CHARLESTON, W.Va. – House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, today issued the following statement in response to the House of Delegates’ passage of House Bill 4005, which repeals the state’s prevailing wage laws:
“This is a win for West Virginia taxpayers and our state’s economy. We must remember: every dollar spent by government is a dollar taken from our hard-working taxpayers, and we as lawmakers must work to ensure their money is spent wisely.
“While some sought to delay the implementation of this bill, with the current budget situation, there is an urgency to act in a manner that ensures the most efficient use of taxpayer funds. There is a great deal of evidence, based on prior studies and the information collected in 2015 during the period in which prevailing wage was not in effect, to support the need to take this step.
“By ensuring that workers on publicly-funded projects are paid fair, market-based wages commensurate with those paid on private-sector projects, we will free up resources to complete additional state projects – meaning more schools and more water and sewer projects – which will lead to more jobs overall.”
The bill passed 55-44 following more than three hours of debate. The bill moves on to the Senate for further consideration.