Tim Walberg: “I thank the gentleman from Arizona, and I thank him for his amendment. I support it, but I respectfully do not support…”

“I thank the gentleman from Arizona, and I thank him for his amendment. I support it, but I respectfully do not support the Grimm amendment. I'm from Michigan. Michigan takes no backseat in this country to union labor. It is the returning auto capital of the world. It's a proud union State, and there is a proud, solid union workforce in Michigan. Just this past summer, the State legislature, in majority with the Governor's concurring and signing, signed into law a prohibition against the mandatory requirement of PLAs in government contracts. The State of Michigan, with its 10th Amendment responsibilities, did that. Now, unlike what took place under the past Bush administration, as the gentleman from Arizona correctly pointed out, the Federal appellate court ruled in favor of doing away with the mandate and leaving neutrality there. That's all the provision of this section 517 does. It simply restores the neutrality. That's all we're asking: that when PLAs make sense and ultimately bring about a better project and an outcome, fine; but when they don't, for whatever reason that is, there should be no mandate, and there ought to be the opportunity within these contracts and within a State like Michigan to make a decision not to go with a PLA if that's the best outcome or result. {time} 1840 Again, this provision in the bill does not prohibit PLAs. It is neutrality.…”