Sec. 1. 19-A MRSA §2154, sub-§4-A is enacted to read:

4-A.__Independent contractors.__The State, when acting in the capacity of an employer, and employers who contract with the State shall report to the department the hiring of an independent contractor to perform work under the contract or for the State in the same manner as the hiring of an employee is reported under subsection 4.

SUMMARY

This bill requires the reporting of the hiring of independent contractors to the Department of Human Services in order to locate people who should be paying child support and to verify their ability to pay. Those required to report are the State and any employer who contracts with the State. All employers are currently required to report their new employees; this bill extends the reporting to some independent contractors whose hiring would otherwise not be reported to the Department of Human Services.