Ohio House Bill 153, signed by Governor John Kasich on June 30, 2011 and becoming effective on September 29, 2011, has changed the prevailing wage threshold applicable to public contracts, among other things.Under the new standards, the total overall project cost of construction or reconstruction of public improvement projects will increase yearly over the next three years, raising the prevailing wage compliance trigger to $250,000.00 for new construction and $75,000.00 for reconstruction as of July 2013.
The revised law (ORC 4115.03, 4115.033-05, 4115.13) also removes the prevailing wage requirement from certain projects funded by state bonds and county port authority funds and eases the liabilities of employers who inadvertently underpay employees under certain circumstances.