Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Wage-theft civil remedy fails in committee after contested testimony from workers and business groups
Summary
Senate Bill 600 would have created a civil remedy for unpaid wages, required prompt payment within two days of separation and a penalty up to $1,000. After testimony from worker advocates and Marshallese community witnesses and opposition from business groups, a motion to pass failed for lack of a second.
Senate Bill 600, introduced by Senator Greg Letting, sought to create a civil pathway for workers to recover unpaid wages commonly described in testimony as "wage theft." Letting told the committee the bill would require employers to pay any wages earned within two days of separation and authorize penalties up to $1,000 for failure to do so.
Supporters who testified included Mike Karsis, a board member with the Center for the Workers and Their Rights and an employment-law attorney, who described a pattern of misclassification, unpaid overtime and administrative delays…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
