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HB 6141

Public utilities: electric utilities; project labor agreements; require for certain data center contracts. TIE BAR WITH: HB 6135'26, HB 6140'26, HB 6137'26, HB 6138'26, HB 6142'26, HB 6139'26

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Joey Andrews and 27 co-sponsors

The bill would require project labor agreements or collective bargaining agreements for all construction work on electric utility–funded data center projects in Michigan.

bill electronically reproduced 06/25/2026
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Bill Summary · HB 6141

Overview

HB 6141 (2025-2026) from Michigan would amend 1939 PA 3 to require project labor agreements (PLAs) or collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) for certain construction work on data center contracts with electric utilities. The bill ties its effective date to the passage of several related bills. If enacted, the measure would condition approval of utility contracts, tariffs, discounts, or rates with qualified data centers on the construction/maintenance work being performed under a PLA or CBA.

Purpose and intent

  • Ensure that data center construction/maintenance projects funded or contracted by electric utilities use labor agreements that set terms for the work, aiming to promote labor stability, safety, and orderly project delivery.
  • Create a defined framework for how labor agreements must operate on these projects, including obligations for all contractors and subcontractors and protections against work stoppages.

Key provisions

  • Section 10kk (new): Requires the Michigan Public Service Commission (the commission) to not approve any contract, tariff, discount, or rate between an electric utility and a qualified data center unless the entities performing the construction or maintenance work enter into a project labor agreement or operate under a collective bargaining agreement for the work.
  • Definitions:
    • Data center: A facility in Michigan designed and used to house, store, and process data across one or more buildings.
    • Project labor agreement (PLA): A prehire collective bargaining agreement with labor organizations that governs the terms of employment for a specific construction project and binds all contractors/subcontractors via solicitation and contract documents; ensures inclusive bidding, prevents labor disruption (strikes/lockouts), provides binding dispute resolution procedures, and facilitates labor-management cooperation on productivity, safety, and quality; must comply with state and federal laws.
  • Enactment condition: The new provision becomes effective only if a specified set of related bills (HB 6135, HB 6139, HB 6137, HB 6140, HB 6142, HB 6138) are enacted. This is a “tied-bar” mechanism requiring multiple bills to pass for the PLA requirement to take effect.

Who is affected

  • Electric utilities operating in Michigan that engage in contracts, tariffs, discounts, or rates with qualified data centers for construction or construction maintenance work.
  • Data centers that would be designated as “qualified” under the bill (the definition of qualified data center is implied; specific criteria would be determined by the enacted tied bills).
  • Contractors and subcontractors performing construction work on these data center projects, as they would be required to participate in a PLA or CBA.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Legislative trigger: The PLA/CBA requirement takes effect only after the specified companion bills are enacted into law. If any of the linked bills fail to pass, the PLA requirement would not take effect.
  • Implementation path: Upon effective date, the commission would apply the PLA/CBA prerequisite to applicable utility-data center contracts, tariffs, discounts, or rates.
  • Process implications: Utilities would need to verify that construction work is performed under a PLA or CBA before any contract/tariff action related to a data center could be approved.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Labor relations: Could promote standardized terms, safety protocols, and dispute resolution on large data center builds, potentially reducing project delays due to labor disruptions.
  • Economic considerations: May affect bid competitiveness and labor costs on data center projects for utilities, depending on the terms of the PLA and prevailing wage requirements.
  • Administrative: Introduces a compliance and verification role for the commission to ensure PLA/CBA adherence in relevant contracts and agreements.
  • Policy coherence: The tied-bar approach requires alignment with several related bills, signaling a coordinated package focused on labor agreements and public utilities contracting.

Note: The summary reflects the bill text as introduced and the stated enactment condition tied to other bills. For full implementation, the language and status of the companion bills HB 6135, HB 6139, HB 6137, HB 6140, HB 6142, and HB 6138, as well as any amendments, would be essential.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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