Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors, 34567-34620 [2014-14130]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
• Office of the Secretary

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 116 (Tuesday, June 17, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 34567-34620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14130]



[[Page 34567]]

Vol. 79

Tuesday,

No. 116

June 17, 2014

Part II





 Department of Labor





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29 CFR Part 10





 Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors; Proposed Rule

Federal Register / Vol. 79 , No. 116 / Tuesday, June 17, 2014 / 
Proposed Rules

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary

29 CFR Part 10

RIN 1235-AA10


Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors

AGENCY: Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: This document proposes regulations to implement Executive 
Order 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors, which was 
signed by President Barack Obama on February 12, 2014. Executive Order 
13658 states that the Federal Government's procurement interests in 
economy and efficiency are promoted when the Federal Government 
contracts with sources that adequately compensate their workers. The 
Executive Order therefore seeks to increase efficiency and cost savings 
in the work performed by parties that contract with the Federal 
Government by raising the hourly minimum wage paid by those contractors 
to workers performing on covered Federal contracts to: $10.10 per hour, 
beginning January 1, 2015; and beginning January 1, 2016, and annually 
thereafter, an amount determined by the Secretary of Labor. The 
Executive Order directs the Secretary to issue regulations by October 
1, 2014, to the extent permitted by law and consistent with the 
requirements of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act to 
implement the Order's requirements. This proposed rule therefore 
establishes standards and procedures for implementing and enforcing the 
minimum wage protections of Executive Order 13658. As required by the 
Order and to the extent practicable, the proposed rule incorporates 
existing definitions, procedures, remedies, and enforcement processes 
under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Service Contract Act, and the 
Davis-Bacon Act.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 17, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Regulatory 
Information Number (RIN) 1235-AA10, by either of the following methods:
    Electronic Comments: Submit comments through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions 
for submitting comments.
    Mail: Address written submissions to Mary Ziegler, Director of the 
Division of Regulations, Legislation, and Interpretation, Wage and Hour 
Division, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3510, 200 Constitution 
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210.
    Instructions: Please submit only one copy of your comments by only 
one method. All submissions must include the agency name and RIN, 
identified above, for this rulemaking. Please be advised that comments 
received will become a matter of public record and will be posted 
without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. Comments that are mailed must be received by the 
date indicated for consideration in this rulemaking. For additional 
information on submitting comments and the rulemaking process, see the 
``Public Participation'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document. For questions concerning the interpretation 
and enforcement of labor standards related to government contracts, 
individuals may contact the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) local district 
offices (see contact information below).
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments, go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Mary Ziegler, Director of the Division 
of Regulations, Legislation, and Interpretation, Wage and Hour 
Division, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3510, 200 Constitution 
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-0406 (this is 
not a toll-free number). Copies of this proposed rule may be obtained 
in alternative formats (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc), upon 
request, by calling (202) 693-0675 (this is not a toll-free number). 
TTY/TDD callers may dial toll-free 1-877-889-5627 to obtain information 
or request materials in alternative formats.
    Questions of interpretation and/or enforcement of the agency's 
regulations may be directed to the nearest WHD district office. Locate 
the nearest office by calling the WHD's toll-free help line at (866) 
4US-WAGE ((866) 487-9243) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. in your local time 
zone, or log onto the WHD's Web site for a nationwide listing of WHD 
district and area offices at https://www.dol.gov/whd/america2.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Electronic Access and Filing Comments

    Public Participation: This proposed rule is available through the 
Federal Register and the https://www.regulations.gov Web site. You may 
also access this document via the WHD's Web site at https://www.dol.gov/whd/. To comment electronically on Federal rulemakings, go to the 
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov, which will 
allow you to find, review, and submit comments on Federal documents 
that are open for comment and published in the Federal Register. You 
must identify all comments submitted by including ``RIN 1235-AA10'' in 
your submission. Commenters should transmit comments early to ensure 
timely receipt prior to the close of the comment period (date 
identified above); comments received after the comment period closes 
will not be considered. Submit only one copy of your comments by only 
one method. Please be advised that all comments received will be posted 
without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided.

