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H. 3659
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. J.H. Neal, Whipper, Anderson, J. Brown, Cobb-Hunter, M. Hines, Hosey, Mack, Parks and Rutherford
Document Path: l:\council\bills\bbm\10592mm05.doc
Introduced in the House on March 1, 2005
Currently residing in the House Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry
Summary: Living Wage Act
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
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3/1/2005 House Introduced and read first time HJ-4
3/1/2005 House Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry
HJ-5
View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SUBARTICLE 4 TO ARTICLE 5, CHAPTER 35, TITLE 11 SO AS TO ENACT THE SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING WAGE ACT, PROVIDE THAT A STATE CONTRACT FOR SERVICES MUST REQUIRE STATE CONTRACTORS TO PAY AN HOURLY WAGE RATE THAT IS AT LEAST THE LIVING WAGE, PROVIDE FOR THE AMOUNT OF THE INITIAL LIVING WAGE WITH AND WITHOUT INSURANCE BENEFITS, PROVIDE FOR WAIVERS OF THE REQUIREMENT OF PAYING A LIVING WAGE BASED ON ECONOMIC HARDSHIP, AND PROVIDE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THIS SUBARTICLE.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Article 5, Chapter 35, Title 11 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 11-35-1610. This act may be cited as the South Carolina Living Wage Act.
Section 11-35-1620. (A) The General Assembly finds that:
(1) the State of South Carolina awards contracts that result in the employment of thousands of individuals. Many of these individuals, employed indirectly by the State, receive subpoverty level wages;
(2) the creation or promotion of jobs that pay subpoverty level wages is short-sighted economic and social policy. These jobs do not lead to a self-sufficient work force or support sustainable community development. Instead, they increase the need for government services, such as public assistance for food, housing, health care, and childcare;
(3) the State is not an innocent bystander in the payment of subpoverty level wages. It is necessary and appropriate for the State to require that contractors working on state business pay at least a living wage.
(B) Recognizing that the State is a major contractor for services, this law is enacted to increase the wages of service employees who indirectly work for the State in order to improve public health and welfare, promote the economic strength of our society, and take pressure off state social service programs.
Section 11-35-1630. For purposes of this subarticle:
(1) 'Director' means the Director of the Division of General Services of the State Budget and Control Board or his designee.
(2) 'State' means the State of South Carolina or an agency, office, or instrumentality of state government including public schools, technical schools, colleges, and universities.
(3) 'State contractor' means a for-profit or not-for-profit entity that has a state contract.
(4) 'State contract' means:
(a) a contract for services with the State valued at one hundred thousand dollars or more; or
(b) a subcontract valued at twenty-five thousand dollars or more for providing part or all of the services covered by another entity's contract for services with the State valued at one hundred thousand dollars or more.
(5) 'Basic health insurance benefits' means an insurance plan where an employer pays one hundred percent of the premium for individual coverage or eighty percent of the premium for family coverage if the health insurance:
(a) covers at least eighty percent of the costs of office visits, emergency care, surgery, and prescriptions; and
(b) has an annual deductible of not more than one thousand dollars.
Section 11-35-1640. (A) A state contract for services must require state contractors to pay an hourly wage rate that is at least the living wage.
(B) During the duration of a state contract, a state contractor shall pay to each employee who is working on the state contract an hourly wage rate that is at least the living wage.
(C) If a state contract is subject to prevailing wage requirements under another law, the state contractor shall pay the living wage or the prevailing wage, whichever is higher.
Section 11-35-1650. (A) The initial living wage is ten dollars an hour without basic health insurance benefits or eight dollars fifty cents an hour with basic health insurance benefits.
(B) On July first of each year, the director shall adjust the living wage in direct proportion to any increase or decrease in the Consumer Price Index for the Southeastern Region of the United States, as reported by the United States Department of Labor, except that the hourly wage rate must not be set at less than ten dollars an hour without basic health insurance benefits or eight dollars fifty cents an hour with basic health insurance benefits.
Section 11-35-1660. (A) A not-for-profit entity that is subject to this subarticle may apply to the state agency that is responsible for the state contract for a waiver of the living wage requirement, based on economic hardship. The state agency may only grant a waiver after:
(1) a review of the not-for-profit entity's financial situation, including salary levels of the entity's management personnel; and
(2) a determination that the application of this section would cause an undue hardship to the entity's operation.
(B) A granted waiver of the living wage requirement must be renewed annually.
(C) The living wage does not apply to a trainee who is enrolled for less than six months in a job readiness or job training program run by a nonprofit entity.
(D) The living wage does not apply to an intern who is under twenty-one years of age, employed by a not-for-profit entity before or after school, or during the summer for a period not longer than three months.
(E) If a state agency responsible for a state contract determines that application of this section would conflict with a federal program requirement, this section does not apply to that contract.
Section 11-35-1670. (A) A state contractor may not discharge, demote, harass, or otherwise take adverse actions against an individual because the individual seeks to enforce this section, or testifies, assists, or participates in any manner in an investigation, hearing, or other proceeding to enforce this section.
(B) A state contractor may not split or subdivide a contract, pay an employee through a third party, or treat an employee as a subcontractor or independent contractor to avoid payment of a living wage.
(C) This section must be enforced by the General Services Division of the Budget and Control Board, which shall promulgate regulations necessary to implement and administer compliance with this subarticle. The regulations must include procedures to receive, investigate, and attempt to resolve complaints, and bring actions in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover appropriate relief for aggrieved employees.
(D) In an action under this section in which an employee prevails the:
(1) employee must be awarded monetary relief, including back pay in an amount equal to the difference between the employee's actual earnings and what the employee would have earned but for the employer's unlawful practices;
(2) employer is enjoined from continuing to underpay employees, and may be ordered to take additional affirmative steps as are necessary to ensure compliance with this section; and
(3) employer shall pay a reasonable attorney's fee, reasonable expert witness fees, and other costs of the action."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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