Construction industry spends more than $2.9M on lobbying efforts

A Wisconsin contractor association spent the most time and money lobbying state lawmakers in the 2021-22 Wisconsin legislative session, data from the Wisconsin Ethics Commission showed.

The Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin spent $333,107 advocating for certain bills in the Legislature, more than any other construction group from January of 2021 to December of 2022, commission data showed. A mostly non-union group, the association spent 3,129 hours in attempts to influence legislators in Madison.

A total of 30 construction industry groups spent more than $2.9 million combined and clocked a total of 11,158 hours during the 2022-21 legislative session, ethics commission data showed. Lobbyists representing trade associations, labor unions and construction businesses covered a wide range of proposals that would affect the construction industry.

The contractor association rallied behind creating an exemption for the commercial building approval process, a tax break for apprenticeship tuition and waiving some rules preventing contractors from taking on bigger jobs without proof they’ve worked on projects 50% as large or valuable. Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the first two proposals and the last one didn’t make it past the state Senate.

Following ABC were the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association and contractor Miron Construction, contributed $297,300 and $168,000, respectively, through the past two years, commission data showed. The transportation builders supported a bill to flatten the state income tax and the Neenah-based contractor aided the apprenticeship tax credit proposal.

In 2021, union-backed group Wisconsin Infrastructure Investment Now spent more than $200,000 advocating for projects like the Interstate 94 East-West reconstruction in Milwaukee and a report for local workers to build large solar farms.

Wisconsin Construction lobbying and how much time and money they spent on their efforts:

• Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin: $333,107, 3129 hours
• Wisconsin Transportation Builders $297,300, 702 hours
• Miron Construction: $168,000, 162 hours
• Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin: $160,000, 242 hours
• Aggregate Producers of Wisconsin: $156,272, 365 hours
• Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association: $156,000, 314 hours
• International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139: $136,000, 383 hours
• American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin: $132,995, 591 hours
• Foth & Van Dyke LLC: $129,384, 307 hours
• Wisconsin Builders Association: $123,981, 396 hours
• Construction Business Group: $120,184, 173 hours
• North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters: $110,604, 636 hours
• Hoffman Construction: $105,000, 108 hours
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction Electrician Local Unions: $72,875, 241 hours
• Iron Workers District Council of the North Central States: $72,875, 86 hours
• Plumbers Local 75: $72,875, 120 hours
• Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Workers Local Union 18: $72,875, 151 hours
• Wisconsin Laborers District Council: $72,875, 131 hours
• Mechanical Contractors Association of Wisconsin: $70,821, 560 hours
• County Materials Corp: $60,000, 66 hours
• J.F. Ahern Co.: $51,504, 238 hours
• HNTB Corp.: $49,910, 95 hours
• Wisconsin Precast Concrete Association: $49,032, 171 hours
• Mortenson Construction: $48,510, 221 hours
• Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association: $36,036, 171 hours
• Madison Area Builders Association: $25,540, 231 hours
• Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association of Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin Inc.: $17,163, 551 hours
• Plumbing Heating and Cooling Contractors-Wisconsin: $10,175, 40 hours
• Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ Association of Milwaukee: $8,514, 555 hours
• Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee: $460, 22 hours