Soon after returning from its summer recess, the House of Representatives approved a bill that seeks to transfer administrative authority over federal contractor wage claims adjustments from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to the Department of Labor (DOL).  The DOL is the agency charged with implementing the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires that federally-contracted workers be paid the “local prevailing wage” on government projects, and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA), which mandates that federal contractors pay their employees overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 per week.  The GAO is responsible for processing claims of workers who did not receive the appropriate wage.  The goal of the bipartisan Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contracted Employees Act (H.R. 2747), introduced by Reps. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Joe Courtney (D-CT), is to improve government operational efficiency by placing both the implementation and enforcement of the federal contractor wage laws with one agency.

In a press release, Rep. Walberg said that he is “pleased the House has passed this bipartisan, commonsense proposal that will decrease redundancies and promote greater efficiency within the federal government. This legislation will help ensure workers employed by federal contractors receive the pay they’ve earned in a more timely manner.” 

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