Chap. 155.—An ACT to regulate employment bureaus or agencies and to pro-
vide penalties for. violation of same.

Approved March 14, 1910.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia,

§1. Every person, firm or corporation who shall agree or promise, or
who shall advertise through the public press, or by letter, to furnish
employment or situations to any person or persons, and in pursuance of
such advertisement, agreement or promise, shall receive any money,
personal property or other valuable thing whatsoever, and who shall fail
to procure for such person or persons acceptable situations or employ-
ment as agreed upon, within the time stated, or agreed upon, or if no
time be specified, then within a reasonable time shall, upon demand, re-
turn all such money, personal property or valuable consideration of
whatever character, except an amount, not to exceed one dollar, to be
charged as a filing fee.

§2. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to re
ceive any application for employment from, or enter into any agree-
ment with, any person to furnish or procure for said person any en-
ployment, unless there is delivered to any such person making such
application or contract at the time of the making thereof, a true and
full copy of such application or agreement, which application or agree-
ment shall specify the fee or consideration to be paid by the person
seeking employment. .

§3. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, or any
person employed or authorized by such person, firm or corporation to
hire or discharge employees, to receive any part of any fee or any per-
centage of wages or any compensation of any kind whatever, that is
agreed upon to be paid by any employee or said person, firm or corpora-
tion to any employment bureau or agency for services rendered to any
such employee in procuring for him employment with said person, firm
or corporation.

84. The commissioner of the bureau of labor and industrial sta-
tistics, or his deputy, shall have authority to examine at any time the
records, books and any papers relating in any way to the conduct of any
employment agency or bureau within the State, and must investigate
any complaint made against any such employment agency or bureau,
and if any violations of law are found he shall at once file, or cause to be
filed, an information against any person, firm or corporation guilty of
such violation of law.

§5. Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions
of this act, or who shall refuse access to records, books or other papers
relative to the conduct of such agency or bureau, to any person having
authority to examine same, shall be deemed guilty of a misdmeanor,
and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding
one hundred dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding thirty days, or both
such fine and imprisonment.