I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 678 
To provide back pay to low-wage contractor employees, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 17, 2019 
Ms. PRESSLEY (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BEYER, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. 
OMAR, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SARBANES, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, 
Mr. LUJA´N, Ms. MOORE, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 
TLAIB, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. NADLER, Ms. 
JAYAPAL, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. SIRES, Mr. CONNOLLY, and Mr. TRONE) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ap-
propriations, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide back pay to low-wage contractor employees, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fair Compensation 
for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. APPROPRIATION. 
There is hereby appropriated, out of any money in 
the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal 
year ending September 30, 2019, such sums as may be 
necessary for each Federal agency subject to the lapse in 
appropriations that began on or about December 22, 
2018, for adjustments in the price of contracts of such 
agency under section 3. 
SEC. 3. BACK COMPENSATION FOR LOW-WAGE EMPLOYEES 
OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS IN CONNEC-
TION WITH THE LAPSE IN APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Each Federal agency subject to 
the lapse in appropriations that began on or about Decem-
ber 22, 2018, shall adjust the price of any contract of such 
agency for which the contractor was ordered to suspend, 
delay, or interrupt all or part of the work of such contract, 
or stop all or any part of the work called for in such con-
tract, as a result of the lapse in appropriations to com-
pensate the contractor for reasonable costs incurred— 
(1) to provide compensation, at an employee’s 
standard rate of compensation, to any employee who 
was furloughed or laid off, or who was not working, 
who experienced a reduction of hours, or who experi-
enced a reduction in compensation, as a result of the 
lapse in appropriations (for the period of the lapse); 
or 
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(2) to restore paid leave taken by any employee 
during the lapse in appropriations, if the contractor 
required employees to use paid leave as a result of 
the lapse in appropriations. 
(b) LIMITATION
ON AMOUNT
OF WEEKLY COM-
PENSATION COVERED BY ADJUSTMENT.—The maximum 
amount of weekly compensation of an employee for which 
an adjustment may be made under subsection (a) may not 
exceed the lesser of— 
(1) the employee’s actual weekly compensation; 
or 
(2) $965. 
(c) TIMING OF ADJUSTMENTS.—The adjustments re-
quired by subsection (a) shall be made as soon as prac-
ticable after the end of the lapse in appropriations de-
scribed in that subsection. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘compensation’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 6701 of title 41, United 
States Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘employee’’ means the following: 
(A) A ‘‘service employee’’ as that term is 
defined in section 6701(3) of title 41, United 
States Code, except that the term also includes 
service employees described in subparagraph 
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(C) of that section notwithstanding that sub-
paragraph. 
(B) A ‘‘laborer or mechanic’’ covered by 
section 3142 of title 40, United States Code. 
Æ 
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