Committee Recommends Passage of Bill to Allow Cease-and-Desist Orders, Set Contractor Liability

The North Dakota Senate's Industry, Business and Labor Committee has recommended the full chamber pass a bill that gives the state's workers' compensation agency more authority over noncompliant employers. House Bill 1137 passed unanimously in its originating chamber in January. The bill allows Workforce Safety and Insurance to issue cease-and-desist orders to companies without workers' compensation insurance. Employers that violate the order could be fined $10,000 plus $100 per day for each day the violation continues. The bill establishes the process by which WSI determ...