Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Neutrality in State Government Contracting (H.B. 985), which ensures Texas’ entire skilled construction workforce–96% of which does not belong to a labor union–can compete on a level playing field for public works contracts to build projects utilizing state funding or credit. The law, introduced by Rep. Tan Parker and sponsored by Sen. Kelly Hancock, prohibits project labor agreements from being mandated on certain taxpayer-funded construction projects.
Based on the latest data available from the Census Bureau, state and local governments in Texas spent more money on public construction projects than any other state in 2017.
With the signing of H.B. 985, Texas joins Kentucky in having passed legislation in 2019 protecting fair and open competition on taxpayer-funded construction projects, bringing the total number of states with similar statutes on the books to 25. The Texas legislature meets every other year, ensuring that the law will be in place through at least the 2020 elections.
