Wisconsin’s construction industry spent $1.46 million lobbying in 2023

The Wisconsin construction industry spent more than $1.46 million and 5,061 hours combined influencing state lawmakers during the 2023 legislative session, statistics from the Wisconsin Election Commission tracker website showed.

The top spender was the Aggregate Producers of Wisconsin (APW), which lobbied for quarry language in Wisconsin Act 12, the shared revenue bill that allowed a sales tax for Milwaukee and funding for towns and cities across the state. Since January 2023, the association spent $180,481 on lobbying efforts. Aggregate lobbyists also spent around 256 hours talking to elected officials.

The provision will limit how cities and towns control when quarries extract or process materials for nighttime transportation construction. APW representatives said most highway work is done at night, and trucking materials to sites is more difficult with fewer quarries available for nighttime hauling.

The Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin spent $158,696 and 1,604 hours this legislative session. The Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association spent $147,766 and 843 hours influencing lawmakers.

ABC spent most of its time in opposition to a proposal for the state adopt building standards from the 2021 International Code Council, said John Schulze, the association’s political and legal director. ABC also negotiated a request for proposal process for the $500 million legislation to repair and improve American Family Field in Milwaukee, he added.

Steve Baas, the head of the WTBA in Madison, said his organization’s biggest priority in 2023 was increasing the state transportation fund in the 2023-25 state budget. The latest budget included $965 million available for road projects, dedicated sales taxes from electrical vehicle sales and “right-sizing” alternative fuel vehicle registration fees, he added.

The latest budget also had one-time funding, like $400 million in state funds that put together the winning application for the billion-dollar Blatnik Bridge project, Baas explained. In January, the federal government announced more than $1 billion to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin.

WTBA also worked with WisDOT and utilities to compensate contractors who run into delays due to utility lines. Late last year, Gov. Tony Evers signed the bill into law.

With the legislative session almost over, Baas said his group “will soon shift to focus more on educating the public and lawmakers alike about the critical needs within the state transportation system and the possible ways to provide the sufficient, sustainable revenue necessary to keep our roads safe and our economy strong.”

Here’s the list of organizations and how much time and money they spent lobbying, starting with the most cash spent.

• Aggregate Producers of Wisconsin – $180,481, 256 hours
• Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin – $158,696, 1,601 hours
• Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association – $147,766, 843 hours
• Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin – $96,000, 188 hours
• American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin – $93,347, 351 hours
• International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139 – $84,000, 249 hours
• Miron Construction Co. – $84,000, 112 hours
• Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association – $78,000, 118 hours
• JF Ahern Co. – $66,919, 114 hours
• Construction Business Group – $60,000, 155 hours
• Wisconsin Builders Association – $56,642, 192 hours
• Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Workers Local Union 18 – $49,060, 75 hours
• Wisconsin Laborers District Council – $49,060, 94 hours
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction Electrician Local Unions – $48,925, 156 hours
• Iron Workers District Council of the North Central States – $37,060, 51 hours
• Plumbers Local 75 – $37,060, 99 hours
• Mechanical Contractors Association of Wisconsin – $36,557, 221 hours
• National Electrical Contractors Association – Wisconsin Chapter – $36,000, 10 hours
• HNTB Corp. – $31,916, 69 hours
• Ruedebusch Development & Construction – $30,000, 104 hours.