Copyright 2000 Times Publishing Company
St.
Petersburg Times
October 14, 2000, Saturday, 0 South Pinellas
Edition
SECTION: CITY & STATE; Pg. 5B
DISTRIBUTION: CITY & STATE; TAMPA & STATE;
METRO & STATE
LENGTH: 171 words
HEADLINE: Sticking point resolved in House Everglades
bill
BODY: Federal lawmakers reached a
compromise on the final sticking point of Everglades restoration - labor wages -
putting the bill back on track for a House vote that could come as soon as
Tuesday.
Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., the ranking Democrat on the
Transportation Committee, had been protesting the exclusion of a 69-year-old
labor wage statute known as the
Davis-Bacon Act. The act
requires federal construction projects, like those in the Everglades restoration
plans, to pay "prevailing wages" set by the Department of Labor.
Once Oberstar received confirmation that the
Davis-Bacon Act would apply to all water projects in the bill,
he dropped his objection.
Lawmakers had worried that if the
Davis-Bacon issue could not be resolved soon, they would have
to pass the restoration as a stand-alone bill.
The Senate passed a
nearly identical bill last month, 85-1. It calls for $ 1.4-billion to fund the
initial 10-project phase. Officials on all sides are optimistic that the bill
will pass the House.
LOAD-DATE: October 14,
2000