On May 5, 2011, the Ohio House of Representatives passed H.B.
153, Ohio's main operating budget for fiscal years 2012 and
2013. The current bill contains some key provisions affecting the
public construction industry in the areas of prevailing wage law
and alternative delivery methods.
Prevailing Wage
Under the budget bill, for prevailing wage requirements to
apply, a project must be constructed by a public authority or
constructed for the benefit of a public authority to be considered
a "public improvement project," even if the project uses
or receives financing, grants, or similar support from a public
authority.
The budget bill also increases the prevailing wage thresholds for
both construction and reconstruction on public improvements to $3.5
million (with a biennial adjustment as under current law by the
Department of Commerce) for projects other than roads, sewers,
ditches and other related works. (Threshold levels for road
projects remain the same at
