The Idaho Department of Labor will ask the Legislature to pass a law setting a fine for employers who don't follow a 1997 law requiring they report newly hired workers within 20 days.

A hearing is planning at the Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee on Thursday.

The bill would set a $25 fine fine for every new employee not reported on time, with up to a maximum of $5,000 in fines against an employer in any quarter.

Only about 30 percent of Idaho employers have complied with the reporting requirement over the past 14 years, labor department officials say. But those employers are among the state's largest and account for 70 percent of new workers.

The purpose of the 20-day reporting period is two fold: identify people who owe child support so their wages can be garnished and to identify people who continue to collect unemployment benefits after they have gone back to work.

Cross checking new hires against unemployment benefit recipients has uncovered $3 million in over payments since the recession began in 2007.

For more information, go to www.labor.idaho.gov/newhire.