Uniform Rental Bill Moves Closer to Final Vote
TRSA recently made progress in passing legislation that would benefit uniform rental providers in the state of Indiana. The bill, SB 99, which would allow for the rental of uniforms to be deducted from a worker’s paycheck, recently was cleared by the Indiana State Assembly Committee on Employment Labor and Pensions. Since SB 99 has already been passed by the Indiana State Senate, all that is needed is an Assembly vote and Gov. Eric Holcomb’s (R) signature to become law.
“We are excited about the prospects of getting this past the finish line,” said Kevin Schwalb, TRSA’s vice president of government relations and certifications. “While this may have seemed like an easy fix from the beginning, it has been a constant negotiation. There were some sticking points where TRSA was able to keep our interests represented while other industries were not so fortunate.”
At one point, an amendment was introduced by State Sen. David Niezgodski (D) which would allow for the rental of uniforms only if they did not contain a company logo, which would affect the significant majority of uniform rental programs. TRSA was able to negotiate that language out of the bill while keeping the legislative process on track.
The Indiana Wage Assignment Act of 2015 lays out what items are allowable for deducting wages from a worker’s paycheck. One of the items laid out in the legislation is the purchase of uniforms; however, the rental of uniforms wasn’t included in the statute. While the actual language of the 2015 Act specifically mentions only the purchasing of uniforms, the Indiana Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division previously interpreted that the law allows for both the purchase and rental of uniforms. This confusion has caused lawsuits to be levied against employers and laundry providers for inappropriately deducting employee wages.
Working with Indiana State Sen. Phil Boots (R) and Indiana Reps. Heath VanNatter (R) and Doug Gutwein (R), TRSA was able to introduce legislation – SB 99 – to reform the Act by getting the rental of uniforms included in the law. TRSA also is working with the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce, which has played an integral role in the process.