Employer ChargeThird-Degree Felony

For some Pennsylvania employers it may be time to pack up the old kit bag but minus the smile.

The Construction Industry Independent Contractor Act passed Monday by a landslide in a vote of 122-76.  This could mean severe punishment of those employers who misclassify workers to avoid paying their share of employer taxes.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives ignored lawmakers who lobbied heavily against imposing such severe penalties citing this extreme form of punishment would only worsen the ailing state’s economy.  Should the bill become law, some governmental officials predict it may drive jobs to employer friendly states like North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. 

With union groups backing the measure and the state scrambling to fill empty tax coiffeurs, a passage of the bill into law is not unfathomable. The construction industry is not alone on the list of targeted industries.

The courier industry with the ever popular FedEx case rolling along at lightening speed, the infamous carnage of the software industry and other high-tech entities, I think we will see copy cat bills cropping up all over the country.  Heavy users of independent contractors waiting in line for their number to be up may find themselves at the front of the line.