[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 865 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 865

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should 
 be equal pay for substantially equal work performed by public sector 
 and private sector employees within each State and locality in which 
                          such employees work.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 19, 2004

Mr. Quinn submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should 
 be equal pay for substantially equal work performed by public sector 
 and private sector employees within each State and locality in which 
                          such employees work.

Whereas many public sector employees who work in professional and highly skilled 
        or specialized positions are paid significantly less than their private 
        sector counterparts, and the value of other forms of compensation such 
        public sector employees receive is also significantly less than that 
        received by their private sector counterparts;
Whereas studies have demonstrated that public sector employers experience 
        difficulty in hiring and retaining qualified people due to the lower 
        comparative salaries such employers offer;
Whereas Congress has passed several laws, including the Davis-Bacon Act and the 
        Service Contract Act of 1965, which ensure that certain employees who 
        are paid with Federal funds are paid the prevailing private sector wage;
Whereas it is in the public interest to ensure that there are adequate numbers 
        of public employees to fill professional positions in order to avoid the 
        privatization of such positions;
Whereas it is well documented that professional public work, performed by the 
        private sector, often results in higher costs to the taxpayer and lower 
        quality of service; and
Whereas it is in the public interest to attract highly qualified and well 
        trained experts and other professionals into public service: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, that it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) there should be equal pay for substantially equal work 
        performed by public sector and private sector employees within 
        each State and locality in which such employees work;
            (2) the pay of State and local government employees should 
        be based upon the prevailing wage for similar or substantially 
        similar work performed by private sector workers within the 
        State or locality;
            (3) any existing disparities between State and local 
        government employees and private sector employees within the 
        State, in which such State or local government employees are 
        paid significantly less than such private sector employees, 
        should be eliminated; and
            (4) departments, agencies, special purpose districts, and 
        any other instrumentality of a State or local government should 
        pay their employees at a rate consistent with the prevailing 
        private sector wage if such department, agency, special purpose 
        district, or other instrumentality receives Federal financial 
        assistance or funding.
                                 <all>