Efforts to pass a worker misclassification bill are moving forward after what was called "the big stakeholders meeting" on Monday. Sen. John Carona, Chairman of the Senate...
A lawmaker from Dallas wants cities to be barred from requiring contractors to pay a "living wage" when awarding incentive packages. The Austin American Statesman reports:State...
March 04, 2013
Following last week's filing of a worker misclassfication bill in the Senate, Representative John Davis, R-Houston today filed his own version in the House. The Texas Construction...
February 27, 2013
For 140 days every two years, lawmakers, their staffs, armies of lobbyists, activists, journalists, and others descend on the Texas Capitol for the regular session of the legislature. What some call lawmaking could just as easily, and perhaps more accurately, be named "bill-killing." That's because, as one insider recently put it to me: "That system is designed to kill things, not pass them." The legislative issue we're watching most closely at Construction Citizen is worker misclassification. The problem, sometimes called "payroll fraud", has been a real scourge in the construction industry. University of Texas researchers recently found that more than 40 percent of the workforce is misclassified and there are now competing visions for how the state might address this.
February 25, 2013
To call Exxon's Project Delta and the Springwoods Village that goes with it "huge" or "massive" or "enormous" would all be understatements. I'm not sure I've seen so many...
February 22, 2013
After talking about it for months, Sen. John Carona filed a bill that he believes will help stop the problem of worker misclassification, also known as payroll fraud.The bill...
February 21, 2013
One of the trends we've been watching closely at Construction Citizen is the shift in attitudes when it comes to the "college for all" mentality that has dominated public policy in recent decades. Now, a plan in support of that shift is picking up steam at the Texas Legislature. Workforce Commissioner Tom Pauken, who has been sounding the alarm about the need for more skilled workers, says the plan "is clearly going to pass the House. There's a recognition in the importance of multiple pathways to a high school diploma and the value of career and technical education." While Pauken believes the plan will pass the House of Representatives, there may be more of a fight in the Texas Senate. If it passes both houses and Governor Perry signs it, "We're going to be saving a lot of kids who would otherwise drop out of school," Pauken said.
February 14, 2013
We've been telling you about the push in Austin to bring balance to the Texas education system. Many feel there's too much emphasis on sending every single student to college and...
February 13, 2013
Lawmakers who are still gearing up for the real business of the 83rd Texas Legislature got an earful from construction executives from around the state on TCA’s lobby day. The...
February 05, 2013
Researchers at the University of Texas back up what we've been saying at Construction Citizen for years: far too many construction workers in Texas are the victims of payroll fraud.They released a study this morning in Austin called “Build a Better Texas”.Download the 74-page report: Build a Better Texas.Among the study's findings:Wage theft results in lost tax revenue: at least $117 million in lost wages and $8.8 million in lost sales tax revenue impact cash-strapped state and local governments.Texas construction workers are forced to fall back on public safety nets to support their families. Low wages and wage theft contribute to economic instability for construction workers and their families. Fifty-two percent of Texas construction workers report that they were unable to meet the basic needs of their family at some point.
January 29, 2013
