SB 909: Public works.
The bill aims to amend labor laws related to public works. It would exempt the director of the department of industrial relations from the administrative procedure act and remove the $800 fee limit for registration and renewal fees. The fees would be adjusted annually, and the director would no longer need to publish them online. The bill would increase penalties for contractors and subcontractors who fail to pay prevailing wages or keep accurate payroll records. The increased penalties would fund the state public works enforcement fund, which would be used to cover the costs of administering registration with the department of industrial relations. The bill would also require 50% of all penalties received to be deposited into the state public works enforcement fund. This fund would be used to support the enforcement of labor laws related to public works.
| Aug. 31, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 6 p.m. |
| Aug. 26, 2026 | Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 9.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 65. Noes 8. Page 6493.) Ordered to the Senate. |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending. |
| Aug. 25, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. |
| Enrolled August 28, 2026 |
| Passed IN Senate August 26, 2026 |
| Passed IN Assembly August 25, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly August 17, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly August 13, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate May 14, 2026 |
| Introduced by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas |
January 26, 2026 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:SEC. 2.
Section 1725.5 of the Labor Code, as amended by Section 22 of Chapter 52 of the Statutes of 2024, is amended to read:1725.5.
A contractor shall be registered pursuant to this section to be qualified to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal, subject to the requirements of Section 4104 of the Public Contract Code, or engage in the performance of any public work contract that is subject to the requirements of this chapter. For the purposes of this section, “contractor” includes a subcontractor as defined by Section 1722.1.SEC. 3.
Section 1771.3 of the Labor Code is amended to read:1771.3.
(a) The State Public Works Enforcement Fund is hereby created as a special fund in the State Treasury to be available upon appropriation of the Legislature. All registration fees collected pursuant to Sections 1725.5 and 1725.6 and any other moneys as are designated by statute or order shall be deposited in the fund for the purposes specified in subdivision (b).SEC. 4.
Section 1775 of the Labor Code is amended to read:1775.
(a) (1) The contractor and any subcontractor under the contractor shall, as a penalty to the state or political subdivision on whose behalf the contract is made or awarded, forfeit not more than two hundred eighty dollars ($280) for each calendar day, or portion thereof, for each worker paid less than the prevailing wage rates as determined by the director for the work or craft in which the worker is employed for any public work done under the contract by the contractor or, except as provided in subdivision (b), by any subcontractor under the contractor.SEC. 5.
Section 1776 of the Labor Code is amended to read:1776.
(a) Each contractor and subcontractor shall keep accurate payroll records, showing the name, address, social security number, work classification, straight time and overtime hours worked each day and week, and the actual per diem wages paid to each journeyman, apprentice, worker, or other employee employed by the contractor or subcontractor in connection with the public work. Each payroll record shall contain or be verified by a written declaration that it is made under penalty of perjury, stating both of the following:SEC. 6.
Section 1777.7 of the Labor Code is amended to read:1777.7.
(a) (1) If the Labor Commissioner or their designee determines after an investigation that a contractor or subcontractor knowingly violated Section 1777.5, the contractor and any subcontractor responsible for the violation shall forfeit, as a civil penalty to the state or political subdivision on whose behalf the contract is made or awarded, not more than one hundred forty dollars ($140) for each full calendar day of noncompliance. The amount of this penalty may be reduced by the Labor Commissioner if the amount of the penalty would be disproportionate to the severity of the violation. A contractor or subcontractor that knowingly commits a second or subsequent violation within a three-year period, if the noncompliance results in apprenticeship training not being provided as required by this chapter, shall forfeit as a civil penalty the sum of not more than four hundred twenty dollars ($420) for each full calendar day of noncompliance.SEC. 7.
Section 2603 of the Public Contract Code is amended to read:2603.
(a) If the Labor Commissioner or their designee determines after an investigation that a contractor or subcontractor failed to use a skilled and trained workforce in accordance with this chapter, the contractor or subcontractor responsible for the violation shall forfeit, as a civil penalty, not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) per month of work performed in violation of this chapter. A contractor or subcontractor that commits a second or subsequent violation within a three-year period shall forfeit as a civil penalty, the sum of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per month of work performed in violation of this chapter.