Title: Fair Compensation for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act of 2019
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Fair Compensation for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act of 2019
This bill appropriates funding to provide compensation to certain employees of contractors who lost pay or leave due to the lapse in appropriations that began on December 22, 2018.
Each agency subject to such lapse shall adjust the price of any contract for which the contractor was ordered to suspend, delay, or stop work as a result of the lapse. The agency shall compensate the contractor for reasonable costs incurred to (1) 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 experienced a reduction in compensation, as a result of the lapse, for the period of the lapse; or (2) restore paid leave taken by any employee during the lapse, if the contractor required employees to use paid leave as a result of the lapse.
The maximum amount of weekly compensation of an employee for which an adjustment may be made may not exceed the lesser of the employee's actual weekly compensation or $965.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 162 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 162

  To provide back pay to low-wage contractor employees, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 16, 2019

  Ms. Smith (for herself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Mr. 
 Cardin, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Markey, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Warren, Ms. Hassan, 
  Mr. Jones, Ms. Harris, Mr. Udall, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. 
King, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Tester, Mrs. Feinstein, 
  Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide back pay to low-wage contractor employees, and for 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 ``Fair Compensation for Low-Wage 
Contractor Employees Act of 2019''.

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 CONNECTION WITH THE LAPSE IN 
              APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Each Federal agency subject to the lapse in 
appropriations that began on or about December 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 
contract, as a result of the lapse in appropriations to compensate 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 experienced a reduction in compensation, as a 
        result of the lapse in appropriations (for the period of the 
        lapse); or
            (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 Compensation 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 required by subsection 
(a) shall be made as soon as practicable after the end of the lapse in 
appropriations described 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 (C) of that section 
                notwithstanding that subparagraph.
                    (B) A ``laborer or mechanic'' covered by section 
                3142 of title 40, United States Code.
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