SENATE, No. 2909

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

217th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED JANUARY 10, 2017

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  BRIAN P. STACK

District 33 (Hudson)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Regulates temporary help service firms as employment agencies; expands civil rights protections of certain job seekers.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

 


An Act regulating temporary help service firms and amending P.L.1989, c.331 and P.L.1981, c.1.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    Section 1 of P.L.1989, c.331 (C.34:8-43) is amended to read as follows:

     1.    As used in this act:

     "Accepting employment" means that a job seeker has entered into an agreement with an employer which includes:

     (1)   The terms and conditions of employment;

     (2)   The salary or wages and any benefits to be paid to the job seeker as compensation for employment; and

     (3)   The date, time and place employment will commence.

     "A career consulting or outplacement organization" means any person, required to be registered under section 24 of this act, providing or rendering services, with or without related products, in connection with advice, instruction, analysis, recommendation or assistance concerning past, present, or future employment or compensation for an individual's time, labor or effort. 

     "Agent" means any individual who performs any function or activity for or on behalf of any person, the purpose of which is to provide services or products to individuals seeking employment, career guidance or counseling, or employment related services or products. 

     "Applicant" means any person applying for licensing or registration under this act.

     "Attorney General" means the Attorney General of this State or a designee.

     "Baby sitter" means and includes any individual under 16 years of age, other than a registered nurse or a licensed nurse, entrusted temporarily with the care of children during the absence of their parents, guardians, or individuals standing in loco parentis to them.  This definition shall not include persons regularly employed by agencies, or institutions operated by or under the control or supervision of this State, or any of its political subdivisions, nor any child care facilities operated for the care of children when the facilities are similarly controlled or supervised. 

     "Booking agency" means any person who procures, offers, promises, or attempts to procure employment for performing artists, or athletes, not under the jurisdiction of the Athletic Control Board, and who collects a fee for providing those services.

     "Bureau" means the Bureau of Employment and Personnel Services in the Division of Consumer Affairs within the Department of Law and Public Safety created pursuant to section 2 of this act.

     "Career counseling service" means any business that, through its agents or otherwise, procures or represents itself as procuring employment or employment assistance or advertises in any manner the following services for a fee: career counseling; vocational guidance; aptitude, achievement or vocational testing; executive consulting; personnel consulting; career management, evaluation, or planning; the development of resumes and other promotional materials relating to the preparation for employment; or referral services relating to employment or employment qualifications.  A career counseling service shall be licensed as an employment agency pursuant to the provisions of this act.  A career counseling service shall not include career consulting or outplacement organizations required to be registered under section 24 of this act. 

     "Chief" means the Chief of the Bureau of Employment and Personnel Services.

     "Consulting firm" means any person required to be registered under section 23 of this act that:

     (1)   Identifies, appraises, refers or recommends individuals to be considered for employment by the employer; and

     (2)   Is compensated for services solely by payments from the employer and is not, in any instance, compensated, directly or indirectly, by an individual who is identified, appraised, referred or recommended.

     "Director" means the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety, or his designee.

     "Employer" means a person seeking to obtain individuals to perform services, tasks, or labor for which a salary, wage, or other compensation or benefits are to be paid.

     "Employment agency" means any person who, for a fee, charge or commission:

     (1)   Procures or obtains, or offers, promises or attempts to procure, obtain, or assist in procuring or obtaining employment for a job seeker or employees for an employer; or

     (2)   Supplies job seekers to employers seeking employees on a part-time or temporary assignment basis [who has not filed notification with the Attorney General pursuant to the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1981, c.1 (C.56:8-1.1)]; or

     (3)   Procures, obtains, offers, promises or attempts to procure or obtain employment or engagements for actors, actresses, performing artists, vocalists, musicians or models; or

     (4)   Acts as a placement firm, career counseling service, or resume service; or

     (5)   Acts as a nurses' registry.

     The director shall have the authority to determine, from time to time, that a particular employment agency or career-related service or product, not otherwise expressly subject to the provisions of this act, is subject to whichever requirements of this act he deems appropriate. 

     "Fee, charge or commission" means any payment of money, or promise to pay money to a person in consideration for performance of any service for which licensure or registration is required by this act, or the excess of money received by a person furnishing employment or job seekers over what he has paid for transportation, transfer of baggage or lodging for a job seeker. "Fee, charge or commission" shall also include the difference between the amount of money received by any person who either furnishes job seekers or performers for any entertainment, exhibition or performance, or who furnishes baby sitters for any occasion, and the amount paid by the person to the job seekers, performers or baby sitters. 

