July 2, 2015
To: Wisconsin Legislators
From: Americans for Prosperity
Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin
National Federation of Independent Business-Wisconsin Chapter
Outagamie County Board of Supervisors
Wisconsin Counties Association
Wisconsin Rural Water Association
Wisconsin Association of School Boards
Subject: Support for Lasee/Hutton Plan to Exempt Local Government from Wisconsin’s Prevailing Wage Laws
Wisconsin’s prevailing wage requirements artificially inflate costs for building schools, public utility projects, and other public infrastructure and facility projects. Projects subject to Wisconsin’s prevailing wage are a red-tape nightmare, stifle competition within the construction industry, and needlessly drive up project costs for taxpayers.
According to Assembly leadership, Assembly Bill 32, introduced by Representative Rob Hutton and cosponsored by Senator Leah Vukmir, will be voted upon by the state Assembly during the week of July 6th.
Representative Hutton and Senator Frank Lasee have worked together on a compromise plan which, while short of full repeal of Wisconsin’s prevailing wage laws, is significant, meaningful reform which we respectfully urge you to support.
The Lasee/Hutton plan has two main parts:
1. Exempts all local governments, technical colleges, schools, municipal utilities, and off-site trucking from Wisconsin’s prevailing wage laws, saving taxpayers money and promoting competition within the construction industry.
2. Uses federal rates on state projects, simplifying Wisconsin’s wage rates by conforming them to federal wage rates.
Repealing prevailing wage will save Wisconsin taxpayers dollars, cut burdensome red-tape, and give both state and local governments a critical tool to help stretch tax dollars further.
We respectfully urge you to support the Lasee/Hutton plan and to vote “aye” on passage of Assembly Bill 32. If you have any questions, please contact Eric Bott of Americans for Prosperity at 608-572-1319 or R.J. Pirlot of the Hamilton Consulting Group at 608-445-4410.