ABC May 13 sent a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives opposing H.R. 2187, the “21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act,” that would expand Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements to school construction projects.
“We believe the foundation for our children’s future is education, and that foundation begins in the walls of our nation’s schools,” ABC stated. However, the letter pointed out that imposing Davis-Bacon provisions on school construction would erode that foundation by expanding a wage determination process that is expensive and inaccurate.
A series of audits by outside agencies as well as the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) suggest that the wage determinations are vulnerable to fraud, and a 2004 report released by OIG found one or more errors in nearly 100 percent of the wage surveys reviewed, according to the letter.
The letter also noted that in addition to limiting opportunities for minorities and small businesses, Davis-Bacon provisions make projects between 5 and 38 percent more expensive. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Davis-Bacon Act is costing taxpayers more than $9.5 billion between 2002 and 2011 relative to the 2001 appropriations, and $10.5 billion relative to 2001 appropriations adjusted for inflation.
“Expanding a wage determination process that has been proven to be flawed is unfair to the taxpayer and businesses, as well as parents and students who suffer the consequences as scarce resources are used inefficiently,” ABC stated. “Any Davis-Bacon costs from this legislation will be directly passed on to the taxpayers in these school districts, coming at the direct expense of education dollars for children in classrooms.”
In addition to ABC, the Independent Electrical Contractors also signed onto the letter.
For more information, contact Brewster Bevis at ABC,
bevis@abc.org.