CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates will take a final vote Wednesday on a bill that would repeal the state’s prevailing wage. An attempt by House Democrats to amend the measure was struck down during Tuesday’s floor session.
The bill would do away with the wage that is currently paid to workers on large, publicly funded, construction projects. The wage is figured from a formula that lawmakers revamped last year. Leading Republicans weren’t happy with how the new wage was reached and a bill was introduced this year to repeal the prevailing wage altogether.
House Minority Leader Tim Miley (D-Harrison), who is against the repeal, tried to amend the bill Tuesday. His proposal would have the repeal last for five years and then reinstate the prevailing wage if an economic impact study showed it hadn’t saved the money supporters say it will save.
“This would actually measure whether what we are doing as a body in repealing the prevailing wage has all the benefits that it’s claimed to have,” Miley said.
Delegates who support the bill could celebrate the repeal in five years if it works, Miley said.
“Maybe five years from now we’ve saved taxpayers thousands, if not millions of dollars, no wages were reduced and if so very minimally and we don’t see this influx of out-of-state construction companies and out-of-state employees, to which, you will get credit and we will say we did the right thing,” Miley said.
The proposed amendment was ruled not germane to the bill by House Speaker Tim Armstead (R-Kanawha).
If approved by the House Wednesday, the bill will head to the Senate for consideration.