Our friends at the Commonwealth Foundation reported that six bills passed the Pennsylvania General Assembly which would amend Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage Law and potential save taxpayers millions. Accord to the Foundation:
•HB 1271: Defines “maintenance work” to include road repairs, which reduces the number of projects subject to Prevailing Wage Act requirements.
•HB 1685: Requires using federal occupational classifications to clarify the application of the law to jobs on construction sites.
•HB 1329: Raises the minimum amount to which the Prevailing Wage Act applies to $185,000 (from $25,000) and adjusts for inflation in future years.
•HB 1541: Exempts projects where more than half the funding comes from private sources from the Prevailing Wage Act.
•HB 709: Allows school districts to opt out of the Prevailing Wage Act for school construction projects.
•HB 1191: Allows all local governments to opt out of the Prevailing Wage Act.
As I previously reported, Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage Law is particularly onerous because, unlike its big brother the Davis Bacon Act, it defaults to the union wage rate as the prevailing wage wage per se. This costs taxpayers millions. We are glad to see that our elected officials are taking a stand and changing things for the better.