     "Job listing service" means any person required to be registered under section 25 of this act who, by advertisement or other means, offers to provide job seekers with a list of employers, a list of job openings or a similar publication, or prepares resumes or lists of applicants for distribution to potential employers, where a fee or other valuable consideration is exacted or attempted to be collected, either directly or indirectly. 

     "Job seeker" means any individual seeking employment, career guidance or counseling or employment related services or products.

     "Job seeker contingent liability" means a provision in an agreement between an employment agency and a job seeker whereby the job seeker may become liable, in whole or in part, to pay a fee, charge or commission of any amount, directly or indirectly, on account of any service rendered by the employment agency. 

     "Just cause for voluntary termination of employment by a job seeker" means and includes, but is not limited to, cases in which material misrepresentations of the terms or conditions of employment have been relied upon by a job seeker who would not have accepted the employment if the grounds for termination were known before acceptance of the employment.

     "License" means a license issued by the director to any person to:

     (1)   Carry on the business of an employment agency; and

     (2)   Perform, as an agent of the agency, any of the functions related to the operation of the agency.

     "Performing artist" means a model, musical, theatrical or other entertainment performer employed or engaged individually or in a group.

     "Person" means any natural person or legal representative, partnership, corporation, company, trust, business entity or association, and any agent, employee, salesperson, partner, officer, director, member, stockholder, associate, trustee or cestuis que trustent thereof. 

     "Prepaid computer job matching service" means any person required to be registered under section 25 of this act who is engaged in the business of matching job seekers with employment opportunities, pursuant to an arrangement under which the job seeker is required to pay a fee in advance of, or contemporaneously with, the supplying of the matching, but which does not otherwise involve services for the procurement of employment by the person conducting the service.

     "Primary location" means an address used for 90 or more calendar days by a person for the conduct of an activity regulated under this act.

     "Principal owner" means any person who, directly or indirectly, holds a beneficial interest or ownership in an applicant or who has the ability to control an applicant.

     "Temporary employment" means employment in which the duration is fixed as some definite agreed period of time or by the occurrence of some specified event, either of which shall be clearly stated to all parties at the time of referral to the employment.

     "Temporary help service firm" means any person who operates a business which consists of employing individuals directly or indirectly for the purpose of assigning the employed individuals to assist the firm's customers in the handling of the customers' temporary, excess or special work loads, and who, in addition to the payment of wages or salaries to the employed individuals, pays federal social security taxes and State and federal unemployment insurance; carries worker's compensation insurance as required by State law; and sustains responsibility for the actions of the employed individuals while they render services to the firm's customers. A temporary help service firm is required to comply with the provisions of P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.).

(cf: P.L.1989, c.331, s.1)

 

     2.    Section 5 of P.L.1989, c.331 (C.34:8-46) is amended to read as follows:

     5.    The provisions of this act shall not apply to:

     a.     A teachers' registry conducted by an association of certified teachers, whose membership is not less than 10 certified teachers, incorporated as a nonprofit organization under the laws of New Jersey, and operated under the supervision of a teacher recognized and approved as a certified teacher by the Department of Education of this State, or by the duly established authority of the state in which the employment is procured, which registry procures positions only for certified teachers who are recognized and approved as certified teachers by the Department of Education of this State;

     b.    Any State, federal, municipal or charitable agency which does not charge fees;

     c.     Any department or bureau which is maintained by persons for the purpose of securing help for themselves and does not charge fees to job seekers.  The exemption from the provisions of this act provided by this subsection shall not be construed to exempt associations or organizations of employers from the requirement to procure the licenses or registration otherwise required under this act;

     d.    The procuring of employment by any labor union for any of its members in any job coming under the jurisdiction of the union; provided, that no fee is charged any member for being furnished employment or information where employment may be procured; 

     e.     Any nurses' registry operated by any association of registered nurses, whose membership is not less than 10 registered nurses, duly incorporated as a nonprofit organization under the laws of New Jersey, and operated under the supervision of a registered nurse authorized to practice in the State of New Jersey; except that no nurses' registry shall furnish help or employment to anyone other than a registered nurse, a practical nurse licensed by the State, or a person, other than a baby sitter, who is approved by the registered nurse in charge of the nurses' registry and is sent by the agency to an employer to assist nonprofessionally in the care of the sick or ailing;

     f.     Any association of farmers which:

