Relates to reciprocity of debarments imposed under the federal Davis-Bacon Act; provides that any contractor who has been debarred from federal job sites for having disregarded obligations to employees under the Davis-Bacon Act shall also be debarred under the labor law from bidding on or being awarded similar contracts on public work job sites sponsored by the state or any of its political subdivisions; provides that the contractor may appeal such a determination to the department of labor; provides that whether or not a contractor is debarred under the Davis-Bacon Act will be considered in the selection of a lowest responsible bidder.

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S5659B-2011 Actions

• Aug 15, 2012: PRINT NUMBER 5659C
• Aug 15, 2012: AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO RULES
• Jun 21, 2012: COMMITTED TO RULES
• Jun 11, 2012: ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
• Jun 6, 2012: 2ND REPORT CAL.
• Jun 5, 2012: 1ST REPORT CAL.1075
• Apr 24, 2012: PRINT NUMBER 5659B
• Apr 24, 2012: AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO LABOR
• Feb 24, 2012: PRINT NUMBER 5659A
• Feb 24, 2012: AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO LABOR
• Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO LABOR
• Jun 9, 2011: REFERRED TO LABOR

S5659B-2011 Meetings

Labor: Jun 5, 2012

S5659B-2011 Calendars

Floor Calendar: Jun 6, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 11, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 12, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 13, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 14, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 18, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 19, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 20, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 21, 2012

S5659B-2011 Votes

S5659B-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S5659B

TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law and the general municipal law, in relation
to reciprocity of debarments imposed under the federal Davis-Bacon Act

PURPOSE:
The purpose of the bill is to ensure that those contractors who are
debarred on the federal level under the Davis-Bacon Act for wage payment
violations, are unable to bid on state public work contracts; this
legislation would close a loophole in the existing law. Under the
current law, contractors who have been debarred from federal job sites
are considered on equal footing with law-abiding contractors.  This bill
would remedy this gross inequity by granting reciprocity to debarments
imposed by the federal government on contractors who have violated the
Davis-Bacon Act. New York courts have long settled that the right to bid
on a public work contract is not a property right.  This privilege to
bid must be subject to certain restrictions, one of which should be the
ability of the bidder to comply with certain prevailing wage provisions.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends �220-b of the Labor law so that any
contractor who has been debarred from federal job sites for having
disregarded obligations to employees under the Davis-Bacon Act shall
also be debarred under the Labor Law from bidding on or being awarded
similar contracts on public work job sites sponsored by the State or any
of its political subdivisions. The contractor may appeal such determi-
nation to the Department of Labor (DOL).

Section 2 of the bill would add a new subdivision 1-c to section 103 of
the general municipal law so that whether or not a contractor is
debarred under the David-Bacon Act will be considered in the selection
of a lowest responsible bidder. This provision will come into play in
the case where a contractor has appealed to DOL and been removed from
the state debarment list; the entity awarding the contract will still be
able to consider the circumstances of the federal debarment.

Section 3 provides for an immediate effective date.

Note on amendment to A print - technical amendment was to section 2 of
the bill - changing subdivision 1-b to subdivision 1-c of � 103 of the
general municipal law.

Note on amendment to B print - removes the three year debarment in NYS,
requires that debarments would run while federal debarment is in effect.

EXISTING LAW:
As stated above, under the current law, contractors who have been
debarred from federal job sites are considered on equal footing with
law-abiding contractors.

JUSTIFICATION
Under Article 8 of the labor law, contractors or subcontractors who
engage in a public work project sponsored by the State of New York or
any of its political subdivisions are required to pay their laborers,
workers and material men not less than the prevailing rate of wage.

Recent studies indicate that fraud in the construction industry in New
York State has reached epidemic Proportions. Dishonest contractors, in
an effort to cut corners and save on labor costs, have engaged in a
number of schemes to avoid paying workers the wage to which they are
statutorily entitled. They include the kickback of wages, dual payrolls
and cash-off-the-books schemes.