II. Executive Order 13658 Requirements and Background

    On February 12, 2014, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 
13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors (the Executive Order 
or the Order). 79 FR 9851. The Executive Order states that the Federal 
Government's procurement interests in economy and efficiency are 
promoted when the Federal Government contracts with sources that 
adequately compensate their workers. Id. The Order therefore seeks to 
increase efficiency and cost savings in the work performed by parties 
that contract with the Federal Government by raising the hourly minimum 
wage paid by those contractors to workers performing on covered Federal 
contracts to (i) $10.10 per hour, beginning January 1, 2015; and (ii) 
beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an amount 
determined by the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) in accordance with the 
Executive Order. Id.
    Section 1 of Executive Order 13658 sets forth a general position of 
the Federal Government that increasing the hourly minimum wage paid by 
Federal contractors to $10.10 will increase efficiency and cost savings 
for the Federal Government. 79 FR 9851. The Order states that raising 
the pay of low-wage workers increases their morale and productivity and 
the quality of their work, lowers turnover and its accompanying costs, 
and reduces supervisory costs. Id. The Order further states that these 
savings and quality improvements will lead to improved economy and 
efficiency in Government procurement. Id.
    Section 2 of Executive Order 13658 therefore establishes a minimum 
wage

[[Page 34569]]

