Dive Brief:

• Less than two weeks after the Indiana Legislature voted to repeal that state’s common construction wage, the Wisconsin Senate on Tuesday started debate on the same issue.

• A hearing on a Republican-backed bill that would do away with the state’s prevailing wage law pitted supporters of the bill, who argued the law ensures quality construction and fair pay, against opponents who claim its repeal would save money.

• The Wisconsin law requires municipalities and the state to pay contractors who work on government-funded projects a wage prescribed by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The wage is based on a formula that considers common wage rates, employee benefits packages and union contracts.

Dive Insight:

The issue is likely to be as contentious in Wisconsin as it was in Indiana. The proposal’s first hearing was packed with contractors, Democrats and union members who want to save the law, and with opponents who favor a free-market approach to setting wages for construction workers.