Pair of Labor & Commerce Bills Pass Legislature

(Juneau) - The Alaska Legislature passed tonight passed a pair of business-related bills.

The engine of commerce in the state needs to come in every once in a while to take a look under the hood and make sure all the gears and pistons are working right.
~ Rep. Kurt Olson

The Alaska Senate passed House Bills 13 and 155, which modernize sections of state law relating to Workers' Compensation and prevailing wages, respectively.

"The engine of commerce in the state needs to come in every once in a while to take a look under the hood and make sure all the gears and pistons are working right," Labor & Commerce Committee Chair Kurt Olson, R-Kenai, said. "The bills we passed today will help Alaska businesses large and small."

HB 13 replaces the outdated 2004 fee schedule extension held in place by emergency regulation after a new plan wasn't adopted by the 26th Alaska Legislature. HB 13 proposes a full fee schedule again be established which would include the procedure codes that have been adopted since the 2004 schedule was enacted, as well as new category II and III codes following the American Medical Association and Health Care Procedure Coding System.

HB 155 raises the prevailing wage threshold in Alaska for public construction contracts for the first time since 1959. The current threshold, which mandates prevailing wages - or Little Davis Bacon Wages - be paid to employees working on public construction contracts over $2,000, is based on the federal Davis Bacon threshold set in 1935. HB 155 raises it to $25,000 after careful negotiations between committee members and stakeholders from the trades, construction industry and local government advocacy groups.

The bills now head to the governor for signature.