for Federal contractors and subcontractors. 79 FR 9851. The Order 
provides that executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall, to 
the extent permitted by law, ensure that new contracts, contract-like 
instruments, and solicitations (collectively referred to as 
``contracts''), as described in section 7 of the Order, include a 
clause, which the contractor and any subcontractors shall incorporate 
into lower-tier subcontracts, specifying, as a condition of payment, 
that the minimum wage to be paid to workers, including workers whose 
wages are calculated pursuant to special certificates issued under 29 
U.S.C. 214(c),\1\ in the performance of the contract or any subcontract 
thereunder, shall be at least: (i) $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 
2015; and (ii) beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an 
amount determined by the Secretary in accordance with the Executive 
Order. 79 FR 9851. As required by the Order, the minimum wage amount 
determined by the Secretary pursuant to this section shall be published 
by the Secretary at least 90 days before such new minimum wage is to 
take effect and shall be: (A) Not less than the amount in effect on the 
date of such determination; (B) increased from such amount by the 
annual percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) 
for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (United States city 
average, all items, not seasonally adjusted), or its successor 
publication, as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and (C) 
rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05. Id.
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    \1\ 29 U.S.C. 214(c) authorizes employers, after receiving a 
certificate from the WHD, to pay subminimum wages to workers whose 
earning or productive capacity is impaired by a physical or mental 
disability for the work to be performed.
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    Section 2 of the Executive Order further explains that, in 
calculating the annual percentage increase in the CPI for purposes of 
this section, the Secretary shall compare such CPI for the most recent 
month, quarter, or year available (as selected by the Secretary prior 
to the first year for which a minimum wage determined by the Secretary 
is in effect pursuant to this section) with the CPI for the same month 
in the preceding year, the same quarter in the preceding year, or the 
preceding year, respectively. 79 FR 9851. Pursuant to this section, 
nothing in the Order excuses noncompliance with any applicable Federal 
or State prevailing wage law, or any applicable law or municipal 
ordinance establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum wage 
established under the Order. Id.
    Section 3 of Executive Order 13658 explains the application of the 
Order to tipped workers. 79 FR 9851-52. It provides that for workers 
covered by section 2 of the Order who are tipped employees pursuant to 
29 U.S.C. 203(t), the hourly cash wage that must be paid by an employer 
to such employees shall be at least: (i) $4.90 an hour, beginning on 
January 1, 2015; (ii) for each succeeding 1-year period until the 
hourly cash wage under this section equals 70 percent of the wage in 
effect under section 2 of the Order for such period, an hourly cash 
wage equal to the amount determined under section 3 of the Order for 
the preceding year, increased by the lesser of: (A) $0.95; or (B) the 
amount necessary for the hourly cash wage under section 3 to equal 70 
percent of the wage under section 2 of the Order; and (iii) for each 
subsequent year, 70 percent of the wage in effect under section 2 for 
such year rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05. 79 FR 9851-52. 
Where workers do not receive a sufficient additional amount on account 
of tips, when combined with the hourly cash wage paid by the employer, 
such that their wages are equal to the minimum wage under section 2 of 
the Order, section 3 requires that the cash wage paid by the employer 
be increased such that their wages equal the minimum wage under section 
2 of the Order. 79 FR 9852. Consistent with applicable law, if the wage 
required to be paid under the Service Contract Act (SCA), 41 U.S.C. 
6701 et seq., or any other applicable law or regulation is higher than 
the wage required by section 2 of the Order, the employer must pay 
additional cash wages sufficient to meet the highest wage required to 
be paid. Id.
    Section 4 of Executive Order 13658 provides that the Secretary 
shall issue regulations by October 1, 2014, to the extent permitted by 
law and consistent with the requirements of the Federal Property and 
Administrative Services Act, to implement the requirements of the 
Order, including providing exclusions from the requirements set forth 
in the Order where appropriate. 79 FR 9852. It also requires that, to 
the extent permitted by law, within 60 days of the Secretary issuing 
such regulations, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FARC) 
shall issue regulations in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to 
provide for inclusion of the contract clause in Federal procurement 
solicitations and contracts subject to the Executive Order. Id. 
Additionally, this section states that within 60 days of the Secretary 
issuing regulations pursuant to the Order, agencies must take steps, to 
the extent permitted by law, to exercise any applicable authority to 
ensure that contracts for concessions and contracts entered into with 
the Federal Government in connection with Federal property or lands and 
related to offering services for Federal employees, their dependents, 
or the general public, entered into after January 1, 2015, consistent 
with the effective date of such agency action, comply with the 
requirements set forth in sections 2 and 3 of the Order. Id. The Order 
further specifies that any regulations issued pursuant to this section 
should, to the extent practicable and consistent with section 8 of the 
Order, incorporate existing definitions, procedures, remedies, and 
enforcement processes under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 
U.S.C. 201 et seq.; the SCA; and the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA), 40 U.S.C. 
3141 et seq. 79 FR 9852.
    Section 5 of Executive Order 13658 grants authority to the 
Secretary to investigate potential violations of and obtain compliance 
with the Order. 79 FR 9852. It also explains that Executive Order 13658 
does not create any rights under the Contract Disputes Act and that 
disputes regarding whether a contractor has paid the wages prescribed 
by the Order, to the extent permitted by law, shall be disposed of only 
as provided by the Secretary in regulations issued pursuant to the 
Order. Id.
    Section 6 of Executive Order 13658 establishes that if any 
provision of the Order or the application of such provision to any 
person or circumstance is held to be invalid, the remainder of the 
Order and the application shall not be affected. 79 FR 9852.
    Section 7 of the Executive Order provides that nothing in the Order 
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect the authority granted 
by law to an agency or the head thereof; or the functions of the 
Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, 
administrative, or legislative proposals. 79 FR 9852-53. It also states 
that the Order is to be implemented consistent with applicable law and 
subject to the availability of appropriations. 79 FR 9853. The Order 
explains that it is not intended to, and does not, create any right or 
benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by 
any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. Id.
    Section 7 of Executive Order 13658 further establishes that the 
Order shall apply only to a new contract, as defined

