August 24, 2018
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois Senate,
100th General Assembly:
Today I veto Senate Bill 3052 from the 100th
General Assembly, which would regulate private construction contracts by
imposing rigid limits on retainage, a tool used by owners or contractors on
construction projects to better guarantee on-time and high-quality project
completion.
“Retainage” refers to an agreed-upon
percentage of a contract amount that an owner or contractor withholds until the
work is substantially complete or meets project milestones defined by the owner
to ensure contractors or subcontractors satisfy obligations according to contract.
The contracting entities negotiate and include the retainage percentage in
their contracts.
This legislation severely restricts private
entities’ ability to negotiate retainage amounts by codifying a 10-percent
retainage cap prior to 50-percent project completion, and a 5-percent cap thereafter
on private construction contracts except those pertaining to single or
multi-family homes with 12 or fewer units. The retainage restrictions aim to alleviate
cash-flow issues for contractors and subcontractors, but they consequently deprive
owners of the ability to negotiate and withhold appropriate retainage due to
poor and non-performance. Furthermore, retainage amounts often differ by
project and these caps may be too low for retainage to adequately “insure”
investments on certain projects, which may ultimately end in fewer approved
construction loans or higher financing costs – especially when partnering with
firms with less established track records, such as startups.
Owners and contractors should withhold as
retainage only reasonable amounts and release that retainage as promptly as
possible to prevent abuses that can leave contractors or subcontractors waiting
too long for payment and cause them undue financial strain. While I acknowledge
that some unscrupulous owners and contractors sometimes engage in improper
retainage practices, the State should not regulate with legislation what should
instead be negotiated between private parties and may differ from project to
project, particularly considering this approach could potentially discourage
economic growth, harm existing businesses, increase financing costs, and leave
owners with no recourse to address performance issues on construction projects.
My position in no way precludes the private sector from doing everything that
it can to root out unfair contracting practices that harm the state’s most
vulnerable small businesses and startups.
Our state could not prosper without our
contractors and subcontractors, and we should encourage fair contracting
practices in the public and private sectors. This governmental overreach,
however, intrudes upon private entities’ right to negotiate their own contracts,
and it may constrain economic development.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article
IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 3052,
entitled “AN ACT concerning business,” with the foregoing objections, vetoed in
its entirety.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR