§ 28-14-19 - Enforcement powers and duties of director of labor and training.
SECTION 28-14-19
§ 28-14-19 Enforcement powers and dutiesof director of labor and training. – (a) It shall be the duty of the director to insure compliance with theprovisions of this chapter, to investigate any violations of this chapter, toinstitute or cause to be instituted actions for the collection of wages and toinstitute action for penalties provided under this chapter. The director or hisor her authorized representatives are empowered to hold hearings and he or sheshall cooperate with any employee in the enforcement of a claim against his orher employer in any case whenever, in his or her opinion, the claim is just andvalid.
(b) The director is authorized to supervise the payment ofamounts due to employees, and the employer may be required to make thesepayments to the director to be held in a special account in trust for theemployees, and paid on order of the director directly to the employee or theemployees affected. The employer shall also pay the director an administrativefee equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of any payment made directly to theemployee or employees or made to the director pursuant to this section andchapters 5-23, 25-3 and 28-12 for the first offense. An additional payment inthe amount of fifty percent (50%) shall be assessed for each subsequentviolation. The fee shall be deposited in the general fund.
(c) The director may institute any action to recover unpaidwages or other compensation under this chapter, including the administrativefee contained in subsection (b) of this section, with or without the consent ofthe employee or employees affected.