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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5250 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5250

To use Federal purchasing power to create good jobs, rebuild the middle 
class, address income inequality, stimulate the economy, and to achieve 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 29, 2014

  Ms. Norton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To use Federal purchasing power to create good jobs, rebuild the middle 
class, address income inequality, stimulate the economy, and to achieve 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Restore Opportunity, Strengthen, and 
Improve the Economy Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress of the United States finds the 
following:
            (1) The disappearance of good jobs, the shrinking of the 
        middle class, and growing income inequality are the greatest 
        domestic challenges confronting the Nation.
            (2) The United States Government is the largest purchaser 
        of goods and services in the Nation's private-sector economy, 
        spending over $1.5 trillion dollars annually at firms that 
        employ a quarter of American workers.
            (3)(A) Federal purchasing power is currently creating 
        millions of poverty-level jobs, subsidizing labor law-breakers, 
        and funding ballooning executive compensation.
            (B) The Federal Government is the Nation's leading creator 
        of low-wage jobs in the private sector, funding more than 
        2,000,000 jobs paying under $12 per hour.
            (C) The Federal Government awards taxpayer dollars to a 
        substantial number of firms that violate Federal labor, 
        employment, and occupational safety laws.
            (D) Federal Government purchasing subsidizes the excessive 
        salaries of private-sector executives who do business with the 
        American people.
            (4) When Federal purchasing power is used in such a manner, 
        workers have less to spend on the necessities of life and are 
        forced to rely on public assistance. Lack of working purchasing 
        power hurts job creation and undermines economic growth, 
        ultimately imposing significant costs on American taxpayers.
            (5)(A) Federal purchasing power should be used to create 
        good jobs, rebuild the middle class, and curb rising income 
        inequality.
            (B) Federal purchasing power should be used to create good 
        jobs for America. Good jobs allow workers and their families to 
        live in dignity without relying on public assistance or private 
        charity. Good jobs pay enough to provide for subsistence, 
        health care, education, housing, and savings, as well as enough 
        disposable income to allow workers to enjoy quality time off 
        with their loved ones.
            (C) Federal purchasing power should be used to rebuild the 
        middle class. A strong middle class stimulates the economy by 
        increasing consumer spending and job growth.
            (D) Federal purchasing power should be used to narrow the 
        growing gulf between the richest one percent of the population 
        and ordinary working families that is threatening the survival 
        of participatory democracy.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are the following:
            (1) To use Federal purchasing power to incentivize private-
        sector firms.
            (2) To create good jobs for America's workers.
            (3) To rebuild America's middle class.
            (4) To address America's crisis of income inequality.
            (5) To invigorate the economy by increasing the purchasing 
        power of working Americans.

SEC. 3. GOOD JOBS MODEL EMPLOYER STANDARDS.

    For purposes of this Act, a Good Jobs Model Employer is one which 
meets the following standards:
            (1) Respects employees' rights to bargain collectively with 
        their employers without being forced to take strike action to 
        win better wages and working conditions.
            (2) Offers to each employee living wages, decent benefits 
        including health care, paid leave for sickness and caregiving, 
        and fair work schedules that are predictable and stable.
            (3) Affirmatively demonstrates an exemplary standard of 
        compliance with workplace protection laws, including laws 
        governing labor relations, wages and hours, and health and 
        safety, as well as other applicable labor laws.
            (4) Limits executive compensation to 50 times the median 
        salary paid to the company's workers.
            (5) Employs a workforce not less than 35 percent of which 
        reside within one or more Historically Underutilized Business 
        Zones.
            (6) Subcontracts only with other Good Jobs Model Employers.

SEC. 4. APPLICATION TO FEDERAL CONTRACTS AND ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Eligibility for Award of Procurement Contracts.--In the award 
of a contract for the acquisition of supplies or services, an executive 
agency may not award the contract to a source that is not a Good Jobs 
Model Employer, unless there is no offer from a source that is a Good 
Jobs Model Employer.
    (b) Eligibility for Award of Financial and Nonfinancial 
Assistance.--An executive agency may not provide other forms of 
financial or nonfinancial assistance to entities that are not model 
employers when there is a similarly situated Good Jobs Model Employer 
that could receive the assistance, unless doing so would substantially 
undermine the value of the assistance to the public good.
    (c) Incorporation Into Future Federal Contracts and Assistance 
Agreements.--Beginning on January 1, 2015, executive agencies shall 
incorporate into each new contract, contract-like instrument, or 
assistance agreement a clause requiring the contractor or recipient to 
conduct itself as a Good Jobs Model Employer for the duration of the 
contract.
    (d) Exclusions.--None of the provisions of this section shall be 
interpreted to apply to--
            (1) direct Federal statutory entitlements;
            (2) mandatory awards;
            (3) direct awards to foreign governments or public 
        international organizations;
            (4) benefits to an individual as a personal entitlement; or
            (5) Federal employment.

SEC. 5. IMPLEMENTATION.

    (a) Good Jobs Model Employer Standards.--The Secretary of Labor 
shall promulgate regulations implementing the Good Jobs Model Employer 
Standards of section 3(a) so as to effect the policy and purposes of 
this Act within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. The 
Secretary of Labor shall amend these regulations as necessary so that 
they continue to effect the policy and purposes of this Act.
    (b) Procurement Policy.--The Administrator of General Services, the 
Secretary of Defense, and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration, in coordination with the Office of Federal 
Procurement Policy, shall amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation 
within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act to effect the 
policy and purposes of this Act, and subsequently as necessary to 
continue to effect the policy and purposes of this Act.
    (c) Debarment or Suspension.--
            (1) An organization which acquires any form of financial or 
        nonfinancial benefit or a contract from an executive agency 
        through the operation of the procedure described in section 4 
        shall be placed on the Excluded Parties List enacted by 
        Executive Orders 12549 and 12689 for a period of at least 2 
        years if it fails to remain a model employer for the duration 
        of the benefit.
            (2) An organization which violates a Good Job Model 
        Employer clause in a contract or agreement required by section 
        4(c) shall be placed on the Excluded Parties List enacted by 
        Executive Orders 12549 and 12689 for a period of 3 years.
            (3) Parties which are suspended multiple times may be 
        debarred permanently.

SEC. 6. SEVERABILITY.

    If any provision of this Act, or applying such provision to any 
person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this 
Act and the application of the provisions of such to any person or 
circumstance shall not be affected thereby.
                                 <all>
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