Under the existing law, a contractor may be debarred from participation
in public work projects if the Bureau of Public Works finds that the
contractor has knowingly committed two violations of the prevailing wage
law within a six-year period, or one violation relating to the falsifi-
cation of payroll records or the kickback of wages or supplements.
Debarments are also imposed when a person or corporation, or any officer
or shareholder who Owns or controls at least ten percent of the
outstanding stock of such corporation has been convicted of any of an
enumerated list of felonies for conduct relating to obtaining, perform-
ing or attempting to perform a public work contract with the state, any
municipal corporation, public benefit corporation or public body. Its
federal counterpart, the Davis-Bacon Act, imposes a similar penalty on
contractors who are found to have disregarded their obligations to
employees under federal wage-and-hour laws. At the present time, howev-
er, New York labor law fails to recognize debarments imposed by the
United States Department of labor. Working at a public work job site is
a privilege, not a right. New Yorkers are entitled to expect the highest
standard of integrity from contractors who bid on these projects.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2010 Session - New Bill

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to State.

LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

S5659B-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                   5659--B

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                June 9, 2011
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sen.  SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
    printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor  --  recommitted  to
    the  Committee  on  Labor  in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
    committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
    recommitted  to  said committee -- committee discharged, bill amended,
    ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

  AN ACT to amend the labor law and the general municipal law, in relation
    to reciprocity of debarments imposed under the federal Davis-Bacon Act

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section  1. Paragraph b of subdivision 3 of section 220-b of the labor
  law is amended by adding a new subparagraph 3 to read as follows:

    (3) WHEN ANY PERSON OR ENTITY IS DEBARRED FOR HAVING DISREGARDED OBLI-
  GATIONS TO EMPLOYEES UNDER THE DAVIS-BACON ACT  PURSUANT  TO  40  U.S.C.
  3144  AND  29  C.F.R.  5.12, SUCH PERSON OR ENTITY, AND ANY FIRM, CORPO-
  RATION, PARTNERSHIP OR ASSOCIATION IN WHICH THE PERSON OR ENTITY OWNS OR
  CONTROLS AT LEAST TEN PER CENTUM, SHALL BE INELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT A BID ON
  OR BE AWARDED ANY PUBLIC WORKS CONTRACT WITH THE  STATE,  ANY  MUNICIPAL
  CORPORATION, PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION OR PUBLIC BODY WHILE THE NAME OF
  THE  PERSON  OR  ENTITY IS PUBLISHED IN THE LIST OF DEBARRED CONTRACTORS
  PURSUANT TO 40 U.S.C. 3144. THE DEPARTMENT WILL  NOTIFY  THE  PERSON  OR
  ENTITY  IMMEDIATELY OF SUCH INELIGIBILITY AND SUCH PERSON OR ENTITY MUST
  BE AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAL TO THE DEPARTMENT.
    S 2. Section 103 of the general municipal law is amended by  adding  a
  new subdivision 1-c to read as follows:

    1-C.  IN DETERMINING THE LOWEST RESPONSIBLE BIDDER, THE OFFICER, BOARD
  OR AGENCY OF ANY  POLITICAL  SUBDIVISION  OR  OF  ANY  DISTRICT  THEREIN
  CHARGED  WITH  AWARDING  OF CONTRACTS, SHALL CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT THE
  BIDDER, OR A PERSON OR ENTITY WITH AN  INTEREST  OF  AT  LEAST  TEN  PER
  CENTUM  IN THE BIDDER, IS DEBARRED FOR HAVING DISREGARDED OBLIGATIONS TO
  EMPLOYEES UNDER THE DAVIS-BACON ACT PURSUANT TO 40 U.S.C.  3144  AND  29
  C.F.R. 5.12, IN MAKING SUCH DETERMINATION OF AWARD.
    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD10848-06-2