Employment: labor standards: consultation unit.

Existing law establishes the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in the Department of Industrial Relations for the enforcement of labor laws. This bill would establish in the division the Labor Standards Consultation Unit for the purpose of providing consulting services to employee groups and employers with 100 or fewer employees regarding compliance with wage and hour laws. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that the unit ultimately be self-supporting and, to further that end, would authorize the unit to charge a requesting employer or employee group a fee for consulting services provided, not to exceed the actual cost to the unit, and to further fund its operation from grants obtained from for-profit or not-for-profit nongovernmental and governmental entities.