On April 7, Arkansas Gov.Asa Hutchinson signed a bill repealing the state鈥檚 prevailing wage law. The legislation, SB 601 (Act 1068), was approved by the Arkansas House of Representatives on March 30 by a vote of 70-24; the Arkansas Senate passed the bill on March 21 by a bipartisan vote of 28-5. Arkansas is now the 22nd state without a prevailing wage and the second state to take significant action on the issue this year. Kentucky signed a prevailing wage repeal bill into law in January. In 2015, Nevada made significant reforms to its prevailing wage law, while Indiana and West Virginia joined the list of states without a prevailing wage.听

Kentucky became the 27th Right to Work state and 21st state without a prevailing wage after Gov. Matt Bevin signed ABC-supported legislation. The free enterprise-based laws are historic victories for the merit shop platform and provide tremendous momentum at the state level to begin the 2017 legislative season.

In a victory for taxpayers and merit shop contractors, the Illinois House of Representatives failed to reach the three-fifths majority required to override Gov. Bruce Rauner鈥檚 (R-Ill.) veto of S.B. 2964. The bill would have tied prevailing wage rates for public projects to local union rates.

On July 22, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that would have significantly changed the prevailing wage calculation process by tying wage rates to union collective bargaining agreements. In vetoing the bill, Gov. Rauner said Senate Bill 2964 would effectively discount the wage rates of those who have chosen not to join a union and who make up a majority of the construction workforce.听

On Feb. 12, the West Virginia legislature voted 18-16 to override Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin鈥檚 vetoes of 听a prevailing wage repeal bill and the West Virginia Workplace Freedom Act, making West Virginia the 26th Right to Work state in the country and the fourth state to pass Right to Work since 2012.听

Last week, the New Hampshire House rejected a bill (House Bill 1641) that would have required prevailing wage be paid on all state construction projects. Citing a union-backed study, proponents of the bill argued the legislation would create jobs, spur economic activity, and raise workers鈥� wages without increasing the cost of projects. Opponents rejected those assertions and insisted the state would pay more for construction projects under the provisions of the bill.听

The New York Independent Budget Office (IBO) has released a听revised report on the impact prevailing wage requirements would have on听affordable housing projects built with the 421a property tax break. The 421a tax credit had been the subject of extensive听negotiations in the past months. In Jan. 2016, the parties involved announced听they could not reach a compromise, killing the tax credit and jeopardizing听Mayor de Blasio鈥檚 plans for 80,000 affordable housing units for New York City听residents. The agency had initially estimated that prevailing wage requirements听would add $2.8 billion to the initiative鈥檚 total, bu

On Feb. 4, the West Virginia Legislature sent two important bills to the governor鈥檚 desk. The House of Delegates passed ABC-supported right-to work legislation, the 鈥淲orkplace Freedom Act鈥� (SB 1) by a vote of 54-46, while the state Senate approved legislation repealing the state鈥檚 prevailing wage law along party lines. The measures were intensely debated in both chambers in the weeks leading up to the votes. West Virginia鈥檚 prevailing wage law was mired in controversy following the passage of a reform bill in 2015 and ABC鈥檚 West Virginia Chapter has been a vocal supporter of repealing the state鈥檚 prevailing wage.

During a controversial budget session, Wisconsin significantly听reformed听its prevailing wage laws with the help of the 老牛影视Wisconsin Chapter which organized a coalition of local chambers of commerce, school districts, small businesses, and municipal utilities to repeal prevailing wage requirements on all Wisconsin public works projects except those built by the state of Wisconsin and state highway projects.听