California forms updated to include new 2008 notary text

California has once again made changes to the notary text.

If your forms don't have the correct text then they won't fly. The notary won't accept them and the county recorder's office will refuse them.

I've updated the mechanic's lien release form and the #4 unconditional release upon final payment to contain the new correct text.

If you've purchased the mechanic's lien release form from me in the past then you're entitled to a free copy of the updated form. Same goes for the #4 unconditional waiver/release upon final payment with provision for notary but this form has never been available for individual purchase, it's available ONLY as a bonus in the package of all four California waiver/release forms.

So, if you've purchased the mechanic's lien release form and/or the package of California waiver/release forms please email me at diane@thecontractorsgroup.com and tell me:

• Which form(s) you need the updated version
• Whether you need the WORD or PDF version
• If PDF, what version of the free Reader you're using

and I'll email the updated copies right over to you.

For those who haven't purchased these forms yet, they're available for instant download, unlimited usage and unlimited free replacement by clicking on the links below -

Purchase the California Mechanic's Lien Release Form
http://store.construction-business-forms.com/camelirefo.html

Purchase the California Lien Waiver Release Forms Package
http://store.construction-business-forms.com/liwagu.html

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Another form update: California Department of Industrial Relations Public Works Payroll Reporting Form (A-1-131)

I've been putting a lot of work into this form lately and you'll definitely want a new copy if you've purchased it already.

• Two sizes are now included, 8 1/2 x 11 and 8 1/2 x 14
• There's a standard PDF, an Excel version and now a save-able PDF version!
• The font sizes are uniform
• Zero values no longer show, if a value is zero the box is blank

These forms are super-clean. If you've purchased it in the past please let me know by sending an email to diane@thecontractorsgroup.com and I'll email you new copies.

I'll need to know:

• Do you need the EXCEL or PDF version?
• If PDF, what version of the free Reader are you using?

If you haven't yet purchased this awesome fill-it-in-before-you-print-it and let-it-do-your-calculations-for-you form, please follow this link:

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You really will love the form. It prints the entire form, including what you've filled in, on plain paper, and it does your calculations for you!

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Quick Tip: Unlocking documents purchased at our site

To unlock a WORD document purchased from our site go to Tools > Unlock/Unprotect Document (there is no password needed)

To unlock an EXCEL document purchased from our site go to Tools > Unlock/Unprotect Sheet (there is no password needed)

The only reason the forms are locked is because the fill-in function won't work properly if they're not locked. When you have a form unlocked, if the alignment gets out of whack let me know and I'll send you another copy at no charge.

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Ask Chad!

For some time now we've had a special feature titled "Ask Dave" and it has allowed contractors all over California to get answers to their California construction related questions from David Barnier of "Barker Olmsted & Barnier A Professional Law Corporation", at no charge. This has proven to be very popular and Dave has been able to help quite a few folks.

Recently added is "Ask Chad" for Wisconsin! Now's your chance Wisconsin contractors to get free answers to your construction related questions from Chad Koplien of "Lee, Kilkelly, Paulson & Younger, S.C. - Attorneys At Law".

Some background information on Chad:

Born in Fond du Lac, WI. Admitted to the bar in 1997 in Wisconsin and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin; and in 2004 in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: U.S. Air Force (Technical Degree, 1987); University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh (B.S., with distinction, 1994); Marquette University Law School (J.D., with distinction, 1997). Member: Dane County Bar Association; State Bar of Wisconsin; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. U.S. Air Force: 1984-1992. Practice Areas: Banking Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law and Personal Injury.

Chad works for Stafford Rosenbaum LLC in Madison Wisconsin.

So come on and "Ask Chad"!

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Girl accuses construction worker of rape

I read an article about a sixth-grade girl accusing a construction worker of raping her in a bathroom on her school campus. It was determined by the police that the girl was lying and thank goodness it didn't really happen but it has brought on a lot of questions about construction workers being present on school campuses when the students are also present.

Even though it didn't really happen, there is fallout...

And, as a parent I have to honestly say that I agree with all of the suggestions being made by other parents but as a contractor (or past contractor) I recognize that there still remains the question as to whether or not some of the changes are reasonable (but then my parent side kicks in again and says nothing is unreasonable when it comes to the safety of my kids)...

A list of some of the ideas:

• Installing a separate entrance to a workzone and requiring the construction workers to use that entrance only and barring from the project any worker who doesn't use the special entrance (which could cause a job to suddenly be short on manpower);
• Requiring background checks and fingerprinting of contractors and their employees just like they require of teachers and other school workers (in all honesty, having been unfortunate enough to hire some what turned out to be really scary guys that I most definitely would not want around my children, this is something contractors should be doing already);
• Restricting workers from areas where children might be present (which may be possible provided the school has a place to put the children when the work that's being done is in an area where the children are normally present);
• Restricting construction work to non-school hours such as night, weekend, holiday and summer hours (which would most likely greatly increase the expense of already expensive union-priced work);
• Requiring children to travel in pairs (which could cost a child the expense of missing part of a lesson), requiring more teachers in the hallways between classes (this has always been a huge duh-huh with us), and more police to be stationed at the schools (which while this would hopefully keep the children safe it's still a sad thought, that we need policemen stationed at our schools, in the United States of America)

Depending on what state you're in, chances are you were fingerprinted and your background was investigated by the licensing board as part of your licensing procedure. So why not your employees? Chances are that most of the folks working for you are good guys but all it takes is that one bad apple to cost you big time.

Be informed and at least know who you're hiring by conducting background checks and even possibly fingerprinting. It's not enough anymore to have a potential employee fill out an application, interview him and contact past employers. Heck, these days it's a good idea to even check up on those who are already working for you!