Makes construction contractors civilly liable and/or jointly civilly liable for any claims of wage theft or nonpayment from an employee against the contractor, its subcontractors and any subcontractor.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would change how responsibility is assigned when construction workers don't receive the wages they are owed. Under current law, if a subcontractor fails to pay its workers, those workers may have difficulty collecting what they're owed if the subcontractor has limited resources or goes out of business. This bill would allow workers to also hold the general contractor (the main company overseeing a construction project) legally responsible for unpaid wages, even if the wage theft was committed by a subcontractor further down the chain.

The bill creates what's called "joint liability," meaning that a worker who wasn't paid could pursue a claim against the general contractor, the subcontractor who hired them, or both at the same time. The general contractor would essentially share responsibility for making sure all workers on their job site — including those hired through subcontractors — receive their proper pay. This gives workers more options and a better chance of actually recovering their unpaid wages.

This bill primarily affects construction workers, general contractors, and subcontractors in Rhode Island. Workers who experience wage theft would have stronger legal protections, while general contractors would take on greater responsibility for the payroll practices of the subcontractors they hire. This may encourage general contractors to more carefully screen and monitor the companies they work with.

The bill was introduced in the Rhode Island House and referred to the House Labor Committee. As of now, the committee has recommended holding it for further study, meaning it has not yet moved forward toward a vote.