Bill would mandate contractors without employees carry comp

A California lawmaker introduced legislation Wednesday to require licensed contractors to carry workers compensation coverage — even if they don’t have any employees.

S.B. 216, would mandate that all concrete, heating and air conditioning and tree service contractors carry workers compensation insurance regardless of whether they have employees, and would also require that by 2025 all licensed contractors in the state carry workers compensation insurance.

Sen. Bill Dodd, who introduced the bill, said in a statement that of the 230,000 licensed contractors in the state, more than half claim they have no employees, despite research from state licensing boards showing a widespread problem of leaving workers unprotected.

Currently, only licensed roofing contractors are required to carry workers compensation even if they have no employees.