Florida Senate - 2011                                     SB 982
       
       
       
       By Senator Norman
       
       
       
       
       12-00534-11                                            2011982__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to wage protection for employees;
    3         providing for a short title; providing legislative
    4         findings; prohibiting a county, municipality, or
    5         political subdivision of the state from adopting a
    6         wage theft ordinance or regulation that exceeds
    7         certain state and federal laws; preempting such
    8         activities to the state; providing an effective date.
    9  
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Florida Wage
   13  Protection Act.”
   14         Section 2. Wage protection; preemption.—
   15         (1) The Legislature finds as a matter of public policy that
   16  it is necessary to declare the theft of wages and the denial of
   17  fair compensation for work completed to be against the laws and
   18  policies of this state.
   19         (2) Employers and employees alike benefit from consistent
   20  and established standards of wage theft regulation. Existing
   21  federal and state laws, including the Federal Fair Labor
   22  Standards Act; the Davis-Bacon Act; the McNamara-O’Hara Service
   23  Contract Act; the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Protection
   24  Act; the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act; the
   25  Copeland “Anti-Kickback” Act; chapter 448, Florida Statutes; and
   26  Section 24, Article X of the State Constitution, seek to protect
   27  employees from predatory and unfair wage practices while also
   28  providing appropriate due process to employers.
   29         (3) Any additional wage theft ordinance or regulation that
   30  exceeds the designated state and federal laws is explicitly
   31  preempted to the state. A county, municipality, or political
   32  subdivision of the state may not adopt or maintain in effect any
   33  law, ordinance, or rule that creates requirements, regulations,
   34  or processes for the purpose of addressing wage theft.
   35         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.