The Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act () was signed into law by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

in 2013. It transfers some authority from the

Government Accountability Office The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a legislative branch government agency that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the supreme audit institution of the federal govern ...

to the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploym ...

in order to streamline the implementation and enforcement of federal contractor wage laws. Previously, the United States Department of Labor was responsible for implementing the Davis–Bacon Act, "which requires that federally-contracted workers be paid the 'local prevailing wage' on government projects, and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA), which mandates that federal contractors pay their employees overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 per week." Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office was responsible for dealing with the claims of workers who did not make the correct wage. This law was designed to improve efficiency by transferring that responsibility to the Department of Labor.

Background

During the

112th United States Congress The 112th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and ended on January 3, 2013, 17 ...

, identical legislation () passed in the House 361-3. The Davis-Bacon Act requires the federal government to pay the "prevailing wages" of their local area to federal contractors, a policy opposed by some Republicans.

Provisions of the bill

''This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the

Congressional Research Service The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a c ...

, a

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

source.'' The Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act would transfer authority from the

(GAO) to the

for processing claims for wages due to laborers and mechanics hired by contractors on public works projects.

Procedural history

House

The Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act was introduced into the House by Rep. Tim Walberg (R, MI-7) on July 19, 2013. It was referred to the

United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia. Hi ...

. On September 10, 2013, the House voted i
Roll Call Vote 451
to pass the bill 396-10.

Senate

The Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act was received in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on September 11, 2013 and referred to the

United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction also extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Sena ...

. The bill passed in the Senate on November 5, 2013 by

unanimous consent In parliamentary procedure, unanimous consent, also known as general consent, or in the case of the parliaments under the Westminster system, leave of the house (or leave of the senate), is a situation in which no member present objects to a prop ...

President

The Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act was signed into law by President

on November 21, 2013.

Debate and discussion

According to the

Republican Conference of the United States House of Representatives The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The Conference produces a daily pub ...

, H.R. 2747 would "reduce bureaucracies, redundancies, and ensure timely compensation" for federal contractors.

Notes/References

External links

Library of Congress - Thomas H.R. 2747beta.congress.gov H.R. 2747GovTrack.us H.R. 2747OpenCongress.org H.R. 2747
{{US government sources Acts of the 113th United States Congress Employee compensation in the United States United States Department of Labor