California's Employment Development Department has been compiling a directory of new hires since April 1993, but so far only employers with at least five workers in a small number of professions must comply. Targeted professions include construction, landscaping, auto dealers and repair shops, restaurants, hotels, health services, business services and engineering, accounting and research services.
Failing to report people hired or rehired within 30 days could result in a $250 fine per person per month. The EDD initially was lenient, but it has begun to get more strict, says Bob Spidell, publisher of Spidell's California Taxletter.
The legislation further requires that all federal and state agencies engaged in child-support enforcement have full access to all state information systems related to motor vehicles and law enforcement.
The legislation would create a Federal Case Registry of Child Support Orders that would include the name, Social Security number, date of birth, case identification numbers, and other ''uniform identification numbers'' of both parents for every child-support order in the nation.
The registry also would include detailed financial information regarding
each order, including the amount of support payments, the amount owed and
collected, distribution of collected amounts, and liens that have been
imposed. The legislation specifically requires that states use ''standardized
data elements'' so computers in different states can easily exchange
information.