(a) Any contractor who violates any provision of this article is, for the first offense, guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $1,000; for the second offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000; for the third or any subsequent offense within the preceding five years , the person is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $5,000 nor more than $25,000 and the contractor shall be excluded from bidding any additional new public improvement projects for a period of one year.
(b) Any person who directly or indirectly aids, requests or authorizes any other person to violate any of the provisions of this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $50 nor more than $250.