WK6  2001 
Report to the People
By:
State Senator Ernie Harris
In my last column, I reported that certain interim committees and commissions are not currently meeting. While these joint House-Senate Committees are still not meeting, there are certain statutory committees that are meeting and dealing with important issues. One such committee is the Program Review and Investigations Committee, which recently met and improved a very important study.

As a member of that committee, I was happy to vote for a study on Kentucky's prevailing wage law. The prevailing wage law was passed in 1996 and it applies to all public construction projects. The law requires local governments to pay wage rates for construction projects similar to union rates on work in surrounding counties on all projects costing more than $250,000.

There is conflicting documentation concerning the impact of this law. Some studies say it increases the cost of public construction projects; others say just the opposite. It's time we get a definitive answer on whether or not this law increases the cost of public construction projects.

One important aspect of this study is it will seek direct input from school superintendents to determine the impact the law is having on the construction of schools. It will also include a review of the method of calculation of the prevailing wage to see if some areas are being adversely affected by the law, especially communities along the state's borders.

Since that Committee meeting, I have spoken to every superintendent in my senatorial district. To a person, each one has said prevailing wage has increased school construction projects from anywhere to 10 percent to as much as 20 percent. Some school districts have had to delay or even cancel construction plans.

I believe this study will be one of the most important issues addressed over the next year. It is especially important to our communities because all of the counties in my district have experienced significant population growth. With more and more people moving into our communities, there will be more children attending our schools, meaning newer facilities and more classrooms. If prevailing wage has indeed increased construction costs, it means our school systems will be even harder pressed to meet these new demands.

As always, I encourage you to contact me on any issue confronting Kentucky. You can call and leave me a message at 1-800-372-7181. Or you can contact me at home. My number is 502-241-2821. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
 
Current  Newsletter          HOME