     (1)   Is duly incorporated on a nonprofit basis, under the laws of New Jersey;

     (2)   Is certified to the director by the Secretary of Agriculture of New Jersey as being an association of bona fide farmers of New Jersey;

     (3)   Does not furnish job seekers to employers other than members of their association; and

     (4)   Does not charge fees to any job seeker for being furnished employment or information where employment may be procured.

     g.    Any person who furnishes farmers with field or harvest workers to be employed on a seasonal basis, and charges no fee either directly or indirectly to any worker, if the wages of the workers are paid directly to the workers by the farmers who employ them. 

     The exemptions established in this subsection and subsection f. of this section shall not apply to any person who induces or attempts to induce a person working under contract with an employer to leave the employment in which he is working under that contract before the contract is completed or the worker is no longer responsible for its completion;

     h.    [Any temporary help service firm which does not:

     (1)   Charge a fee or liquidated charge to any individual employed by the firm or in connection with employment by the firm;

     (2)   Prevent or inhibit, by contract, any of the individuals it employs from becoming employed by any other person;

     (3)   Knowingly send individuals it employs to, or knowingly continue to render services to, any plant or office where a strike or lockout is in progress for the purpose of replacing individuals who are striking or who are locked out.  Any person conducting a temporary help service firm which knowingly sends its employed individuals to, or knowingly continues to render services to, a plant or office where a strike or lockout is in progress for the purpose of replacing those individuals who are striking or who are locked out or, directly or indirectly counsels, aids or abets that action shall be liable to a penalty of $1,000 upon each occurrence. The penalty shall be sued for, and received by and in the name of the Attorney General and shall be collected and enforced by summary proceedings pursuant to "the penalty enforcement law" (N.J.S.2A:58-1 et seq.).

     This exclusion shall apply to temporary help service firms operated by any person who also operates an employment agency as long as the businesses are independently operated as prescribed by rules and regulations promulgated by the Attorney General]  (Deleted by amendment P.L.     c.   ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill);

     i.     Any news periodical which contains listings of or classified advertisements for jobs, positions, employers, or job seekers where the periodical also contains news stories of general interest, articles or essays of opinion, features and other advertising and which is offered to the general public for sale at a nominal fee; 

     j.     Any nonprofit educational, religious or charitable institution which provides career counseling, job placement or other employment-related services, skills evaluation, skills analysis, or testing for vocational ability in order to develop a vocational profile to counsel individuals and recommend placement opportunities as part of the fulfillment of its educational, religious or charitable purpose;

     k.    Any copying, printing, duplicating or resume preparation service which in no instance charges a fee, directly or indirectly, for providing any employment-related service other than copying, printing, duplicating or assisting in arranging the layout of a resume. 

(cf: P.L.1989, c.331, s.5)

 

     3.    Section 10 of P.L.1989, c.331 (C.34:8-51) is amended to read as follows:

     10.  a.  Every employment agency shall:

     (1)   Keep and make available to the chief, or a designee, during regular business hours, records containing information regarding services provided, products sold to job seekers or employers, and fees charged or collected, and other information required by rules and regulations to enable the chief to determine the status of compliance with the provisions of this act; 

     (2)   Require all job seekers applying for positions of trust or work with private families to furnish the agency with names and addresses of individuals available as character references, and shall communicate, orally or in writing, with at least one of the individuals given by the job seeker as a character reference.  If the job seeker has not furnished the name of any individuals available as character references, or if no favorable statement has been received from a character reference, the agency shall so advise the prospective employer to whom the job seeker is referred.  This information shall be written upon the referral slip given by the agency to the job seeker to present to the prospective employer. The written result of the verification to determine the character and responsibility of any job seeker shall be kept on file in the agency subject to examination by the chief.  If the employer voluntarily waives, in writing, a verification of references, the licensed agency shall not be required to make the verification;

     (3)   Give to each job seeker a copy of every writing the job seeker has signed, the form of which complies with P.L.1980, c.125 (C.56:12-1 et seq.).

