(a) If the Labor Commissioner or his or her designee determines after an investigation that a contractor or subcontractor failed to use a skilled and trained workforce in accordance with this chapter, the contractor or subcontractor responsible for the violation shall forfeit, as a civil penalty to the state, not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) per month of work performed in violation of this chapter. A contractor or subcontractor that commits a second or subsequent violation within a three-year period shall forfeit as a civil penalty to the state the sum of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per month of work performed in violation of this chapter.

(b) For the purposes of this section:

(1) “Any interest” shall have the same meaning as in subdivision (h) of Section 1777.1 of the Labor Code.

(2) “Contractor or subcontractor” shall have the same meaning as in subdivision (g) of Section 1777.1 of the Labor Code.

(3) “Entity” shall have the same meaning as in subdivision (i) of Section 1777.1 of the Labor Code.

(c) The amount of any monetary penalty may be reduced or waived by the Labor Commissioner if the amount of the penalty would be disproportionate to the severity of the violation. The Labor Commissioner shall consider, in setting the amount of a monetary penalty, all of the following circumstances:

(1) Whether the violation was intentional.

(2) Whether the contractor or subcontractor has committed other violations of this chapter or of the Labor Code.

(3) Whether, upon notice of the violation, the contractor or subcontractor took steps to voluntarily remedy the violation.

(4) The extent or severity of the violation.

(5) Whether a contractor or subcontractor submitted and followed a plan to achieve substantial compliance with this chapter.

(d) The Labor Commissioner or his or her designee shall issue a civil wage and penalty assessment, in accordance with the provisions of Section 1741 of the Labor Code, upon determination of penalties assessed under subdivision (a). Review of a civil wage and penalty assessment issued under this subdivision may be requested in accordance with the provisions of Section 1742 of the Labor Code. The regulations of the Director of Industrial Relations, which govern proceedings for review of civil wage and penalty assessments and the withholding of contract payments under Article 1 (commencing with Section 1720) and Article 2 (commencing with Section 1770) of Chapter 1 of Part 7 of Division 2 of the Labor Code, shall apply.

(e) The determination of the Labor Commissioner as to the amount of the penalty imposed under subdivision (a) shall be reviewable by the Director of Industrial Relations only for an abuse of discretion.

(f) If a subcontractor is found to have violated this chapter, the prime contractor of the project is not liable for any penalties under subdivision (a) unless the prime contractor had knowledge of the subcontractor’s failure to comply with this chapter or unless the prime contractor fails to comply with any of the following requirements:

(1) For contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2019, the contract executed between the contractor and the subcontractor for the performance of work on the project shall include a copy of this chapter.

(2) The contractor shall periodically monitor the subcontractor’s use of a skilled and trained workforce.

(3) Upon becoming aware of a failure of the subcontractor to use a skilled and trained workforce, the contractor shall take corrective action, including, but not limited to, retaining 150 percent of the amount due to the subcontractor for work performed on the project until the failure is corrected.

(4) Prior to making the final payment to the subcontractor for work performed on the project, the contractor shall obtain a declaration signed under penalty of perjury from the subcontractor that the subcontractor has met the requirements of this chapter.

(g) The Labor Commissioner shall notify the prime contractor within 15 days of the receipt by the Labor Commissioner of a complaint that a subcontractor violated this chapter.

(h) Whenever a contractor or subcontractor is found by the Labor Commissioner to be in violation of this chapter with intent to defraud, the contractor or subcontractor or a firm, corporation, partnership, or association in which the contractor or subcontractor has any interest is ineligible for a period of not less than one year or more than three years to do either of the following:

(1) Bid on or be awarded a contract for a public works project.

(2) Perform work as a subcontractor on a public works project.

(i) Whenever a contractor or subcontractor is found by the Labor Commissioner to have committed two or more separate willful violations of this chapter within a three-year period, the contractor or subcontractor or a firm, corporation, partnership, or association in which the contractor or subcontractor has any interest is ineligible for a period of up to three years to do either of the following:

(1) Bid on or be awarded a contract for a public works project.

(2) Perform work as a subcontractor on a public works project.

(j) The debarment procedures adopted by the Labor Commissioner pursuant to Section 1777.1 of the Labor Code shall apply to any finding made under subdivisions (h) or (i) of this section.

(k) The Labor Commissioner shall publish on the commissioner’s Internet Web site a list of contractors who are ineligible to bid on or be awarded a public works contract, or to perform work as a subcontractor on a public works project pursuant to this section. The list shall contain the name of the contractor, the Contractors’ State License Board license number of the contractor, and the effective period of debarment of the contractor. Contractors shall be added to the list upon issuance of a debarment order and the commissioner shall also notify the Contractors’ State License Board when the list is updated. At least annually, the commissioner shall notify awarding bodies of the availability of the list of debarred contractors.

(l) (1) If a public entity or awarding body that is required to obtain an enforceable commitment that a skilled and trained workforce will be used to complete a contract or project receives a monthly report which does not demonstrate compliance with the skilled and trained workforce requirements of subdivision (c) of Section 10506.6, Section 10506.8, Section 10506.9, or subdivision (c) of Section 20928.2 of this code, Article 9 (commencing with Section 388) of Chapter 2.3 of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code, or subparagraph (B) of paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 65913.4 or subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (f) of Section 66201 of the Government Code, the public entity or awarding body shall forward a copy of the monthly report to the Labor Commissioner for issuance of a civil wage and penalty assessment in accordance with this section.

(2) The penalty and debarment procedures of this section shall apply to violations of subdivision (c) of Section 10506.6, Section 10506.8, Section 10506.9, or subdivision (c) of Section 20928.2 of this code, Article 9 (commencing with Section 388) of Chapter 2.3 of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code, or subparagraph (B) of paragraph (8) of subdivision (a) of Section 65913.4 or subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (f) of Section 66201 of the Government Code.

(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 882, Sec. 3. (AB 3018) Effective January 1, 2019.)