Chris Smith: “En Bloc amendment No. 14 includes my amendment--cosponsored by Donald Norcross (D-NJ)--to require the GAO to investigate…”

“En Bloc amendment No. 14 includes my amendment--cosponsored by Donald Norcross (D-NJ)--to require the GAO to investigate the contracting practices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, specifically on how the agency complies with and enforces the Davis-Bacon Act to pay locally prevailing wages on federally-financed construction jobs. Under Davis-Bacon, the government may terminate a contract if locally prevailing wages have not been paid to employees working on the project. Contracting agencies, such as the Army Corps, however, have the primary day-to-day responsibility for enforcement of the Davis- Bacon Act and its labor standards requirements. Unfortunately, I have heard persistent and credible reports that the Army Corps' enforcement efforts are lacking, specifically at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which is located in my district. Irresponsible contractors and subcontractors often times avoid their prevailing wage obligations by engaging in two different types of misclassification: craft misclassification and independent contractor misclassification. Craft misclassification occurs when dishonest contractors misclassify highskilled workers as general laborers or lower wage classifications in order to avoid paying the higher prevailing wage rate applicable to the high-skilled work actually performed.…”