Senate Bill 176 Summary

• Repeals and replaces six sections of Missouri's prevailing wage law (RSMo 290.210, 290.250, 290.260, 290.262, 290.290, and 290.340) relating to public construction projects.

• Redefines "locality" to mean only the county where physical work is performed, removing provisions that allowed use of adjacent counties when insufficient skilled workers were available in the primary county.

• Modifies prevailing wage determination methodology to use U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics median hourly wage estimates when the department cannot determine prevailing wages through wage surveys, eliminating the requirement to consider collective bargaining agreement rates.

• Establishes an arbitration process for wage violations, allowing employers to dispute penalty notices and resolve disputes through arbitration before the department can pursue enforcement action; payment of back wages results in immunity from monetary penalties and other administrative, civil, or criminal actions.

• Removes requirements for contractors to display company identification on vehicles and motorized equipment used in public works projects, and reduces criminal penalties for violations from possible imprisonment to fines only (maximum $500 per violation per day).