Committee hears plan to centralize public-works payroll reporting in BOLI portal

House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards members heard testimony Feb. 12 on House Bill 3216, a measure that would require contractors and subcontractors on public works to submit certified payrolls and related project information to a secure electronic portal maintained by the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI).

Committee staff summarized the measure, saying, “House Bill 32 16 requires contractor or subcontractor who is required to report compliance with prevailing wage laws to submit certified statements and reports to the Bureau of Labor Industries by means of electronic portal that BOLI maintains for the purpose of receiving these statements.” The bill also would require BOLI to develop the portal and to report quarterly on progress.

Representative Craig Smith (State Representative, District 57), who sponsored the measure, said HB 3216 is intended to “improve transparency and access to public information related to construction projects” by creating a single clearinghouse for payroll and project records now submitted to multiple public agencies. “One way we can support our workers and contractors is to make sure everyone plays by the same set of rules,” Smith said.

Contractor and labor witnesses told the committee centralization would help contractors, workers and public agencies. Dave Fitzhugh of the Associated Wall and Ceiling Bureau contractors said a statewide portal would provide “transparency, consistency, [and] predictability” and allow earlier identification of problems so they can be corrected before they grow. David Winkler of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades said workers need timely access to wages, benefits and job‑classification information; he noted prevailing wages vary across BOLI’s pay regions and said a single system would help workers “know what to expect.” Scott Anderson of the Operating Engineers emphasized investments in training and said easier access to payroll records would help protect those investments.

Committee members pressed witnesses about data security and BOLI’s capacity to operate a portal. Representative Scharf asked how other states protect individual data and whether personal information would be exposed; witnesses said they did not have technical details on the Washington and California systems and promised to follow up. Members also expressed concern about adding duties to BOLI without commensurate resources; witnesses acknowledged an unfunded portal could create problems and said any implementation plan should include time and funding for the agency.

Witnesses and the sponsor proposed convening a stakeholder work group that would include BOLI, contractors, unions and other affected parties to refine technical and funding questions, and several witnesses suggested the system should be user‑friendly and accessible to the public and to public agencies.

No committee action or vote occurred. The committee closed the HB 3216 hearing and proceeded to the next bill on the agenda.

The hearing record includes stakeholder offers to follow up with written testimony, technical details on portal requirements and a requirement in the bill for BOLI to file quarterly implementation reports.