[T]he Vermont Senate approved the capital construction bill on a roll call vote of 28-0 Friday.
At the 11th hour, the Senate tacked on an amendment that ties the wages for construction workers on state projects to the “prevailing wage,” as determined by the Vermont Department of Labor.
Under the Senate bill, construction workers on state projects will receive hourly rates based on the Vermont prevailing wage and fringe benefits, including paid vacations and sick leave.
The Senate Institutions Committee had removed a section from the House bill that would have brought wages for state projects in line with the federal standard, under the Davis-Bacon Act.
The prevailing wage amendment section came together early Friday afternoon, shortly before the final approval of the bill.
H.492 is expected to go to a committee of conference early next week.
Sen. Peg Flory, R-Rutland, chair of the Institutions Committee, said the House version of the prevailing wage section would cost the state an estimated $4.5 million. That expense, she said, would have left “jobs undone, construction undone.”
Flory described the amendment as “a decent compromise,” because it would cost the state less. The Joint Fiscal Office estimates the Senate proposal has a $1.5 million pricetag.
Sen. Becca Balint, D-Windham, a member of the Institutions Committee, said until Friday it was unclear whether a prevailing wage amendment would be approved by the Senate. The absence of Sen. Norm McAllister, R-Franklin, she said, made it possible for the vote to pass. McAllister was arrested Thursday on charges of sexual assault.
The prevailing wage section of the bill was popular in the House, where lawmakers struck down a floor amendment to remove it. But the Senate was slow to adopt the section, airing concerns about the cost as well as the impact on small contractors in the Vermont.
“There was real concern from some of the committee members that we just didn’t have the money this year,” Balint said.
The two-year capital bill funds bonded state infrastructure projects. The capital bill as passed by the Senate totals $157.2 million. The bill authorizes the State Treasurer’s Office to issue $144 million in 20-year bonds.
Flory estimated that about 25 percent of the capital bill for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 is for costs that would normally be covered in the general fund budget, including several state IT projects.
The Senate capital bill includes $2 million less than the House bill for the Agency of Human Services’ “integrated eligibility” IT project, which will manage state benefits programs.
It also sets aside $5.75 million over the next two years to help the judiciary branch establish an electronic case management system.
