[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1995

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                               speech of

                          HON. CASS BALLENGER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 28, 1994

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4606) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Labor, Health and Human 
     Services, and Education, and related agencies, for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 1995, and for other purposes:

  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the DeLay 
amendment.
  The Labor, Health and Human Services appropriation bill for fiscal 
year 1995 prohibits the Secretary of Labor from using any funds to 
implement or administer the final Davis-Bacon helper regulations. The 
DeLay amendment strikes this burdensome provision from the bill.
  Under current policy, union workers on federally funded projects are 
divided into various classifications. Helpers are unskilled workers who 
work under the direct supervision of higher skilled journey-level 
workers. If a contractor wants to hire an unskilled worker then the 
contractor must pay the helper the same wages as the skilled worker. 
Approximately 75 percent of all construction work is performed by 
contractors who use seimskiled helpers.
  Over a decade ago, the Department of Labor initiated regulations to 
allow the use of semiskilled helpers on Davis-Bacon projects. After 
years of administrative review and litigation the courts affirmed that 
the Department of Labor's helper regulations were fully consistent with 
the language and purpose of the Davis-Bacon Act--that Federal contracts 
should reflect the local market, and that the Federal Government should 
not use its power to impose a wage structure on the local markets. 
Unfortunately, congressional intervention prevented the regulations 
from taking effect.
  Estimates show that if the helper classification were to become 
widely used on Davis-Bacon projects, 250,000 jobs would be created and 
the Federal Government would save $600 million a year. Furthermore, 
construction industry advocates indicate that the helper classification 
would open up the job market to many individuals who are not currently 
employed in this area including minorities, women, the disadvantaged, 
and many entry-level workers.
  Vote for the DeLay amendment. Vote for the opportunity to benefit 
workers, contractors, and taxpayers by allowing the use of helpers on 
Davis-Bacon projects.

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