Federal Living Wage Responsibility Act

Bill: 108-hr-1192
Sponsor: Rep. Gutierrez, Luis V. [D-IL-4]
Introduced: 2003-03-11 in the House
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Civil actions and liability
Commerce
Compensation (Law)
Damages
Department of Labor
Dismissal of employees
Executive compensation
Federal employees
Fringe benefits
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government publicity
Injunctions
Judicial review
Law
Legal fees
Liability (Law)
Minimum wages
Nonprofit organizations
Punitive damages
Small business
Social Welfare
Subcontractors
Wages
Whistle blowing

Summary:
action_date: 2003-03-11
text: Federal Living Wage Responsibility Act - Requires the Federal government and any employer under a Federal contract or subcontract exceeding $10,000 to pay each of their respective workers: (1) an hourly wage (or salary equivalent) necessary for such employee to earn, while working 40 hours a week on a full-time basis, the amount of the Federal poverty level for a family of four; and (2) an additional amount, based on the locality in which a worker resides, sufficient to cover the costs to such worker to obtain any fringe benefits not provided by the worker's employer.
Exempts employers that are: (1) small business concerns; or (2) nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations, if the ratio of the total compensation of the chief executive officer to that of the full-time equivalent of their lowest-paid employee is not greater than 25 to 1.
Directs the Secretary of Labor to enforce this Act. Makes Federal contractors that are part of a pattern or practice of violations of such wage requirements subject to Federal contract suspension, a five-year ineligibility period, and liability for Government costs of obtaining a replacement contractor. Provides for judicial review of the Secretary's determinations, and authorizes the President to suspend the provisions of this Act in times of emergency. Allows an aggrieved worker to bring a civil action against an employer for appropriate relief for a violation of this Act, if the employer has not paid or reinstated the worker as a result of the administrative action.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-04-07
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
action_date: 2003-04-07
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
action_date: 2003-03-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 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.
action_date: 2003-03-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 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.
action_date: 2003-03-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 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.
action_date: 2003-03-11
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E421)
action_date: 2003-03-11
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-03-11
text: Introduced in House