House Republican Press Release

April 30, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. Williams Gains Bipartisan Support for Measure to Reduce Cost of Public Works Projects to Towns

Legislation Would Exempt Projects Costing $1 million or Less from State’s Prevailing Wage Mandate

State Representative Sean Williams last Thursday succeeded in gaining bipartisan support on the state legislature’s Commerce Committee for a measure that would reduce the cost of many public works projects to towns throughout Connecticut.

The measure, an amendment to a related bill, would exempt public works projects costing $1 million or less from the state’s prevailing wage law, which currently requires the prevailing wage to be paid on any projects over $400,000.

“The state mandate that currently requires anyone working on a public works project that costs more than $400,000 to be paid the prevailing wage significantly increases the costs of small projects to towns like Watertown and Woodbury,” Representative Williams said.

“Local elected officials have been asking us to reform this law for years,” Representative Williams said. “The result of legislative inaction is that towns either postpone badly-needed projects for years or go ahead with them at a significantly increased cost and add to the burden local property taxpayers are forced to bear.”

Representative Williams also noted that the threshold for the prevailing wage to apply to municipal projects has not been increased in many years and is long past due.

“Real property tax reform means reducing spending,” Representative Williams said. “If this measure passes the state legislature this year, it will help towns achieve that goal.”

The Commerce Committee approved Representative Williams’ amendment on a 10 – 6 vote, with several Democrats siding with Williams and his Republican colleagues to provide the margin it needed to pass.

The amended bill will now head to other legislative committees for review and possible action, Representative Williams said.