Kendrick Meek: “This was during rough times in the United States. In Louisiana and most of the parishes, prevailing wage is $9.60. It…”

“This was during rough times in the United States. In Louisiana and most of the parishes, prevailing wage is $9.60. It changes from county to county, but mainly $9.60. Minimum wage is $5 and change, and is not a wage that anyone can say I am going to rebuild my house making minimum wage. But when Federal dollars are being spent in contracting, the prevailing wage is supposed to be in place to make sure that the worker, the individual that is going to work. And I am talking about fact, not fiction. On Sunday I flew with Members of Congress over Louisiana. I was speaking with the Governor of Louisiana, and she told us she wants her people to make prevailing wage. She wants to make sure that Louisianans who want to participate in the rebuilding of their State, that they are not cheated, that they are not left behind, that other individuals from other States or other countries, and I have to add that too, come in and take these jobs away from these people who are victims. Better yet, we are going to do wonderful things in the Gulf States, and this also is evident in my community, Miami-Dade County. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important. And the only way the proclamation can be overturned that the President waives the Davis- Bacon requirement is through an act of Congress. That means both House and Senate would have to pass an act overriding the President or saying that Davis-Bacon should be reinstituted.…”