North Carolina advocates say bill does not go far enough to punish employers who cheat workers

North Carolina lawmakers backed by the business lobby are pushing legislation to investigate businesses that misclassify workers as independent contractors, but some advocates are questioning if their deal goes far enough to punish cheating employers.

At a House committee meeting this week, business leaders defended a bi-partisan plan to set up an investigatory board that could impose penalties and fine employers $1,000 for misclassifying workers.

While advocates say repeat offenders should face tougher fines and mandatory stop-work orders, the business lobby does not support those measures. The bill's sponsors say the legislation is a good starting point, and should be quickly passed so details can be worked out with the Senate before the end of the summer session.