JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – One of the shorter pre-filed bills submitted so far calls for a prohibition on prevailing hourly wage to be paid for a tax credit funded project in a disaster area.
Rep. Bill White, R-Joplin, filed HB 1406, which “prohibits the Missouri Housing Development Commission from requiring a prevailing hourly wage to be paid to a contractor on a project for a housing tax credit if it is in a Governor-declared disaster area.”
Missouri’s Prevailing Wage Law establishes a minimum wage rate that must be paid to workers on public works construction projects in Missouri, such as bridges, roads, and government buildings.
Prevailing wage applies to public works projects, including those within the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC).
Missouri’s prevailing wage rates are determined annually based on information provided by contractors, public bodies, labor organizations and other entities through the Contractor’s Wage Survey.
The bill language proposed is as such:
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, for any housing eligible for a housing tax credit, the commission shall not require a prevailing hourly wage to be paid to any contractor for any work performed on such housing if such housing is located in an area declared to be a disaster area by the governor of the state.
White is from Joplin, where one of the most high-profile Governor-declared disaster areas in the state in recent history occurred after a 2011 tornado ravaged the town. However, in the past year, between heavy rains, droughts, and ice, the Governor has repeatedly declared the state a disaster area.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
