CURRENT TOPICS AND BILLS

During the 2018 Legislative Session, MCAWW was focused on a number of bills affecting our members and industry, including bills regarding business taxes, labor, construction, safety, apprenticeship and public works. 

2018 Legislative Session

The last day of the 2018 Legislative session was March 8.  Below is a summary of some of the bills that MCAWW monitored: 

• SB 6090 – this bill establishes a $4.3M capital budget for the 2017-2019 biennium.  It passed the Legislature and was signed into law by Governor Inslee.  The capital budget provides funding for major construction and renovation of public facilities, including schools and universities, state parks, and mental health care facilities. Passed

• HB 1849 – this bill provides for better monitoring of apprenticeship utilization requirements, as well as authorizing monetary incentives and disincentives for compliance.  Under the bill, no subcontractor can be required to provide more than 15% apprentice hours on one project but may voluntarily do so. Passed

• SB 5493 – this bill provides that the prevailing wage will be set – in most cases – by looking to the applicable collective bargaining agreement for the trade and geographic area. Passed

• HB 1672 – this bill tolls the statute of limitations for the filing of a wage claim until after the Department of Labor and Industries has made a prevailing wage determination. Passed

• HB 1673 – this bill adds training on public works and prevailing wage requirements to responsible bidder criteria.  There is a “grandfather clause” in the bill which exempts most contractors who are experienced in public works. Passed

• HB 1851 – this bill would have place certain requirements on public agencies when they seek to contract out to the private sector for “services.”  The bill was broad enough to include plumbing, HVAC and electrical services. Did not pass

We also monitored a number of tax bills: capital gains (HB 2967), carbon pollution (SB 6203), transportation fuels (HB 2338), and a B&O tax (HB 2940). These bills did not pass.

Bills Passed Into Law

• SB 6090 (Capital Budget)
• HB 1849 (Apprenticeship Utilization)
• SB 5493 (Prevailing Wage/CBA)
• SB 1672 (Prevailing Wage/Statute of Limitations)
• SB 1673 (Prevailing Wage/Training)