(a) The commissioner may appoint, as special agents, competent persons, familiar with the language of non-English-speaking laborers, who shall inform such laborers, either personally or through printed matter in their language, as to their right of contract under the laws of the state, and shall prevent illegal advantage being taken of such laborers by reason of their lack of knowledge, credulity or lack of proficiency in the English language. The appointment of such agents shall not be permanent but simply to meet the exigencies of each case as presented to the commissioner, and they shall be paid the same compensation as is paid other agents. Any person who obtains or receives money due immigrant laborers or laborers who lack proficiency in the English language and retains any part thereof for such person's own use without giving adequate consideration therefor shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

(b) The commissioner shall produce printed material describing the rights of immigrant laborers or laborers who lack proficiency in the English language as employees under part III of chapter 557 and chapters 558 and 567, and the commissioner shall provide such information to such laborers when they apply for benefits under chapter 567 or when they seek compliance with any provision under part III of chapter 557 or chapter 558. The commissioner shall, within available funds, make such information available to the public. The commissioner shall prevent illegal advantage being taken of such laborers by reason of their lack of information about their rights, credulity or lack of proficiency in the English language. The languages used in such printed material, in addition to Spanish and French, may be those languages determined by the commissioner to be spoken by the primary groups of immigrant laborers in the state.

(1949 Rev., S. 3778; P.A. 01-147, S. 1; P.A. 03-19, S. 73; P.A. 12-80, S. 91.)

History: P.A. 01-147 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and amended by deleting references to “the bureau” and provision limiting expenses to $300, changing “alien” to “non-English-speaking”, “ignorance” to “lack of knowledge”, “want of knowledge” to “lack of proficiency” and “laborers ignorant of” to “immigrant laborers or laborers who lack proficiency in”, and making a technical change for purposes of gender neutrality, and added Subsec. (b) re production by commissioner of printed material re rights of immigrant laborers or laborers who lack proficiency in English language and prevention of illegal advantage being taken of such laborers; P.A. 03-19 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 12-80 amended Subsec. (a) to replace penalty of a fine of not more than $100 or imprisonment of not more than 1 year or both with a class A misdemeanor.