NFIB Illinois submitted written testimony opposing the expansion of the state’s prevailing-wage mandate to the Senate Labor Committee.

Senate Bill (SB) 164, if adopted, would extend Illinois’ prevailing-wage mandate to federal construction projects administered or controlled by either the state government or a local government if the federal prevailing-wage rate was less than or equal to the state prevailing-wage rate.

The Senate Labor Committee took no action on the bill on March 4, but could take it up at the next hearing.

Read NFIB’s written statement here.

Prevailing-wage requirements impose significant administrative burdens and costs on contractors, limiting the pool of contractors with the resources and/or capability to compete for these projects and squeezing smaller contractors out of public contracts.

Prevailing-wage mandates also increase the cost of public infrastructure investments, necessitating additional taxpayer resources to accomplish equal results.

You can contact your legislators here to urge them to oppose additional prevailing wage mandates in Illinois.