years from the date of the last payment made before January 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-328) and for a period of 5 years from the date of the last payment made on or after January 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-328) on a contract or subcontract for public works, records of all laborers, mechanics, and other workers employed by them on the project; the records shall include (i) the worker’s name, (ii) the worker’s address, (iii) the worker’s telephone number when available, (iv) the last 4 digits of the worker’s social security number, (v) the worker’s gender, (vi) the worker’s race, (vii) the worker’s ethnicity, (viii) veteran status, (ix) the worker’s classification or classifications, (x) the worker’s skill level, such as apprentice or journeyman, (xi) the worker’s gross and net wages paid in each pay period, (xii) the worker’s number of hours worked each day, (xiii) the worker’s starting and ending times of work each day, (xiv) the worker’s hourly wage rate, (xv) the worker’s hourly overtime wage rate, (xvi) the worker’s hourly fringe benefit rates, (xvii) the name and address of each fringe benefit fund, (xviii) the plan sponsor of each fringe benefit, if applicable, and (xix) the plan administrator of each fringe benefit, if applicable; and

file a certified payroll for the immediately preceding month with the public body in charge of the project until the Department of Labor activates the database created under Section 5.1 at which time certified payroll shall only be submitted to that database, except for projects done by State agencies that opt to have contractors submit certified payrolls directly to that State agency. A State agency that opts to directly receive certified payrolls must submit the required information in a specified electronic format to the Department of Labor no later than 10 days after the certified payroll was filed with the State agency. A certified payroll must be filed for only those calendar months during which construction on a public works project has occurred. The certified payroll shall consist of a complete copy of the records identified in paragraph (1) of this subsection (a), but may exclude the starting and ending times of work each day. The certified payroll shall be accompanied by a statement signed by the contractor or subcontractor or an officer, employee, or agent of the contractor or subcontractor which avers that: (i) he or she has examined the certified payroll records required to be submitted by the Act and such records are true and accurate; (ii) the hourly rate paid to each worker is not less than the general prevailing rate of hourly wages required by this Act; and (iii) the contractor or subcontractor is aware that filing a certified payroll that he or she knows to be false is a Class A misdemeanor. A general contractor is not prohibited from relying on the certification of a lower tier subcontractor, provided the general contractor does not knowingly rely upon a subcontractor’s false certification. Any contractor or subcontractor subject to this Act and any officer, employee, or agent of such contractor or subcontractor whose duty as such officer, employee, or agent it is to file such certified payroll who willfully fails to file such a certified payroll on or before the date such certified payroll is required by this paragraph to be filed and any person who willfully files a false certified payroll that is false as to any material fact is in violation of this Act and guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. The public body in charge of the project shall keep the records submitted in accordance with this paragraph (2) of subsection (a) before January 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-328) for a period of not less than 3 years, and the records submitted in accordance with this paragraph (2) of subsection (a) on or after January 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-328) for a period of 5 years, from the date of the last payment for work on a contract or subcontract for public works or until the Department of Labor activates the database created under Section 5.1, whichever is less. After the activation of the database created under Section 5.1, the Department of Labor rather than the public body in charge of the project shall keep the records and maintain the database. The records submitted in accordance with this paragraph (2) of subsection (a) shall be considered public records, except an employee’s address, telephone number, social security number, race, ethnicity, and gender, and made available in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. The public body shall accept any reasonable submissions by the contractor that meet the requirements of this Section.