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Washington D.C.- This week, the House is set to consider H.R. 720, a bill that would authorize billions for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). In addition, the bill would impose the Davis-Bacon Act to construction projects funded through this fund.
Davis-Bacon requires that for each federal government contract worth over $2,000 (for construction, alteration, or repair of public buildings or public works), the wages paid to laborers and mechanics employed under the contract be no less than the locally prevailing wages paid on projects of a similar character (as determined by the Secretary of Labor). Prevailing wages generally are more prohibitive to employers and therefore result in lower employment.
The History of Davis Bacon and CWSRF…
In 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that Davis- Bacon would no longer apply for projects funded though the revolving fund. Despite protests by the AFL-CIO and the Construction Trades Department, since 1995, Davis-Bacon has not applied to construction projects funded through the CWSRF. Enacting H.R. 720 would mandate this prevailing wage requirement, burdening municipalities financially across the country with added costs.
How they campaigned…
“We are committed to immediate change to lead this country in a new direction, to put an end to business as usual, and to make certain this nation’s leaders serve the people’s interests, not special interests. Our responsibility to our constituents and to our nation is to represent all of the people, not just the powerful.”
(Source: A New Direction for America; proposed by House Democrats in the 109th Congress)
So whose House is it anyway?
“LABOR’S DEN,” ROLL CALL, 3/05/2007: “Not only did labor union leaders rack up a big victory last week when the House passed one of their favored legislative gems, but they also scored something of a behind-the-scenes coup. Instead of prowling around the Capitol’s marble hallways, the labor lobbyists got to set up shop in an office in the Capitol suite of House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) as they watched Thursday’s debate and vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, labor officials said. The outpost in Clyburn’s suite included somewhere between 15 and 20 union types, according to sources who were in the room but preferred to remain publicly tight-lipped…”
Actions speak louder than words.
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