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| Welcome to Construction Business Group's Industry Updates. This monthly e-newsletter will help us communicate the important initiatives that we have underway and relevant updates on issues that impact Wisconsin's construction industry. |
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Message from Executive Director
Robb Kahl
FINALLY! An Administration That Gets It
On February 6-7, 2019, Construction Business Group hosted its 3rd Annual Winter Conference at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. Nearly 150 building trade professionals, contractor association staff, contractor executives, utility representatives and government officials attended the two-day conference.
We had an amazing line-up of speakers and topics. Governor Tony Evers spoke about his vision for Wisconsin, and WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson gave the crowd his transportation funding outlook. DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman opened the conference with insight into plans for reprioritizing enforcement at the DWD. Attorney General Josh Kaul participated in a panel discussion with other notable guests on combatting payroll fraud in the construction industry, a growing problem that makes it hard for law-abiding signatory contractors to fairly compete for work.
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Building Wisconsin Together
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Industry News and Updates
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| SAVE THE DATE! 2019 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS' MEMORIAL SERVICE April 25, 2019 - 4:00 p.m. St. Patrick's Church 404 E. Main St., Madison, WI 53703 Hardhat Processional Monona Terrace Lineup at 3:30 p.m. Processional Begins at 3:45 p.m. Hosted by: Wisconsin State Building Trades Council and Construction Business Group
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Governor Announces Transportation Stakeholder Task Force
Governor Evers announced the membership of the Transportation Stakeholder Task Force and directed this ad hoc group to "find responsible, bipartisan solutions to address Wisconsin's transportation challenges." The members are:
- Tom Bressner, Wisconsin Agribusiness Association
- Donna Brown-Martin, Milwaukee County Dept. of Transportation
- Andrew Davis, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
- Jonathan Delagrave, Racine County Executive
- Jerry Deschane, League of Wisconsin Municipalities
- Carrie Diamond, Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources
- Dan Fedderly, Wisconsin County Highway Association
- Dean Haen, Wisconsin Commercial Ports Association
- Tim Hanna, City of Appleton Mayor
- State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay)
- Jim Holte, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation
- Sheldon Johnson, Northwest Regional Planning Commission
- Tracy Johnson, Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin
- Robb Kahl, Construction Business Group
- Chris Klein, American Council of Engineering Companies
- Jeff Knight, Association of Wisconsin Tourism Attractions
- Mike Koles, Wisconsin Towns Association
- State Representative Debra Kolste (D-Janseville)
- State Representative Bob Kulp (R-Stratford)
- Ken Lucht, Wisconsin & Southern Railroad
- State Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green)
- Ashwat Narayanan, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin
- Mark O'Connell, Wisconsin Counties Association
- John Parkyn, Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers
- State Senator Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon)
- Doug Rebout, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association
- Steve Rhode, Schneider National
- Patrick Sake, City Brewery
- Henry Schienebeck, Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association
- Dave Schlabowske, Wisconsin Bicycle Federation
- John Schmitt, Wisconsin Laborers District Council
- Abe Weber, Wisconsin Airport Managers Association
- Jeremy Wesso, Menominee County
- Curt Witynski, League of Wisconsin Municipalities
Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson will serve as the Task Force Chair. Hopefully, this bipartisan committee can fulfill its mission and we anxiously await their recommendations.
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2018 Unemployment Insurance (UI) Reserve Fund Report
Employer payroll taxes collected under the Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance (UI) law are deposited in the UI Reserve Fund. These tax receipts may only be used to pay benefits to unemployed workers.
Recently, the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council received a year-end report on the UI Reserve Fund. The highlights are:
- $375.9 million in UI benefits were paid out in 2018 - down 7.9% from the previous year;
- UI tax receipts in 2018 were $592.1 million - down 13.2% from the previous year; and
- UI Reserve Fund balance at the close of 2018 was $1.73 billion - an increase of 17.6% from the previous year.
The overall condition of UI Reserve Fund is a factor that is used to determine the amount of UI taxes paid by Wisconsin employers. The historically high balance in this fund benefits employers.
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Fatal Worker Injuries Remain Consistent in Wisconsin in 2017
Every year, the federal Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the United States during the calendar year. State, federal, and independent data sources are used to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries.
Recently, the 2017 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries was published. The noteworthy findings were:
- There were 106 Wisconsin workers who died while on the job and the state's overall fatality rate dropped slightly to 3.5 deaths per 100,000 full-time workers - on par with the national fatality rate;
- 96 of the work-related deaths occurred within private industry and nearly all the fatalities (99) were among male employees;
- Transportation incidents comprised the highest number (35) of fatalities; and
Employees age 65 and over sustained the highest number (29) of fatalities.
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Construction Business Group | 608-240-4170 | www.cbgwi.com
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