Substitute Senate Bill No. 1123, known as Public Act No. 23-175, is an act that amends the codification of prevailing wage contract rates. The bill specifically revises subsection (d) of section 31-53 of the general statutes, effective July 1, 2023. The amendment involves the adoption of prevailing wage rates and the determination of payments, contributions, and member benefits for employee welfare funds, which include health, pension, annuity, and apprenticeship funds. These rates and benefits are to be established based on collective bargaining agreements or understandings between employers or employer associations and bona fide labor organizations for the same work in the same trade or occupation in the town where the public works project is to be performed.

The bill introduces new legal language and removes some existing provisions. The term "public" is inserted to replace "building, heavy or highway," thus broadening the scope of the projects covered by the prevailing wage determinations. Additionally, the phrase "as defined in section 31-56a" is inserted to clarify the definition of public works projects. The bill also deletes the reference to "residential project rates," indicating a change in how prevailing wage rates are determined for certain types of projects. In cases where there is no collective bargaining agreement in effect for the town in which the public works project is being constructed, the Labor Commissioner is directed to adopt prevailing wage rate determinations made by the Secretary of Labor of the United States under the Davis-Bacon Act. The act was approved on June 27, 2023.