Elimination of the requirement that laborers, workers, mechanics, and truck drivers employed on the site of a project of public works be paid the prevailing wage. (FE)

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Generally, under the current prevailing wage laws, laborers, workers, mechanics, and truck drivers employed on the site of certain projects of public works 1) must be paid the prevailing wage rate, as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor under the federal Davis-Bacon Act; and 2) may not be required or permitted to work a greater number of hours per day and per week than the prevailing hours of labor, which is no more than 10 hours per day and 40 hours per week, unless they are paid 1.5 times their basic rate of pay (commonly referred to as overtime pay) for all hours worked in excess of the prevailing hours of labor. The prevailing wage laws include two separate laws: one that applies to certain projects of public works to which the state or any state agency is a party (state prevailing wage law) and one that applies to projects under a contract based on bids to which the state is a party for the construction or improvement of highways (highway prevailing wage law). Also under current law, no local government may enact or administer a prevailing wage law ordinance or any similar ordinance.

This bill eliminates the state prevailing wage law and the highway prevailing wage law but retains the prohibition against local governments enacting or administrating their own prevailing wage laws or similar ordinances.

Who's behind it

37 lawmakers are its authors⁠. All 37 are Republicans.

10 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.

What it would cost

State agencies filed a cost estimate. Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

• Fiscal Estimate From DOT
• Fiscal Estimate From DWD
• Fiscal Estimate From UWS