West Virginia Senate Bill 361 Adjusts Prevailing Wage Law
The post Prevailing Wage Update for West Virginia Contractors appeared first on this Construction Law Blog. In that post, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals examined the burden upon contractors in determining whether West Virginia’s Prevailing Wage Act applied to public works projects. On March 12, 2015, Governor Tomblin signed Senate Bill 361 which adjusted West Virginia’s calculation of prevailing wages. The Bill went into effect on April 13, 2015. A new calculation of the prevailing wage formula is now required, and WorkForce West Virginia, along with economists from Marshall University and West Virginia University will assist in determining prevailing wage rates. The goal of the bill is to establish a figure more reflective of actual earnings in regions across the state. Senate Bill 361 states that any West Virginia public project under $500,000.00 will be exempt from paying prevailing wages. However, for public projects over $500,000.00, the public entity must obtain from WorkForce West Virginia the minimum rate of wages to be paid to laborers before the public entity can even advertise for bids. The calculation for the new 2015 prevailing wages is expected to be provided by WorkForce West Virginia no later than July 1, 2015.