarterly investigations of "high-violation industries" (those with 25+ violations in two years) and updates penalties to $2,000 per violation or triple unpaid wages, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees. Employers failing to pay within 10 days of notice face these penalties, with each week of underpayment counted as a separate violation.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentStrengthens wage enforcement via mandatory quarterly violation reports, high-violation industry investigations, and a Wage Enforcement Fund to protect workers owed unpaid wages.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Minimum Wage

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 4, 2025

HB 805: An Act amending the the act of October 24, 2012 (P.L.1209, No.151), known as the Child Labor Act, further providing for administration and for penalties.

HB 805 amends Pennsylvania's Child Labor Act to strengthen oversight of child labor enforcement. It requires the Department of Labor and Industry to submit an annual report to the General Assembly by April 1, detailing complaints, violations (including by industry and county), and specific data on cases involving unaccompanied alien minors released by federal authorities. The bill also clarifies that knowingly employing minors without proper care is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by fines up to $5,000 or up to two years in jail per violation. Additionally, it mandates cross-reporting to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for suspected immigration violations and to Human Services for child abuse concerns during investigations.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentStrengthens child labor enforcement, requires annual reports on violations, and increases penalties for employing minors without care, protecting minor workers' rights.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Child Labor Labor Standards

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Mar 17, 2025

HB 933: An Act amending the act of October 13, 2010 (P.L.506, No.72), known as the Construction Workplace Misclassification Act, further providing for improper classification of employees, for administrative penalties, for stop-work orders, for certain agreement prohibited and for use of penalty funds.

HB 933 increases penalties for construction employers who misclassify workers as independent contractors, raising fines to $2,500 for a first violation and $5,000 for subsequent violations. It expands accountability to include general contractors and other parties who knowingly contract with employers that misclassify workers, subjecting them to the same penalties. The bill also adds a three-year ban on public contracts for intentional violators and clarifies that stop-work orders can require construction to halt within 24 hours for intentional misclassification, applying to successor businesses.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentIncreases penalties for misclassifying workers as contractors, expands accountability to contractors, and bans violators from public contracts - strengthening worker protections against wage theft and benefit denial.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Gig Economy Labor Standards

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Apr 23, 2025

HB 1292: An Act amending Title 64 (Public Authorities and Quasi-Public Corporations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, further providing for grant applications and process.

HB 1292 requires broadband grant programs under Pennsylvania's Broadband Development Authority to comply with the state's prevailing wage law. It mandates that grant materials include prevailing wage requirements and directs the Department of Labor to create new wage classifications specifically for broadband infrastructure workers, such as teledata linemen, groundmen, and cable splicers. The department must set fair wages based on federal standards and include labor market surveys to determine rates. This affects broadband project funders and contractors receiving state grants, ensuring workers on these projects earn locally established fair wages.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires prevailing wages for broadband workers, mandates new wage classifications based on federal standards, protecting workers' earnings per labor standards.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill mandates prevailing wages for broadband infrastructure workers to expand grant-funded broadband access, directly advancing internet infrastructure development per topic description.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Broadband Access

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