Questions linger about state’s new single-prime system
Even though the state’s new single-prime contracting system of managing construction projects has taken effect, industry officials say some fundamental questions still need answers.
View ArticleInterest low for unemployment insurance rule changes
A labor lawyer is predicting no one will attend a hearing Tuesday on state rule changes that could cause construction companies and other employers to lose their business licenses.
View ArticleReport: Change would save contractors $20M a year (UPDATE)
The leader of the Wisconsin Senate is expecting the state’s budget committee will decide the fate of a provision now predicted to reduce construction companies’ sales taxes by $20 million a year.
View ArticleBills seek tweak to construction lien laws
A proposed change to the way construction lien laws apply to commercial projects is pitting subcontractors against general contractors.
View ArticleConstruction-industry reps regret lack of progress in 2015 session
Construction industry representatives considering the recently concluded legislative session say they wish they could have given contractors more help where it counts: in their pocketbooks.
View ArticleGrants for green engines slip away from industry
Minnesota officials are moving toward offering grants to help construction companies make their equipment run cleaner while those in Wisconsin are stepping away from offering similar help.
View ArticleCases expose bidding law loophole
A series of disputes involving alleged bidding irregularities has representatives of the construction industry wondering if state laws might be due for a housecleaning.
View ArticleNumbers don’t show state slowing projects
Accusations have been common in recent months that officials in Gov. Scott Walker’s administration are delaying construction projects to make the state’s budget numbers look better.
View ArticleIndustry wary of changes to benefit system
Construction industry representatives are taking defensive positions as state policymakers prepare to solicit advice on possible changes to Wisconsin’s system of paying out unemployment benefits.
View ArticleRight-to-work rumblings growing in Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker's contention that a right-to-work proposal would be a “huge distraction” from his efforts to create jobs has not prevented business groups from tabbing the legislation as a priority.
View ArticleSales-tax exemption still a construction priority
With the start of the state Legislature’s new session, construction industry representatives are preparing to bang their heads against an old wall: getting sales-tax exemptions when buying building...
View ArticleContractor responsibility rules raise industry concerns
Minnesota’s Responsible Contractor Act has been in effect only since Jan. 1, but some industry advocates already are saying they don’t like what they see.
View ArticleGroups call for prevailing wage repeal
Support for changing Wisconsin’s prevailing wage is mounting.
View ArticleTax breaks coming, but not for all
Come June 30, most Wisconsin employers are likely to get a break on the taxes they pay for unemployment benefits, a change projected to save them about $97 million a year.
View ArticleGovernor’s veto pen hovers over sales tax exemption
After years of trying, construction groups have managed to get a long-sought tax exemption for certain construction materials to the goal line. Now they are just hoping that Gov. Scott Walker will help...
View ArticleHope springs eternal for vetoed tax breaks
An industry advocate says he remains hopeful that lawmakers will pass a long-sought tax break for contractors later this year, even though Gov. Scott Walker vetoed the provision from the state’s budget.
View ArticleGovernment to the rescue: What can elected officials really do to stem labor...
When contractors talk about possible remedies of the industry’s labor shortfall, government intervention seldom makes the top of the list.
View ArticlePanel unanimously approves building materials tax exemption (UPDATE)
The state's Joint Finance Committee voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of a bill that would prevent contractors from having to pay sales and use taxes on materials bought for certain school, local...
View ArticleWalker signs tax-exemption bill
Come Jan. 1, contractors will no longer have to pay sales and use taxes on materials bought for various sorts of tax-exempt owners.
View ArticleAGC of Wisconsin drops in-house lobbyist
One of the largest contractors associations in the state has decided to take a different direction with its lobbying work, and in doing so has dropped its in-house lobbyist.
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