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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill SB 111 Reestablishes Prevailing Wage Requirements for State Government Construction Contracts
Last action · January 14, 2026: To WorkforceSponsors: Joey Garcia and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Senator Garcia introduced Senate Bill 111 to require contractors on state and local projects to pay prevailing hourly wages determined annually by the Division of Labor. The measure establishes wage determination schedules, objection and appeal procedures, mandatory contract provisions, wage posting rules, and criminal penalties for wage kickbacks or willful violations.
- West Virginia previously operated under a state prevailing wage law until the legislature repealed it during the 2016 regular session. context
- Prevailing wage laws typically require contractors on government-funded construction projects to pay wage rates matching local union or prevailing market scales for similar trades. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
construction contractors and subcontractors
Must pay predetermined prevailing wages, maintain detailed payroll records for three years, post wage rates on site, and include wage specifications in public contracts.
skilled laborers, workmen, and mechanics
Guaranteed payment of no less than the prevailing hourly wage rate on public improvement projects and gain legal recourse to recover underpayments and penalties.
public authorities
Required to ascertain minimum wage schedules from the Commissioner of Labor and incorporate those rates into contract specifications before bidding.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are prevailing wage rates determined?
What happens if a contractor pays workers less than the prevailing wage?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 14, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Workforce
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
- Jan 14, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Workforce then Judiciary
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Restoration of Repealed Law
The bill explicitly restores the Prevailing Wage Law that was repealed in 2016, re-creating the regulatory framework for state public works projects.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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