Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) March 6 signed S.B. 119, which will exempt K-12 and higher education school construction from state prevailing wage requirements beginning immediately.

State prevailing wage laws are wage subsidy requirements administered and enforced by state governments that mandates so-called “prevailing” wages for work performed on state-financed construction projects. Thirty-two states have prevailing wage laws. They hinder economic growth, increase deficits, impose enormous burdens that stifle contractor productivity, ignore skill differences for different jobs, and impose rigid craft work rules.

"We continue to support comprehensive prevailing wage reform; however, absent that reform, this legislation is a step in the right direction.” ABC Nevada Chapter President Mac Bybee. "ABC Nevada Chapter still hopes to work with lawmakers this session to make additional reforms for the construction industry, including banning unfair and discriminatory project labor agreement mandates on taxpayer-funded construction projects and reforming prevailing wage requirements on projects to create a system that is better for the construction industry and provides greater taxpayer accountability."

"Nevada is the first state since Ohio in 1997 to eliminate prevailing wage requirements on school construction,” said Andy Conlin, ABC National director of state and local affairs." In a study by the Ohio Legislative Services Commission conducted five years after the Ohio bill was signed by Gov. George Voinovich, school districts in the state found either an increase or no change in construction quality and that worker wages increased on average in the state. We believe Nevada school districts, taxpayers and craft professionals should expect a similar result."