Davis-Bacon Reform Act - Amends the Davis-Bacon Act (the Act) to raise the threshold amount of contracts covered by such Act and related Acts. Requires computation of the prevailing wage for the particular urban or rural subdivision of the State in which the work is to be performed. Requires establishment as the prevailing wage the entire range of wages paid to the corresponding class of workers in an area. Excludes Federal or federally assisted projects from the determination of prevailing wage, unless there is insufficient wage data. Allows use of semi-skilled helpers, on projects covered by the Act, in areas where such use is an identifiable practice. Prohibits contract-splitting to avoid applications of the Act. Applies the Act to local projects only if at least 25 percent of the project costs are paid by Federal funds. Exempts volunteer labor from coverage under the Act. Provides for direct payment of any back pay due to workers under the Act. Amends the Copeland Anti-Kickback Act to revise payroll information reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Comptroller General to report annually to the appropriate congressional committees on implementation and impact on local wages and on local and national economies of the Davis-Bacon Act and the Copeland Anti-Kickback Act.
Source last updated: Aug 26, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Explore the bill from different angles
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Neutral evidence review
Objective
Analyze S.916 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact
Progressive lens
Examine S.916 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope
Conservative lens
Examine S.916 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power
Liberty lens
Examine S.916 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.