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Four Pennsylvania construction companies have been fined for violating the state’s E-Verify law. PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
Four Pa. construction companies fined
Ed Gruver//March 7, 2024//
Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services (DGS) imposed monetary fines on four construction companies that violated the state’s E-Verify law, according to E-Verify audits.
State Sen. Chris Gebhard (Berks/Lancaster/Lebanon) announced the fines.
“Construction is a great career path for Pennsylvanians, but having a weak E-Verify law threatened the quality of those jobs that are so critical to the commonwealth,” Gebhard said in a statement.
According to a release, Kobalt Construction, which serves Lehigh Valley areas in Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, J&T Paving, KC Construction, and Don E. Bower are the companies found in violation.
E-Verify is an electronic system that verifies new hires are eligible to be employed in the United States. E-Verify laws protect jobs and establish fair competition among businesses. Pennsylvania‘s E-Verify law applies only to construction.
Seeking to strengthen Pennsylvania’s 10-year-old construction E-Verify law known as the Public Works Employment Verification Act, Gebhard cosponsored Act 141 during the 2022-23 legislative session. The practice of hiring unauthorized workers due to weak enforcement and minor consequences necessitated the change.
Act 141 went into effect in January 2023 and strengthened the state’s construction E-Verify law by increasing penalties for contractors that do not abide by the E-Verify requirement. Penalties range in severity from a warning letter to fines as high as $25,000. Prior to Act 141, fines did not exceed $250.
“Long gone are the days of construction contractors not taking the E-Verify law seriously,” Gebhard said. “With higher penalties, contractors know that they have more to lose now than ever before if they break the law.”
DGS monitors E-Verify enforcement and has conducted nearly 90 audits in one year through Act 141.