[[Page 34570]]

by the Secretary in the regulations issued pursuant to section 4 of the 
Order, if: (i) (A) It is a procurement contract for services or 
construction; (B) it is a contract for services covered by the SCA; (C) 
it is a contract for concessions, including any concessions contract 
excluded by Department of Labor (the Department) regulations at 29 CFR 
4.133(b); or (D) it is a contract entered into with the Federal 
Government in connection with Federal property or lands and related to 
offering services for Federal employees, their dependents, or the 
general public; and (ii) the wages of workers under such contract are 
governed by the FLSA, the SCA, or the DBA. 79 FR 9853. Section 7 of the 
Order also states that, for contracts covered by the SCA or the DBA, 
the Order shall apply only to contracts at the thresholds specified in 
those statutes.\2\ Id. Additionally, for procurement contracts where 
workers' wages are governed by the FLSA, the Order specifies that it 
shall apply only to contracts that exceed the micro-purchase threshold, 
as defined in 41 U.S.C. 1902(a),\3\ unless expressly made subject to 
the Order pursuant to regulations or actions taken under section 4 of 
the Order. 79 FR 9853. The Executive Order specifies that it shall not 
apply to grants; contracts and agreements with and grants to Indian 
Tribes under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 
(Public Law 93-638), as amended; or any contracts expressly excluded by 
the regulations issued pursuant to section 4(a) of the Order. 79 FR 
9853. The Order also strongly encourages independent agencies to comply 
with its requirements. Id.
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    \2\ The prevailing wage requirements of the SCA apply to covered 
prime contracts in excess of $2,500. See 41 U.S.C. 6702(a)(2) 
(recodifying 41 U.S.C. 351(a)). The DBA applies to covered prime 
contracts that exceed $2,000. See 40 U.S.C. 3142(a). There is no 
value threshold requirement for subcontracts awarded under such 
prime contracts.
    \3\ 41 U.S.C. 1902(a) defines the micro-purchase threshold as 
$3,000.
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    Section 8 of Executive Order 13658 provides that the Order is 
effective immediately and shall apply to covered contracts where the 
solicitation for such contract has been issued on or after: (i) January 
1, 2015, consistent with the effective date for the action taken by the 
FARC pursuant to section 4(a) of the Order; or (ii) for contracts where 
an agency action is taken pursuant to section 4(b) of the Order, 
January 1, 2015, consistent with the effective date for such action. 79 
FR 9853-54. It also specifies that the Order shall not apply to 
contracts entered into pursuant to solicitations issued on or before 
the effective date for the relevant action taken pursuant to section 4 
of the Order. Id. Finally, Section 8 states that, for all new contracts 
negotiated between the date of the Order and the effective dates set 
forth in this section, agencies are strongly encouraged to take all 
steps that are reasonable and legally permissible to ensure that 
individuals working pursuant to those contracts are paid an hourly wage 
of at least $10.10 (as set forth under sections 2 and 3 of the Order) 
as of the effective dates set forth in this section. 79 FR 9854.

III. Discussion of Proposed Rule

A. Legal Authority

    The President issued Executive Order 13658 pursuant to his 
authority under ``the Constitution and the laws of the United States,'' 
expressly including the Federal Property and Administrative Services 
Act (Procurement Act), 40 U.S.C. 101 et seq. 79 FR 9851. The 
Procurement Act authorizes the President to ``prescribe policies and 
directives that [the President] considers necessary to carry out'' the 
statutory purposes of ensuring ``economical and efficient'' government 
procurement and administration of government property. 40 U.S.C. 101, 
121(a). Executive Order 13658 delegates to the Secretary the authority 
to issue regulations to ``implement the requirements of this order.'' 
79 FR 9852. The Secretary has delegated his authority to promulgate 
these regulations to the Administrator of the WHD. Secretary's Order 
05-2010 (Sept. 2, 2010), 75 FR 55352 (published Sept. 10, 2010).

B. Stakeholder Engagement

    As part of the development of this proposed rule, the Department 
has engaged stakeholders likely subject to the Executive Order to 
solicit their views on what the Executive Order will mean for their 
operations and workers. During four of the Department's Government 
Contract Prevailing Wage Seminars held by the WHD in Manchester, NH; 
Phoenix, AZ; Chicago, IL; and San Diego, CA; this year, the WHD 
conducted listening sessions in each location to hear the views, ideas, 
and concerns of interested parties (including contractors, contracting 
agencies, and unions) regarding the provisions of the Executive Order. 
The Department also hosted listening sessions in Washington, DC during 
which interested stakeholders, such as contractor associations; worker 
advocates, including advocates for people with disabilities; 
contracting agencies; and small businesses provided their views to 
Departmental leadership. One such listening session was co-hosted by 
the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. The Department 
found these listening sessions helpful and considered relevant 
information raised during those sessions in developing the proposed 
regulations set forth herein.

