On Monday, Governor Murphy conditionally vetoed A-4124/S-2961 that establishes qualifications for public works contracts.
This bill establishes minimum qualifications for persons employed through a public works contract. Any contractor submitting a bid for a contract which is paid for in whole or in part out of the funds of a public body in this state will certify that each employee completing work established in the contract meets at least one of the following qualifications: (1) has earned a high school or a General Educational Development (GED) diploma; (2) is currently enrolled in an apprenticeship program that is equivalent to the apprenticeship standards of the building and construction trade union that is specific to their craft; or (3) has completed four years of documented work as a tradesperson that can be verified by their tax filings.
Governor Murphy conditionally vetoed the legislation proposing changes to provide the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) properly and more effectively administer the requirements of the bill and to effectuate a uniform procedure for the submission of documentation by requiring that contractors submit a form to DOLWD.
The Governor’s veto also would require that journeypersons meet one of two requirements: journeypersons must either (1) have graduated from a registered apprenticeship program that meets the “Standards of Apprenticeship” as provided in 29 C.F.R. s. 29.5 for the craft or trade of the respective journeyperson that are equivalent to those of a United States Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program; or (2) have completed four years of documented work experience verified through pay records or sworn statements of the craft worker and their employer.
If the legislation moves forward, we will keep you updated.
Contact: Erin Knoedler, Legislative Analyst, eknoedler@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.