     (4)   Furnish to each job seeker, who is sent to a prospective employer for an interview concerning the job seeker's qualifications or future employment in a job for which no order has been given to the agency, a card or paper containing the names of the job seeker and prospective employer, the address of the prospective employer and any other particulars the agency may determine are necessary.  In each case, there shall be printed in bold-faced type on the card or paper the following:

     "This card of introduction is given to . . . . . . . . . . .  (name of job seeker) with the understanding that there is no obligation to this employment agency for any fee until, as a result of the services rendered by this agency, . . . . . . . . .  (name of job seeker) is employed in a job with respect to which the agency received a bona fide order from an employer. . . . . . . . . . . (name of job seeker) has agreed to pay the fee under the foregoing conditions if the fee is not paid by an employer."

     (5)   Post in the agency in [the places that the chief, or a designee, directs,] a prominent place where the postings may be easily seen and read by all persons visiting the agency, on notices to be promulgated by the chief:

     (a)   an abstract of this act and the rules and regulations promulgated by the director.  [The chief shall provide the abstracts and charge for the printing of these abstracts];

     (b)   any notices required to be posted by any employer in the State pursuant to federal or State law or regulation; and

     (c)   a notice informing job seekers of the civil rights protections provided pursuant to subsection p. of section 11 of P.L.1989, c.331 (C.34:8-52), and providing contact information for the reporting of violations.

     b.    In addition to the requirements set forth in subsection a., each employment agency which charges or may charge the job seeker a fee shall:

     (1)   File with the chief, for the chief's approval, a schedule of fees proposed to be charged for any service rendered or product sold to job seekers and adhere to the schedule in charging for these services or products.  The chief shall not approve the fee schedule unless the chief is satisfied that the fee schedule is on a form which makes the schedule reasonably understandable by job seekers and that the fee schedule is in compliance with all other provisions of this section.  The schedule of fees may thereafter be changed or supplemented, by filing an amended or supplemental schedule with the bureau.  The changes shall not become effective until approval has been granted by the chief and the amended or supplemental fee schedule has been posted for not less than seven days in a conspicuous manner in the office of the agency.  It shall be unlawful for any employment agency to charge, demand, collect or receive a greater fee for any service rendered or product sold to a job seeker than is specified in the most recent schedule filed with the bureau;

     (2)   Post the schedule of fees in a conspicuous manner in the office of the agency using forms provided by the chief;

     (3)   Compute fees paid by a job seeker seeking employment on the basis of permanent employment, unless the employment is temporary employment.  Where temporary employment merges into permanent employment, or where a job seeker accepts permanent employment within 30 days after the termination of temporary employment, the permanent employment may be considered the result of the references to the temporary position and the fee may be based on the permanent employment with due credit given for the payment made for the temporary employment;

     (4)   Not charge to a job seeker who obtains employment and who is discharged without cause or who voluntarily terminates employment for just cause more than 1% of the scheduled fee for each day worked.  For purposes of this paragraph, the employment agency shall repay to any job seeker so discharged or terminated any excess of the maximum fee in accordance with the fee schedule, allowing three days' time to determine that the termination was not due to any fault on the part of the job seeker.  The employment agency may, however, by separate written agreement between the employment agency and the job seeker, retain the fee or any part of the fee which has been paid for the job from which the job seeker has been discharged without cause or terminated, if the agency furnishes the job seeker with another job and allows due credit for the retained payment;

     (5)   Not charge a job seeker who either fails to report for duty after accepting employment or voluntarily terminates employment without just cause within 30 days more than 30% of the scheduled fee;

     (6)   Obtain a bona fide order for employment prior to collecting any fee from a job seeker or sending out a job seeker to any place of employment. Except as may be otherwise provided in rules and regulations, no charge or advance fee of any kind shall be charged, demanded, collected, or received by the agency from a job seeker seeking employment until employment has been obtained by or through the efforts of the agency; 

     (7)   Give to every job seeker from whom a fee is received, at the time payment is received, a receipt which shall state the name of the job seeker, the name and address of the employment agency and its agent, the date and amount of the fee and the purpose for which it was paid; and 

     (8)   Furnish each job seeker, who is sent to a prospective employer, with a card or similar paper containing the nature of the prospective employment, the names of the job seeker and prospective employer, and the address of the employer.

