Sanford Bishop: “What the Davis-Bacon Act does is protect the government, as well as the workers, in carrying out the policy of paying…”

“What the Davis-Bacon Act does is protect the government, as well as the workers, in carrying out the policy of paying decent wages on government contracts. The Davis-Bacon Act requires that workers on federally funded construction projects be paid no less than the wages paid in the community for similar work. It requires that every contract for construction of which the Federal Government is a party in excess of $2,000 contains a provision defining the minimum wages paid to various classes of labors and mechanics. The House has taken numerous votes on this issue, and on every vote, this body has voted to maintain Davis-Bacon requirements. In fact, most recently, during consideration of the FY18 security omnibus, the House firmly rejected a similar amendment 249-178. I hope that we will defeat the amendment before us today and move on to more substantive matters. I would also note that it is somewhat ironic that this amendment is being offered on the agriculture appropriations bill because the Davis- Bacon Act specifically protects rural community workforces. It requires that prevailing wage determinations for rural counties be based solely on local workforce costs. Wage data from urban areas must be excluded. This requirement, I would note, came into force during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan. I urge all Members to vote ``no.'' I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.”