[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9394]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NIKI TSONGAS

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 15, 2011

  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I missed votes on the evening of June 13, 
2011 because of pressing matters in my district. Had I been present, I 
would have voted for the LaTourette Amendment to the FY 2012 Military 
Construction and VA Appropriations bill to remove language from the 
bill which rolls back worker protections by discouraging the use of 
Project Labor Agreements. In this fragile fiscal climate, Congress 
should be defending our skilled laborers, whose essential work 
contributes to our economic recovery. Restricting existing policies 
which permit the establishment of basic terms and conditions on 
complex, large scale construction projects is harmful for workers and a 
distraction from the important programs which are funded in the 
underlying bill.
  Additionally, I would have voted against the Amash Amendment, which 
would have prohibited compliance with the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage 
law. The Davis-Bacon Act has been a cornerstone of labor protection for 
80 years, and I would have proudly voted to uphold it.

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