CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 155(L&C) "An Act relating to the applicability of prevailing wage rates to public construction contracts; and, with regard to public construction contracts, relating to notifications, bonding notifications, filings, notices, primary contractors, final payments, penalties, advertised specifications, required contract provisions, terminations, lists of violating contractors, and remedies." 10:39:52 AM REPRESENTATIVE KURT OLSEN, SPONSOR, introduced HB 155 that updated an antiquated statute that had been implemented in 1935. He explained that the current trigger point on "Little Davis Bacon" jobs was $2000. Co-Chair Stedman asked Representative Olsen to explain the term Davis Bacon. Representative Olsen explained that Little Davis Bacon covered state jobs and required certified payroll prevailing wages to be paid on public jobs in municipalities, boroughs, and school districts that were in excess of $2000 in the State of Alaska. He expounded that the $2000 had been set by the federal government in 1935 and had not been changed. In 1935 the prevailing wage had been approximately $0.50 per hour; however, some of the artisan rates were up to $1.35 or $1.40 an hour. The legislation would take the limit up to $25,000 as a result of collaborations between the Alaska Municipal League and two state-wide unions. The $25,000 limit was close to the number that inflation would have adjusted it for. The number would be large enough to provide a meaningful and valuable number to the municipalities, but would still be small enough to prevent outside firms from bidding on smaller jobs. He relayed that no opposition had been expressed regarding the proposed limit change. He thanked Barbara Huff, President of the Local 959 Alaska Teamsters; Don Etheridge AFL-CIO; and Kathy Wasserman, Executive Director of the Alaska Municipal League for their work on the bill. He thanked his staff and others. 10:43:33 AM Co-Chair Stedman explained that the intent was to report the bill out of committee at subsequent meeting. He noted that there was a zero fiscal note from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. CSHB 155(L&C) was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration. [Note: CSHB 155(L&C) was heard again during the meeting and appears later in the minutes] CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 155(L&C) "An Act relating to the applicability of prevailing wage rates to public construction contracts; and, with regard to public construction contracts, relating to notifications, bonding notifications, filings, notices, primary contractors, final payments, penalties, advertised specifications, required contract provisions, terminations, lists of violating contractors, and remedies." 1:08:32 PM Co-Chair Hoffman MOVED to report CSHB 155(L&C) out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note. CSHB 155(L&C) was REPORTED out of committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with previously published fiscal note: FN1 (LWF). 1:09:15 PM Co-Chair Hoffman MOVED to ask unanimous consent that the Senate Finance Committee authorize the chair of the Committee to expend an amount not to exceed $200,000 in Senate Finance Committee funds to acquire the contractual services necessary to conduct a detailed study of oil and gas employment on Alaska's North Slope that included an analysis of work activities, job classifications, wages, contractual labor and hiring practices and the industry's use of resident versus non-resident employment. Co-Chair Stedman OBJECTED for the purpose of discussion. Co-Chair Stedman explained that the committee had received conflicting employment information from the industry and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The issue needed to be sorted out in order for the committee to have a discussion the following session. He expounded that the study should be conducted during the fall to allow the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee time to review the findings prior to the conclusion of its dialogue on the oil and gas situation in the Arctic. Co-Chair Stedman WITHDREW his OBJECTION. There being NO further OBJECTION it was so ordered. 1:10:36 PM RECESSED