INTRODUCING THE DAVIS-BACON REPEAL ACT -- HON. RON PAUL (Extensions of
Remarks - February 11, 1999)
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HON. RON PAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1999
- Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Davis-Bacon Repeal
Act of 1999. The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 forces contractors on all
federally-funded contraction projects to pay the ``local prevailing wage,''
defined as ``the wage paid to the majority of the laborers or mechanics in the
classification on similar projects in the area.'' In practice, this usually
means the wages paid by unionized contractors. For more than sixty years, this
congressionally-created monstrosity has penalized taxpayers and the most
efficient companies while crushing the dreams of the most willing workers. Mr.
Speaker, Congress must act now to repeal this 61-year-old relic of an era
during which people actually believed Congress could legislate prosperity.
Americans pay a huge price in lost jobs, lost opportunities and tax-boosting
cost overruns on federal construction projects every day Congress allows
Davis-Bacon to remain on the books.
- Davis-Bacon artificially inflates construction costs through a series of
costly work rules and requirements. For instance, under Davis-Bacon, workers
who perform a variety of tasks must be paid at the highest applicable skilled
journeyman rate. Thus, a general laborer who hammers a nail must now be
classified as a ``carpenter,'' and paid as much as three times the company's
regular rate. As a result of this, unskilled workers can be employed only if
the company can afford to pay the government-determined ``prevailing wages''
and training can be provided only through a highly regulated apprenticeship
program. Some experts have estimated the costs of complying with the paperwork
imposed on contractors by Davis-Bacon regulations at nearly $200
million a year. Of course, this doesn't measure the costs in lost job
opportunities because firms could not afford to hire an inexperienced
worker.
- Most small construction firms cannot afford to operate under Davis-Bacon's
rigid job classifications or hire the staff of lawyers and accountants needed
to fill out the extensive paperwork required to bid on a federal contract.
Therefore, Davis-Bacon prevents small firms from bidding on federal
construction projects, which, unfortunately, constitute 20 percent of all
construction projects in the United States.
- Because most minority-owned construction firms are small companies,
Davis-Bacon keeps minority-owned firms from competing for federal construction
contracts. The resulting disparities in employment create a demand for
affirmative action, another ill-suited and ill-advised big government
program.
- The racist effects of Davis-Bacon are no mere coincidence. In fact, many
original supporters of Davis-Bacon, such as Representative Clayton Allgood,
bragged about supporting Davis-Bacon as a means of keeping ``cheap colored
labor'' out of the construction industry.
- In addition to opening up new opportunities in the construction industry
for smaller construction firms and their employees, repeal of Davis-Bacon
would also return common sense and sound budgeting to federal contracting
which is now rife with political favoritism and cronyism. An audit conducted
earlier this year by the Labor Department's Office of the Inspector General
found that inaccurate data were frequently used in Davis-Bacon wage
determination. Although the Inspector General's report found no evidence of
deliberate fraud, it did uncover material errors in five states' wage
determinations, causing wages or fringe benefits for certain crafts to be
overstated by as much as $1.08 per hour!
- The most compelling reason to repeal Davis-Bacon is to benefit to the
American taxpayer. The Davis-Bacon Act drives up the cost of federal
construction costs by as much as 50 percent. In fact, the Congressional Budget
Office has reported that repealing Davis-Bacon would save the American
taxpayer almost three billion dollars in four years!
- Mr. Speaker, it is time to finally end this patently unfair, wildly
inefficient and grossly discriminatory system of bidding on federal
construction contracts. Repealing the Davis-Bacon
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Act will save taxpayers billions of dollars on
federal construction costs, return common sense and sound budgeting to federal
contracting, and open up opportunities in the construction industry to those
independent contractors, and their employees, who currently cannot bid on
federal projects because they cannot afford the paperwork requirements imposed
by this act. I, therefore, urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting the
Davis-Bacon Repeal Act of 1999.
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