(a) Whenever a contractor or subcontractor performing a public works project pursuant to this chapter is found by the Labor Commissioner to be in violation of this chapter with intent to defraud, the contractor or subcontractor or a firm, corporation, partnership, or association in which the contractor or subcontractor has any interest is ineligible for a period of not less than one year or more than three years to do either of the following:
(1) Bid on or be awarded a contract for a public works project.
(2) Perform work as a subcontractor on a public works project.
(b) Whenever a contractor or subcontractor performing a public works project pursuant to this chapter is found by the Labor Commissioner to have committed two or more separate willful violations of this chapter within a three-year period, the contractor or subcontractor or a firm, corporation, partnership, or association in which the contractor or subcontractor has any interest is ineligible for a period up to three years to do either of the following:
(1) Bid on or be awarded a contract for a public works project.
(2) Perform work as a subcontractor on a public works project.
(c) Whenever a contractor or subcontractor performing a public works project has failed to provide a timely response to a request by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, or the awarding body to produce certified payroll records pursuant to Section 1776, the Labor Commissioner shall notify the contractor or subcontractor that, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, the contractor or subcontractor will be subject to debarment under this section if the certified payroll records are not produced within 30 days after receipt of the written notice. If the commissioner finds that the contractor or subcontractor has failed to comply with Section 1776 by that deadline, unless the commissioner finds that the failure to comply was due to circumstances outside the contractor’s or subcontractor’s control, the contractor or subcontractor or a firm, corporation, partnership, or association in which the contractor or subcontractor has any interest is ineligible for a period of not less than one year and not more than three years to do either of the following:
(1) Bid on or be awarded a contract for a public works project.
(2) Perform work as a subcontractor on a public works project.
(d) (1) In the event a contractor or subcontractor is determined by the Labor Commissioner to have knowingly committed a serious violation of any provision of Section 1777.5, the Labor Commissioner may also deny to the contractor or subcontractor, and to its responsible officers, the right to bid on or to be awarded or perform work as a subcontractor on any public works contract for a period of up to one year for the first violation and for a period of up to three years for a second or subsequent violation. Each period of debarment shall run from the date the determination of noncompliance by the Labor Commissioner becomes a final order.
(2) The Labor Commissioner shall consider, in determining whether a violation is serious, and in determining whether and for how long a party should be debarred for violating Section 1777.5, all of the following circumstances:
(A) Whether the violation was intentional.
(B) Whether the party has committed other violations of Section 1777.5.
(C) Whether, upon notice of the violation, the party took steps to voluntarily remedy the violation.
(D) Whether, and to what extent, the violation resulted in lost training opportunities for apprentices.
(E) Whether, and to what extent, the violation otherwise harmed apprentices or apprenticeship programs.
(e) A willful violation occurs when the contractor or subcontractor knew or reasonably should have known of his or her obligations under the public works law and deliberately fails or deliberately refuses to comply with its provisions.
(f) The Labor Commissioner shall publish on the commissioner’s Internet Web site a list of contractors who are ineligible to bid on or be awarded a public works contract, or to perform work as a subcontractor on a public works project pursuant to this chapter. The list shall contain the name of the contractor, the Contractors’ State License Board license number of the contractor, and the effective period of debarment of the contractor. Contractors shall be added to the list upon issuance of a debarment order and the commissioner shall also notify the Contractors’ State License Board when the list is updated. At least annually, the commissioner shall notify awarding bodies of the availability of the list of debarred contractors. The commissioner shall also place advertisements in construction industry publications targeted to the contractors and subcontractors, chosen by the commissioner, that state the effective period of the debarment and the reason for debarment. The advertisements shall appear one time for each debarment of a contractor in each publication chosen by the commissioner. The debarred contractor or subcontractor shall be liable to the commissioner for the reasonable cost of the advertisements, not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000). The amount paid to the commissioner for the advertisements shall be credited against the contractor’s or subcontractor’s obligation to pay civil fines or penalties for the same willful violation of this chapter.
(g) For purposes of this section, “contractor or subcontractor” means a firm, corporation, partnership, or association and its responsible managing officer, as well as any supervisors, managers, and officers found by the Labor Commissioner to be personally and substantially responsible for the willful violation of this chapter.
(h) For the purposes of this section, the term “any interest” means an interest in the entity bidding or performing work on the public works project, whether as an owner, partner, officer, manager, employee, agent, consultant, or representative. “Any interest” includes, but is not limited to, all instances where the debarred contractor or subcontractor receives payments, whether cash or any other form of compensation, from any entity bidding or performing work on the public works project, or enters into any contracts or agreements with the entity bidding or performing work on the public works project for services performed or to be performed for contracts that have been or will be assigned or sublet, or for vehicles, tools, equipment, or supplies that have been or will be sold, rented, or leased during the period from the initiation of the debarment proceedings until the end of the term of the debarment period. “Any interest” does not include shares held in a publicly traded corporation if the shares were not received as compensation after the initiation of debarment from an entity bidding or performing work on a public works project.
(i) For the purposes of this section, the term “entity” is defined as a company, limited liability company, association, partnership, sole proprietorship, limited liability partnership, corporation, business trust, or organization.
(j) The Labor Commissioner shall adopt rules and regulations for the administration and enforcement of this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 297, Sec. 1. (AB 2744) Effective January 1, 2015.)