News
L&I: Changes for prime contractors & awarding agencies coming soon
Beginning in early October, prime contractors and awarding agencies must first select the contract type when starting a project within your Prevailing Wage Intent & Affidavit (PWIA) system or Awarding Agency Portal. The contract type selected will determine the effective date for prevailing wage rate
Posted on 10/08/2019
Initiative 976 cuts transportation dollars across the state
AGC is opposing Initiative 976, popularly known as Tim Eyman’s $30 car tabs initiative. Among AGC’s many concerns about the measure is its elimination of Transportation Benefit Districts, mechanisms that local governments use to fund road projects.
Posted on 09/20/2019
AGC Board votes to oppose Initiative 976
AGC’s Board of Trustees voted Monday to oppose Initiative 976, which would eliminate billions in transportation spending. AGC’s’ Government Affairs Committee had previously met to discuss the initiative and to make an “oppose” recommendation to the Board.
Posted on 09/10/2019
WSDOT: State transportation system “on a glidepath to failure”
At a Sept. 19 meeting of the Joint Transportation Committee, WSDOT Deputy Secretary Keith Metcalf told legislators, “Our state transportation system is on a glidepath to failure."
Posted on 09/20/2019
L&I proposes small decrease in workers’ comp premium rates
The price of workers’ compensation insurance in Washington would drop for the third year in a row under a proposal by L&I. L&I proposed a 0.8% decrease in the average premium that employers would pay for the coverage in 2020.
Posted on 09/20/2019
Changes to paid sick leave for unionized construction workers
Very little reporting has focused on a new law, signed by Governor Inslee on April 30, 2019, that significantly changes the Paid Sick Leave Law (RCW 49.46.210) for construction workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
Posted on 08/21/2019
Public Works Board approves $85M in infrastructure loans
From a domestic water project in Spokane to a sewer project in Westport, the Washington State Public Works Board has awarded over $85 million in loans for pre-construction and construction activities for thirty projects across the state.
Posted on 08/07/2019
New Buy American Act executive order ups the ante on domestic preferences
As anticipated, the Trump Administration has continued to build on its emphasis for domestic preference requirements on projects that are subject to the Buy American Act
Posted on 07/25/2019
New pay-equity legislation bars employers from seeking applicant’s wage and salary history
In 2018, Washington State joined the ranks of states enacting expanded legislation designed to achieve gender-based pay equity when it enacted the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (the “EPOA”).
Posted on 07/15/2019
Max Kuney calls for highway trust-fund fix
Senate hearing begins FAST Act reauthorization effort
Posted on 07/12/2019
Pierce Transit to hold open house for GC/CM project
Pierce Transit is holding an open house on August 13, requesting industry comments on its upcoming Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the 14.4-mile Pacific Avenue/State Route 7 Corridor from Downtown to Tacoma Dome Station to Spanaway.
Posted on 07/11/2019
Help improve new mandatory certified-payroll system
Beginning January 1, 2020, all businesses are required to submit certified payroll reports at least once a month to L&I.
Posted on 06/18/2019
U.S. House panel approves multiemployer pension reforms
AGC of America reports that last week the House Committee on Education and Labor approved the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act (more commonly known as the Butch Lewis Act) which provides low-interest loans to troubled plans to allow them to pay benefits.
Posted on 06/18/2019
Recap of $1B+ in new taxes passed by the Legislature
During this year’s legislative session, the Washington State Legislature passed several tax bills that will increase total revenues by $1.1 billion.
Posted on 06/18/2019
L&I announces new draft overtime rule with salary threshold of $80K
L&I formally announced a new draft overtime rule that would raise the threshold for overtime-exempt employees to nearly $80,000 by 2026. If the rule is adopted, employers will need to pay salaried employees at least that amount or convert them to hourly workers, in essence creating a new super minimum wage.
Posted on 06/18/2019
New tool to verify correct workers-comp risk classifications
Contractors now have the ability to verify that they have the correct workers’ compensation risk classifications when bidding and reporting work performed on public works projects.
Posted on 06/04/2019
Online training on prevailing wage now available
Contractors can now access online training through their Prevailing Wage Intent & Affidavit portal to learn about prevailing wage and public-works projects, plus meet the new training requirement.
Posted on 06/04/2019
WSDOT prepares mandatory small biz and veteran goals as mentor-protégé program enters evaluation phase
WSDOT has concluded the drafting of rules establishing mandatory subcontracting goals for small businesses and veterans.
Posted on 06/03/2019
Legislature reinstates affirmative action with the passing of I-1000
During the final hours of the past legislative session, the Legislature passed I-1000, an initiative amending the previously enacted I-200, which banned affirmative action efforts in Washington.
Posted on 05/20/2019
AGCW announces updated standard subcontract form
AGC of Washington's standard subcontract form is one of the most widely used subcontract forms in Washington. As the form was last updated ten years ago in 2009, the AGC of Washington Legal Affairs Committee decided to update the form and make appropriate revisions based on feedback from members and recent developments in the law.
Posted on 05/20/2019
Condo liability reform legislation signed into law
On April 30, the Governor signed condo liability reform legislation, SB 5334, which is intended to revise overreaching condo warranty liability from the 1990s and allow for more new condo construction.
Posted on 05/06/2019
L&I announces improvements to prevailing-wage online system
L&I recently announced that prime contractors and awarding agencies can quickly message each other and/or L&I about a project within their Prevailing Wage Intent & Affidavit (PWIA) system or Awarding Agency Portal. These features will help keep everyone in the loop, save time, and minimize phone calls by keeping project conversations in one spot.
Posted on 05/06/2019
Prevailing-wage changes: Increased penalties, greater enforcement, certified payrolls, cut fees, expanded coverage
The Legislature just passed several measures impacting the state’s prevailing-wage program. AGC members are encouraged to become familiar with this information -- particularly the increased penalties and enforcement!
Posted on 05/06/2019
Capital budget: Nearly $5 billion for schools, universities, cleanups and housing
The Legislature passed a $4.9-billion 2019-2021 capital budget shortly before adjournment of the Legislature. The total includes $3.2 billion from proceeds of state general-obligation bonds. This is a significant increase over the previous biennial capital budget, which totaled $4.4 billion.
Posted on 04/30/2019
Operating budget: New taxes, big spending
A billion dollars in new taxes and an 18 percent increase in spending are highlights of the state biennial budget passed by the Legislature Sunday night, just 15 minutes before a midnight deadline to adjourn.