SB 560, Monning. Licensing boards: unemployment insurance.
(1) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations and creates boards, commissions, and bureaus, among other entities, in the Department of Consumer Affairs to this end. The State Bar Act provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California. Existing law requires a licensing board, as defined, including the State Bar, to provide specified personal information regarding licensees to the Franchise Tax Board in a prescribed form and at a time the Franchise Tax Board may require. Existing law creates within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency the Employment Development Department, which administers the unemployment compensation program.
This bill would additionally require a licensing board to submit personal information regarding licensees, described above, to the Employment Development Department.
(2) The Contractors’ State License Law provides for the licensure and regulation of contractors by the Contractors’ State License Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The act establishes an enforcement division within the board that is required to enforce prohibitions against all forms of unlicensed activity, as specified.
This bill would authorize the enforcement division to additionally enforce the obligation to secure the payment of valid and current workers’ compensation insurance, as specified.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 30 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:
(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, any board, as defined in Section 22, and the State Bar and the Bureau of Real Estate shall, at the time of issuance of the license, require that the applicant provide its federal employer identification number, if the applicant is a partnership, or the applicant’s social security number for all other applicants.
(2) No later than January 1, 2016, in accordance with Section 135.5, a board, as defined in Section 22, and the State Bar and the Bureau of Real Estate shall require either the individual taxpayer identification number or social security number if the applicant is an individual for purposes of this subdivision.
(b) A licensee failing to provide the federal employer identification number, or the individual taxpayer identification number or social security number shall be reported by the licensing board to the Franchise Tax Board. If the licensee fails to provide that information after notification pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 19528 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, the licensee shall be subject to the penalty provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 19528 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
(c) In addition to the penalty specified in subdivision (b), a licensing board shall not process an application for an initial license unless the applicant provides its federal employer identification number, or individual taxpayer identification number or social security number where requested on the application.
(d) A licensing board shall, upon request of the Franchise Tax Board or the Employment Development Department, furnish to the board or the department, as applicable, the following information with respect to every licensee:
(1) Name.
(2) Address or addresses of record.
(3) Federal employer identification number if the licensee is a partnership, or the licensee’s individual taxpayer identification number or social security number for all other licensees.
(4) Type of license.
(5) Effective date of license or a renewal.
(6) Expiration date of license.
(7) Whether license is active or inactive, if known.
(8) Whether license is new or a renewal.
(e) For the purposes of this section:
(1) “Licensee” means a person or entity, other than a corporation, authorized by a license, certificate, registration, or other means to engage in a business or profession regulated by this code or referred to in Section 1000 or 3600.
(2) “License” includes a certificate, registration, or any other authorization needed to engage in a business or profession regulated by this code or referred to in Section 1000 or 3600.
(3) “Licensing board” means any board, as defined in Section 22, the State Bar, and the Bureau of Real Estate.
(f) The reports required under this section shall be filed on magnetic media or in other machine-readable form, according to standards furnished by the Franchise Tax Board or the Employment Development Department, as applicable.
(g) Licensing boards shall provide to the Franchise Tax Board or the Employment Development Department the information required by this section at a time that the board or the department, as applicable, may require.
(h) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, a federal employer identification number, individual taxpayer identification number, or social security number furnished pursuant to this section shall not be deemed to be a public record and shall not be open to the public for inspection.
(i) A deputy, agent, clerk, officer, or employee of a licensing board described in subdivision (a), or any former officer or employee or other individual who, in the course of his or her employment or duty, has or has had access to the information required to be furnished under this section, shall not disclose or make known in any manner that information, except as provided in this section to the Franchise Tax Board or the Employment Development Department or as provided in subdivision (k).
(j) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section to utilize the federal employer identification number, individual taxpayer identification number, or social security number for the purpose of establishing the identification of persons affected by state tax laws and for purposes of compliance with Section 17520 of the Family Code and, to that end, the information furnished pursuant to this section shall be used exclusively for those purposes.
(k) If the board utilizes a national examination to issue a license, and if a reciprocity agreement or comity exists between the State of California and the state requesting release of the individual taxpayer identification number or social security number, any deputy, agent, clerk, officer, or employee of any licensing board described in subdivision (a) may release an individual taxpayer identification number or social security number to an examination or licensing entity, only for the purpose of verification of licensure or examination status.
(l) For the purposes of enforcement of Section 17520 of the Family Code, and notwithstanding any other law, a board, as defined in Section 22, and the State Bar and the Bureau of Real Estate shall at the time of issuance of the license require that each licensee provide the individual taxpayer identification number or social security number of each individual listed on the license and any person who qualifies for the license. For the purposes of this subdivision, “licensee” means an entity that is issued a license by any board, as defined in Section 22, the State Bar, the Bureau of Real Estate, and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Section 7011.4 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:
(a) Notwithstanding Section 7011, there is in the Contractors’ State License Board, a separate enforcement division that shall rigorously enforce this chapter prohibiting all forms of unlicensed activity and shall enforce the obligation to secure the payment of valid and current workers’ compensation insurance in accordance with Section 3700.5 of the Labor Code.
(b) Persons employed as enforcement representatives of the Contractors’ State License Board and designated by the Director of Consumer Affairs shall have the authority to issue a written notice to appear in court pursuant to Chapter 5C (commencing with Section 853.5) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code. An employee so designated is not a peace officer and is not entitled to safety member retirement benefits as a result of that designation. He or she does not have the power of arrest.
(c) When participating in the activities of the Joint Enforcement Strike Force on the Underground Economy pursuant to Section 329 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, the enforcement division shall have free access to all places of labor.
Section 7125.4 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:
(a) The filing of the exemption certificate prescribed by this article that is false, or the employment of a person subject to coverage under the workers’ compensation laws after the filing of an exemption certificate without first filing a Certificate of Workers’ Compensation Insurance or Certification of Self-Insurance in accordance with the provisions of this article, or the employment of a person subject to coverage under the workers’ compensation laws without maintaining coverage for that person, constitutes cause for disciplinary action.
(b) Any qualifier for a license who, under Section 7068.1, is responsible for assuring that a licensee complies with the provisions of this chapter is also guilty of a misdemeanor for committing or failing to prevent the commission of any of the acts that are cause for disciplinary action under this section.
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