ABC Dec. 27, 2012, supported an amendment offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to H.R. 1, which is the vehicle for Superstorm Sandy supplemental appropriations, that would have waived the enforcement of Davis-Bacon Act requirements for projects funded under this legislation. The amendment failed 42-52. 

“Suspending provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act under H.R. 1 will help speed up and lower the cost of rebuilding the communities ravaged by Hurricane Sandy,” ABC wrote in a letter sent to all members of the Senate. “For the federal government to have the most beneficial impact in assisting in Hurricane Sandy rebuilding efforts there should be as few impediments as possible.” 

ABC has long advocated for numerous reforms that could mitigate some of the Davis-Bacon Act’s damage to the economy. The Davis-Bacon Act, as administered by the Department of Labor, unnecessarily hinders economic growth, increases the federal deficit, and imposes an enormous paperwork burden on contractors and the federal government. It stifles contractor productivity by raising costs, ignores skill differences for different jobs and imposes rigid craft work rules.