Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act
Latest action · May 10, 2022 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 10, 2022
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act
This bill requires employers to make initial and modified disclosures to employees of the terms of their employment, provide such employees with regular paystubs, and make a final payment to an employee for uncompensated work hours within 14 days of the employee's termination. Employers must also allow employees access to wage records.
An employer must compensate an employee at the rate specified in an employment contract, including a collective bargaining agreement, that specifies a rate of pay higher than the minimum wage rate. The bill makes all of such unpaid wages recoverable through civil enforcement.
The bill establishes new and increased civil and criminal penalties for violations of overtime or minimum wage requirements, including referral to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution of employers who engage in wage theft, falsification of wage records, or retaliation against employees.
The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor must provide grants to specified organizations, including nonprofits and educational institutions, to enhance the enforcement of wage and hour laws. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on successful grant programs.
Cosponsors 28
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 10, 2022 to May 12, 2022; 27 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Alex Padilla | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-NM | Ben Ray Luján | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-HI | Brian Schatz | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-CT | Christopher Murphy | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-MI | Debbie Stabenow | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-RI | Jack Reed | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-CO | John W. Hickenlooper | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-WA | Maria Cantwell | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-MN | Tina Smith | Original | May 10, 2022 |
| D-VA | Tim Kaine | May 12, 2022 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Referred May 10, 2022 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 10, 2022Introduced in Senate
- May 10, 2022Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Related bills 4
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2769 | Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act | Reintroduced Bill | Sep 12, 2023 |
| S 4919 | Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act | Cross-Congress related bill | Jun 24, 2026 |
| HR 7701 | Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act of 2022 | Identical bill | Oct 7, 2022 |
| HR 9458 | Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act | Cross-Congress related bill | Jun 25, 2026 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 to prevent wage theft and assist in the recovery of stolen wages, to authorize the Secretary of Labor to administer grants to prevent wage and hour violations, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Labor and Employment.
- Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
- Civil actions and liability
- Community life and organization
- Congressional oversight
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Government studies and investigations
- Labor and Employment
- Labor standards
- Personnel records
- Wages and earnings
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 10, 2022Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