(cf: P.L.1989, c.331, s.10)

 

     4.    Section 11 of P.L.1989, c.331 (C.34:8-52) is amended to read as follows:

     11.  It shall be a violation of the provisions of this act for any person to:

     a.     Open, conduct, or maintain, either directly or indirectly, an employment agency or perform any of the functions of an employment agency without first obtaining a valid employment agency license from the director and complying with all requirements of this act regarding agents' licenses for the agents of the agency.  A license shall not authorize the furnishing of help or employment or the furnishing of information where help or employment may be procured in the capacity of baby sitters.  A license shall not authorize activities of any person other than the individual person or persons holding the license, except that a corporation may be the holder of an employment agency license.  A license shall not authorize activities at any place other than the place designated in the license except upon issuance of a special permit by the director.  A licensee may engage in activities requiring registration under sections 23, 24 and 25 of this act if it complies with the requirements of those sections.

     b.    Conduct business, or any phase thereof, in any room or place where:

     (1)   An individual sleeps or conducts his or her household affairs, unless the business premises have separate ingress and egress from the residential premises;

     (2)   Premises are rented or leased on an hourly, daily, weekly, or other transient basis except as otherwise provided by regulation;

     c.     Charge or accept payment of any fees which are greater than those shown by any schedule of fees which is required to be filed with the chief and posted in the agency;

     d.    Accept and receive any gift as, or in lieu of, a fee;

     e.     Divide or offer to divide fees, directly or indirectly, with prospective or actual employers or any agent, employee, or representative;

     f.     Accept payment of a fee or attempt to collect any fee for a service rendered or product sold where employment has not been accepted, except that the requirements of this subsection shall not apply to any career counseling service if that service receives no prepayment for services or products and provides services or products strictly on an hourly basis, with no financial obligation required of the job seeker beyond the hourly fee for the services or products rendered;

     g.    Falsely state or imply to a job seeker that the person is seeking to obtain individuals to perform services, tasks or labor for which salary, wages, or other compensation is to be paid;

     h.    Send or cause to be sent any individual to any place used for unlawful purposes;

     i.     Place or assist in placing an individual under 18 years of age into employment which is in violation of the laws of this State;

     j.     Induce or compel any individual to enter the agency, for any purpose, by the use of force or by taking forcible possession of the individual's property;

     k.    Publish or cause to be published any deceptive or misleading notice or advertisement.  All advertisements of any agency by any means, including, but not limited to, cards, circulars or signs, or in newspapers and other publications, and all letterheads, receipts and blanks, shall contain the name and address of the agency; 

     l.     Make a deceptive or misleading representation to a job seeker or employer, or enter into any contract with any job seeker or employer or induce or attempt to induce any job seeker or employer to make any agreement, the provisions of which contract or agreement, if fulfilled, violate this act;

     m.   Require that a job seeker enter into a contract with the agency or any specific lender for the purpose of fulfilling a financial obligation to the employment agency;

     n.    Demand, charge, collect, or receive a fee unless in accordance with the terms of a written contract or agreement with a job seeker;

     o.    Engage in any act or practice in violation of P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.) and regulations promulgated thereunder;

     p.    Refuse to refer a job seeker for employment or to discriminate against a job seeker in compensation or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment to which the job seeker is referred because of the race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, sex, gender identity or expression, disability or atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait of any individual, or because of the liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States or the nationality of any individual, or because of the refusal to submit to a genetic test or make available the results of a genetic test to an employer.  Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to bar an employment agency from refusing to refer a job seeker on the basis of sex in those certain circumstances where sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the particular business or enterprise.

(cf: P.L.1989, c.331, s.11)

 

     5.    Section 14 of P.L.1981, c.1 (C.56:8-1.1) is amended to read as follows:

     14.  Services provided by a temporary help service firm shall constitute services within the term "merchandise" pursuant to P.L.1960, c.39, s.1 (C.56:8-1(c)), and the provisions of P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.) shall apply to the operation of a temporary help service firm.

