§ 34:11-69 — Findings, declarations.

1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Domestic workers provide valuable services in industries such as in-home child care, house cleaning, home care, cooking, gardening, and other household occupations. b. The labor domestic workers provide is an important contribution to the State's economy and prosperity, including, but not limited to, by providing support services that enable other individuals to participate in the workforce. c. Many domestic workers are women, immigrants, and persons of color who work in or about private homes, isolated from other workers. d. Since 2007, the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) has advocated for respect for domestic workers by including them in national, State, and local labor protection laws. In September 2020, NDWA affiliates, Adhikaar, Casa Freehold, New Labor and Wind of the Spirit, in collaboration with the Center for Women at Work at Rutgers University, released a report which found low pay, lack of benefits, and rampant wage theft occurs throughout the domestic worker industry and that there is a lack of enforcement regarding existing rights of domestic workers. e. At least 10 other states and two cities have enacted legislation to provide rights, benefits, and protections for domestic workers. f. The Legislature therefore finds that it is in the best interest of the State of New Jersey and its residents to provide rights, benefits, and protections to the countless domestic workers providing valuable services throughout the State. L.2023, c.262, s.1.