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Witnesses urge full funding for BOLI in public hearing on HB 5015 to tackle backlogs and wage theft
Summary
Dozens of labor, business and agency witnesses told the Transportation and Economic Development Committee that House Bill 5015 should be fully funded to reduce a backlog of wage and civil‑rights claims, strengthen apprenticeship oversight and enforce prevailing‑wage law.
The Transportation and Economic Development Committee opened a public hearing on House Bill 5015, the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) budget bill, and heard hours of testimony urging the committee to fully fund the governor's recommended and agency‑requested budgets to reduce backlogs, hire investigators and support apprenticeship and prevailing‑wage enforcement.
Supporters told the committee that delays in investigating wage theft and civil‑rights complaints are harming workers who depend on timely pay and protections. "We need more people," said Angela Hastings Court, an administrative specialist 2 at the Bureau of Labor and Industries, describing how staff shortages divert employees from investigations to answering basic inquiries.
The testimony drew broad backing from labor unions, apprenticeship groups and many contractors. "I'm here really to testify in support of the governor's recommended budget and ask the committee to fully fund the full agency request budget…
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