As I write this, we are down to the wire regarding repeal of the Common Construction Wage. HB1019 is on second reading this week and no less than 27 amendments have been filed. Most of them are not good and will either gut the bill or punt the issue for another day. Wednesday, April 15th is the last day for a final vote in the Senate. And so, needless to say, this is crunch time. It is time for legislators to stand strong on an issue that NFIB members have told us is important to them… Members have voted their ballot and have told us that repeal is important to them as taxpayers and as small business owners.
Frankly, in my opinion, this legislation has been much more difficult to pass than it should be. The issue is fairly simple: Why should a taxpayer-funded public building cost more than a private building? Those who are against repeal want to argue over the amount of the savings, which we have found to be between 10 and 20 percent on each project. But let’s *really* consider the pro-Common Construction Wage argument: Even if the savings were just 2 percent… or 1 percent… why should taxpayers pay one penny more than they would if we just allowed the free market to work?
Repeal of this government-mandated price-fixing scheme is vital. The current system is designed to keep small independent businesses out. Repeal will allow small businesses to compete and will save taxpayers (you and me!) serious money on every public building project. That will mean more money for cash-strapped school districts and more money for the classroom.
This week the unions brought in a couple of thousand protestors to the statehouse. And, as with Right to Work, many of the buses ferrying these union folks were from out of state. Thank you, NFIB members for answering the call to contact your state senators and let them know that you support repeal. The unions make a lot of noise and we needed to remind our legislators that small business supports repeal of the Common Construction Wage.
Thanks for all you are doing to spread the word. You are the local leaders that members of the General Assembly want to hear from. Today is a pivotal moment in this battle.
Thank you for all you do for Indiana… for small business…. for NFIB… and for me!