     The Attorney General shall promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-4).  The Attorney General shall, by rule or regulation, establish, prescribe or change an annual registration fee or other charge on temporary help service firms to such extent as shall be necessary to defray all proper expenses incurred by his office in the performance of its duties under this section of this act but such registration fees or other charges shall not be fixed at a level that will raise amounts in excess of the amount estimated to be so required.  In addition to any other appropriate requirements, the Attorney General shall, by rule or regulation require the following:

     a.     Each temporary help service firm operating within the State of New Jersey shall, prior to the effective date of this act or commencement of operation and annually thereafter, notify the Attorney General as to its appropriate name, if applicable; the trade name of its operation; its complete address, including street and street number of the building and place where its business is to be conducted; and the names and resident addresses of its officers.  Each principal or owner shall provide an affidavit to the Attorney General setting forth whether such principal or owner has ever been convicted of a crime.

     b.    When a temporary help service firm utilizes any location other than its primary location for the recruiting of applicants, including mobile locations, it shall notify the Office of the Attorney General of such fact in writing or by telephone, and subsequently confirm in writing prior to the utilization of such facility.

     c.     Each temporary help service firm shall at the time of its initial notification to the Attorney General, and annually thereafter, post a bond of [$1,000.00 with the Attorney General to secure compliance with P.L.1960, c. 39 (C. 56:8-1 et seq.), provided however that the Attorney General may waive such bond for any corporation or entity having a net worth of $100,000 or more] $10,000, as required pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1989, c.331 (C.34:8-49).

     d.    Any temporary help service firm, as the term is used in P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.), P.L.1989, c.331 (C.34:8-43 et seq.) or this section, which places individuals in work which requires them to obtain transportation services to get to, or return from, the site of the work shall be subject to the provisions of this subsection, except that the provisions of this subsection shall not apply if the firm requires the individuals to use their own vehicles or other transportation of their choice, for transportation to and from work and shall not apply if public transportation is available at the times needed for them to get to, and return from, the site of the work and the firm permits them to use the public transportation.  If the firm provides transportation services with any vehicle owned, leased or otherwise under the control of the firm, the firm shall be responsible for compliance with the provisions of R.S.48:4-3 et seq. and any other applicable law or regulation regarding the vehicle and its use and shall keep records in the manner required by regulations adopted by the Attorney General in consultation with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.  If the firm does not provide transportation services, but refers, directs or requires the individuals to use any other provider or providers of transportation services, or provides no practical alternative to the use of services of the provider or providers, the firm shall obtain, and keep on file, documentation that each provider is in compliance with the provisions of R.S.48:4-3 et seq. and any other applicable law or regulation in the manner required by regulations adopted by the Attorney General in consultation with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.  The firm may not require the individuals to use transportation provided by the firm or another provider of transportation services if they have other transportation available.  A failure to comply with the provisions of this subsection, including all record-keeping requirements of this subsection, shall be regarded as an unlawful practice and a violation of this section, of P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.) and of R.S.48:4-3 et seq. and a temporary help service firm found to be in violation shall be subject to penalties provided for violations of those acts, and shall be jointly and severally liable with the provider of transportation services for any injury which occurs to the individuals while being transported in a vehicle owned, leased or otherwise under the control of the provider.  In the case of noncompliance with the provisions of this section on more than one occasion, the Attorney General may suspend or revoke the firm's registration as a temporary help service firm for the purposes of this section, P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.) and P.L.1989, c.331 (C.34:8-43 et seq.).

(cf: P.L.2007, c.14)

 

     6.    This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month following enactment.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill regulates temporary help service firms as employment agencies and expands the civil rights protections of job seekers who use employment agencies.

     Specifically, the bill includes temporary help service firms within the definition of employment agencies, which extends the registration, regulations, and bonding requirements that currently apply to employment agencies to temporary help service firms.

     The bill also requires that employment agencies, including temporary help service firms, post in a prominent place where the postings may be easily seen and read by all persons visiting the agency:

     (1)   an abstract of employment agency law and the rules and regulations promulgated by the director;

     (2)   any notices required to be posted by any employer in the State pursuant to federal or State law or regulation; and

     (3)   a notice informing job seekers of the civil rights protections provided to job seekers pursuant to the bill, and providing contact information for the reporting of violations.

     The bill provides that it is a violation for an employment agency, to refuse to refer a job seeker for employment or to discriminate against a job seeker in compensation or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment to which the job seeker is referred because of the race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, sex, gender identity or expression, disability or atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait of any individual, or because of the liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States or the nationality of any individual, or because of the refusal to submit to a genetic test or make available the results of a genetic test to an employer.  The bill provides that it shall not be construed to bar an employment agency from refusing to refer a job seeker on the basis of sex in those certain circumstances where sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the particular business or enterprise.