The North Carolina House vote on legislation to stiffen the rules and penalties for employee misclassification, originally scheduled for Aug. 10, has been deferred until today (Wednesday, Aug. 12), according to the NC General Assembly website.
Several business associations and trade groups have been lobbying for the bill.
“Employer misclassification and payroll fraud are growing problems that provide an unfair advantage to unscrupulous businesses over law-abiding businesses,” the North Carolina Plumbing and Mechanical Association (NCPMA) said in its call-to-action. “These are not honest mistakes but business practices that fraudulently misclassify employees as independent contractors in order to save costs and win contract bids unlawfully. This practice hurts workers and honest businesses, and costs the state millions of dollars.”