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Council Passes Catania Bill To Increase Hiring Of District Residents |
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WASHINGTON DC...Today, the Council of the District of Columbia passed, on its
final reading, a bill introduced by Councilmember David A. Catania (At-Large)
that will require at least 51 percent of all new hires be District residents
for D.C. government assisted projects .
"This bill will ensure that more D.C. residents are hired for those projects
in which the District government is offering financial assistance," commented
Catania. "For far too long, District tax dollars have been used to hire
workers who live outside the District rather than hiring our own. While it
has been the policy of the District to require contractors to hire District
residents, it is frequently ignored. Passage of this bill will now make it a
requirement and impose penalties when the hiring requirements are not met." The "51 Percent District Residents New Hires Amendment Act of 2001" (Bill
14-27), introduced along with Councilmember Phil Mendelson, amends the First
Source Employment Agreement Act of 1984. Under the bill the District could impose a penalty of up to 5 percent of the
total labor costs of the contract for those contractors who fail to meet the
51 percent requirement. Only those companies that have contracts with direct
and indirect labor costs totaling over $100,000 would be subject to the
requirement. Any penalties assessed would be remitted to the Department of Employment
Services to be used for job training programs. Waivers of the 51 percent
requirement may be granted under certain circumstances. During its final
reading today, the bill was amended to exempt not for profits from paying
penalties. |
