[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4403 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4403

To suspend subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code, 
 commonly known as the Davis-Bacon Act, through the end of fiscal year 
                     2023, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 19, 2012

  Mr. Gosar introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To suspend subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code, 
 commonly known as the Davis-Bacon Act, through the end of fiscal year 
                     2023, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fiscal Responsibility in Federal 
Contracting Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 
        national unemployment rate was 9 percent or higher for all but 
        3 months from July 2009 through September 2011. The 
        unemployment rate remains unacceptably high, with a national 
        unemployment rate of 8.2 percent (12.7 million unemployed 
        persons) in March 2012.
            (2) The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 
        unemployment rates may continue to exceed 8.5 percent. 
        Investment banking firms estimate future unemployment rates 
        between 9.25 percent and 9.5 percent.
            (3) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average 
        of 15.9 percent of the civilian labor force plus marginally 
        attached workers (individuals not seeking jobs as a result of 
        being discouraged or for another reason) was either unemployed, 
        marginally attached, or underemployed in 2011.
            (4) The Davis-Bacon Act imposes costs on all Federal 
        projects, increasing the costs of those projects by 22 percent 
        comparted to the private sector, and costing the taxpayers as 
        much as $11 billion per year.
            (5) Leaders of both political parties have suspended the 
        Davis-Bacon Act in times of national distress. Presidents 
        Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard M. Nixon, George H.W. Bush, and 
        George W. Bush all suspended the Davis-Bacon Act.
            (6) State-level suspensions of similar State wage acts 
        resulted in a decline in project costs and a significant rise 
        in the number of jobs resulting from these projects.
            (7) Evidence suggests that in times of economic emergency, 
        suspension of the Davis-Bacon Act results in higher employment 
        rates and more jobs as a result of Federal contracts.

SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF THE DAVIS-BACON ACT.

    Beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, subchapter IV of 
chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code, commonly known as the 
Davis-Bacon Act, shall have no force or effect through the end of 
fiscal year 2023.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    Not later than 60 days after the end of each fiscal year through 
fiscal year 2023, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to 
Congress that shows the savings to the Federal government that resulted 
from the suspension of subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United 
States Code, commonly known as the Davis-Bacon Act, since the beginning 
of such suspension through the end of that fiscal year.
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