The Assembly lawmaker who is calling for a repeal of the wage said he scheduled the hearing and a committee vote this week so the measure can be included in the state budget.
The Assembly Labor Committee approved the measure on Wednesday in a 5-4 vote.
Democratic Rep. Corey Mason of Racine noted the public hearing was announced with little notice after a holiday.
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“This is about cramming a very controversial bill through as fast as possible,” he said.
The proposal would repeal a law that requires construction workers on certain government projects be paid wages equivalent to what they would earn working on other projects in the area. Supporters of the bill say not having a set wage would save schools and local governments money. Opponents say savings aren’t a given and that lower pay could jeopardize the quality of projects.
Republican leaders in both the Senate and Assembly have said they don’t have the votes to repeal it, and they instead are working on making changes to the law.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally an Associated Press story. It has since been updated with original reporting.
It has also been updated following the passage of the repeal in the Assembly Labor Committee.
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