A report, issued jointly by North Dakota’s Workers Compensation Executive Director and CEO Brent Edison and Secretary of State Al Jaeger, indicates that the inter-agency effort, the Construction Compliance Task Force, launched last May to crack down on contractors operating unlawfully in the state, has been a success.
Investigators from the Attorney General’s office, Workers Compensation and Secretary of State’s office visited 188 construction sites from May to October and found 54 sites to be in violation of either transient merchant licensing laws, workers compensation laws or Secretary of State licensing laws.
“We want to stress that the vast majority of construction sites were in full compliance with the laws of our state,” Edison stated. “What the Task Force did successfully was ensure that everyone was playing by the same rules.”
The report noted that “As a result of the Construction Compliance Task Force’s efforts the Secretary of State’s office saw a surge in the number of requests for licenses.” Jaeger indicated that “There was a definite increase in the amount of people calling or stopping by our office and getting properly licensed. In fact our office issued 104 more licenses this year from April to October than last year.”
Contractors or subcontractors are required to obtain a Contractor’s License from the Secretary of State’s office if they are completing projects over $2,000. They are also required to provide proof of workers compensation coverage. Transient merchants must be licensed with the Attorney General’s office, and are required to post a bond. “These requirements protect everyone involved,” Edison stressed. “It ensures protection for the worker if they are injured and it protects the contractor’s liability as well.”
The bulletin noted that “if someone suspects contractor fraud they can call NDWC’s fraud hot line at 1-800-243-3331 or make an anonymous tip at the NDWC website, http://www.ndworkerscomp.com, and clicking on Online Services off the homepage. They can also call the Secretary of State’s office to see if a company or individual has a valid contractor’s license, at 328-3665 or 1-800-352-0667.”
“In cooperation with the media throughout North Dakota who helped to get this message out, this turned out to be a very successful operation,” Jaeger stated. “We intend to re-deploy the task force again in the spring and make sure the consumer is protected against unlawfully operating contractors.”
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