<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="billres.xsl"?>
<!DOCTYPE bill PUBLIC "-//US Congress//DTDs/bill.dtd//EN" "bill.dtd">
<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-House" dms-id="H1E5D0210CA7C4719A6D5DF27DC9C9AB3" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
<dublinCore>
<dc:title>117 HR 9495 IH: Domestic Preferences for Building America Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2022-12-12</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
</dublinCore>
</metadata>
<form>
<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">117th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">2d Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 9495</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20221212">December 12, 2022</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="N000026">Mr. Nehls</sponsor> (for himself and <cosponsor name-id="G000559">Mr. Garamendi</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HPW00">Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure</committee-name>, and in addition to the Committee on <committee-name committee-id="HIF00">Energy and Commerce</committee-name>, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned</action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To prioritize United States contractors with respect to federally funded infrastructure projects, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="H788A2ABF981644A59699243868F79FFC" style="OLC"><section id="H02360943FCFD450CB02F610FDFD2D2AD" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Domestic Preferences for Building America Act</short-title></quote>. </text></section><section id="HDE2B91CFC27E43B7AEF9EAC71D544F44"><enum>2.</enum><header>Priority for United States contractors</header><subsection id="H191063E3976F4CFAAAF9284B3E57F382"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Requirements with respect to certain contract awardees</header><paragraph id="HCAF6B6AC8FF549EBA0ED691374BAAC2F"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Amounts made available through a program for Federal financial assistance may be obligated for an infrastructure project with a value of $100,000,000 or more only if the recipient of such amounts certifies that, in obligating the amounts—</text><subparagraph id="H1AC8BE40ACC342A580B22CECBB5BE8DB"><enum>(A)</enum><text>subject to the occurrence of adequate competition, the recipient shall award contracts only to—</text><clause id="H77FFECB07BEE484A9CF7FAEC4AF486EC"><enum>(i)</enum><text>United States persons; and</text></clause><clause id="H330DA6F28F0743829AD93C073B437F58"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>qualified United States joint ventures; and</text></clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H218641A40DF24E658DBE7AC8C6027D58"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the recipient shall not award contracts to an entity that is owned or controlled by, is a subsidiary of, or is otherwise related legally or financially to a corporation based in a covered country.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H0C1431E5A3A24AD183D42B0FEBEA5CD2"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Exception</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">For purposes of paragraph (1)(B), the term <quote>otherwise related legally or financially</quote> does not include a minority relationship or investment.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HA3C15B7DAC704734AEEC0D4A9C671A5F"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Limitation on subcontracting</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">With respect to a project described in subsection (a)(1) that is funded in whole or in part by Federal financial assistance, a prime contractor and any subcontractor of such prime contractor, at any tier, may enter into a subcontract related to such project only with a United States person or qualified United States joint venture.</text></subsection><subsection id="HEC126FB2F4D4482C81D542511C653BC4"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Rulemaking</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish, for purposes of this section—</text><paragraph id="HC715284FFAB64EE0B3D557CD0D660618"><enum>(1)</enum><text>procedures for determining whether bids or proposals for contracts are submitted by a United States person or a qualified United States joint venture; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HC6A28970F0144C9384134A8715B8AB04"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">requirements for record retention and reporting.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HDAD17DA5B4A74E4CB376E3D20447A43D"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Rule of construction</header><text>Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit a recipient of Federal financial assistance from awarding a contract under a State or Federal program that supports disadvantaged business enterprises, including such a program that supports women business owners or minority business owners.</text></subsection><subsection id="HA70163293FE94395A9237CBF49C4C5C3"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Consistency with international agreements</header><text>This section shall be applied in a manner consistent with United States obligations under international agreements.</text></subsection><subsection id="H1B8201725D0C4CB6BEC660CABCA9A430"><enum>(f)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In this section:</text><paragraph id="H2B2EDD93EE61479F82BCF5F4CA7FBA00"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Adequate competition</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <quote>adequate competition</quote> means the submission of responsive bids from 2 or more qualified bidders that are United States persons or qualified United States joint ventures.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HA52963D8C41F41168759BB6270208350"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Covered country</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <quote>covered country</quote> means a country that—</text><subparagraph id="HCCEF9270D82241F58C02CB520931A53F" display-inline="no-display-inline"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">is identified, as of the date of the enactment of this section, as a nonmarket economy country (as defined in section 771(18) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/19/1677">19 U.S.C. 1677(18)</external-xref>));</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H4C449BEDF96B4D47841525BBA4FA3F74"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">was identified by the United States Trade Representative in the most recent report required by section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/19/2242">19 U.S.C. 2242</external-xref>) as a foreign country included on the priority watch list defined in subsection (g)(3) of that section; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H1B656E8068054A549E433223B0BCA44C"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">is subject to monitoring by the Trade Representative under section 306 of the Trade Act of 1974 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/19/2416">19 U.S.C. 2416</external-xref>).</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H908A4614FE0142879C9F89D76C9E9E33"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Federal agency; Federal financial assistance; infrastructure; project</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The terms <quote>Federal agency</quote>, <quote>Federal financial assistance</quote>, <quote>infrastructure</quote>, and <quote>project</quote> have the meanings given such terms in section 70912 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/41/8301">41 U.S.C. 8301</external-xref> note).</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H5F2D954C8CC94A02AD4707386BBBAC56"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Qualified United States joint venture</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <quote>qualified United States joint venture</quote> means a joint venture in which not less than 51 percent of the assets of the joint venture are owned by United States persons.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H9F04BFD90AA846FAA8E2BF0F1802E11C"><enum>(5)</enum><header>United States person</header><text>The term <quote>United States person</quote> means a person that—</text><subparagraph id="H8997FE294E0C4CE8BCBDCAC06738DDA7"><enum>(A)</enum><text>is incorporated or legally organized under the laws of the United States or a jurisdiction located within the United States and has been so incorporated or organized for not less than 5 years before the date on which an invitation is issued for bids or proposals with respect to the relevant contract;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H754B3746D4DC47A8A3F6C903DA464A70"><enum>(B)</enum><text>has its principal place of business in the United States;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HAE56EF9454314CBA9F88F3693AFB9C7C"><enum>(C)</enum><text>has previously performed services within the United States that are similar in complexity and type to the services required for the relevant contract;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HDEC133DA71044505BB47D4267DD52DE0"><enum>(D)</enum><text>has within the United States the technical and financial resources necessary to perform the relevant contract; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HF6F53C1C2BCF41F4B0864C0C392FD20A"><enum>(E)</enum><text>employs individuals who are citizens or residents of the United States in not less than 51 percent of—</text><clause id="HD9E12DB032D74FC1B4D953D28E5B9E7E"><enum>(i)</enum><text>the principal management positions located in the United States;</text></clause><clause id="H5DF31A1D59544144B5064B7EB306D79C"><enum>(ii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the permanent, full-time positions located in the United States; and</text></clause><clause id="H9BB1D32AC6DE4BD2B7CBEE19F2DA091F"><enum>(iii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the supervisory positions located in the United States.</text></clause></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HDDA02C59664B4D67949F2E8D49B443C4"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Effective date</header><text>This Act shall take effect 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.</text></subsection></section></legis-body></bill> 

