On Monday, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on my bill to help keep the cost of residential construction low and housing more affordable.
Senate Bill 5759 requires that distinct “prevailing wage” rates be calculated and paid to workers employed in residential construction. SB 5759 emerged after a conversation with a local constituent who was constructing a low-income housing project: only 11 percent of the space was commercial, but he ended up having to pay the commercial prevailing-wage rates on the entire project. This drove up the cost of construction and put the whole project at risk.
SB 5759 would fix this problem and help bring certainty and consistency to prevailing-wage jobs. The end result would make it easier for our construction industry to produce more affordable housing for those in need.