C. Overview of the Proposed Rule

    The Department's notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), which would 
amend Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) by adding part 
10, establishes standards and procedures for implementing and enforcing 
Executive Order 13658. Proposed subpart A of part 10 relates to general 
matters, including the purpose and scope of the rule, as well as the 
definitions, coverage, and exclusions that the rule provides pursuant 
to the Order. It also sets forth the general minimum wage requirement 
for contractors established by the Executive Order, an antiretaliation 
provision, and a prohibition against waiver of rights. Proposed subpart 
B establishes the requirements that contracting agencies and the 
Department must follow to comply with the minimum wage provisions of 
the Executive Order. Proposed subpart C establishes the requirements 
that contractors must follow to comply with the minimum wage provisions 
of the Executive Order. Proposed subparts D and E specify standards and 
procedures related to complaint intake, investigations, remedies, and 
administrative enforcement proceedings. Proposed appendix A contains a 
contract clause to implement Executive Order 13658. 79 FR 9851.
    The following section-by-section discussion of this proposed rule 
presents the contents of each section. The Department invites comments 
on any issues addressed by the proposals in this rulemaking.
Subpart A--General
    Proposed subpart A of part 10 pertains to general matters, 
including the purpose and scope of the rule, as well as the 
definitions, coverage, and exclusions that the rule provides pursuant 
to the Order. Proposed Sec.  10.1(a) explains that the purpose of the 
proposed rule is to implement Executive Order 13658 and reiterates 
statements from the Order that the Federal Government's procurement 
interests in economy and efficiency are promoted when the Federal 
Government contracts with sources that adequately compensate their 
workers. There is evidence that boosting low wages can reduce turnover 
and absenteeism in the workplace, while also improving morale

[[Page 34571]]

and incentives for workers, thereby leading to higher productivity 
overall. As stated in proposed Sec.  10.1(a), it is for these reasons 
that the Executive Order concludes that cost savings and quality 
improvements in the work performed by parties who contract with the 
Federal Government will lead to improved economy and efficiency in 
Government procurement. The Department believes that, by increasing the 
quality and efficiency of services provided to the Federal Government, 
the Executive Order will improve the value that taxpayers receive from 
the Federal Government's investment.
    Proposed Sec.  10.1(b) explains the general Federal Government 
requirement established in Executive Order 13658 that new contracts 
with the Federal Government include a clause, which the contractor and 
any subcontractors shall incorporate into lower-tier subcontracts, 
requiring, as a condition of payment, that the contractor and any 
subcontractors pay workers performing on the contract or any 
subcontract thereunder at least: (i) $10.10 per hour beginning January 
1, 2015; and (ii) an amount determined by the Secretary pursuant to the 
Order, beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter. Proposed 
Sec.  10.1(b) also clarifies that nothing in Executive Order 13658 or 
part 10 is to be construed to excuse noncompliance with any applicable 
Federal or State prevailing wage law, or any applicable law or 
municipal ordinance establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum 
wage established under the Order.
    Proposed Sec.  10.1(c) outlines the scope of this proposed rule and 
provides that neither Executive Order 13658 nor this part creates any 
rights under the Contract Disputes Act or any private right of action. 
The Department does not interpret the Executive Order as limiting 
existing rights under the Contract Disputes Act. This provision also 
restates the Executive Order's directive that disputes regarding 
whether a contractor has paid the minimum wages prescribed by the 
Order, to the extent permitted by law, shall be disposed of only as 
provided by the Secretary in regulations issued under the Order. The 
provision clarifies, however, that nothing in the Order is intended to 
limit or preclude a civil action under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 
3730, or criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001. Finally, this 
paragraph clarifies that neither the Order nor this proposed rule would 
preclude judicial review of final decisions by the Secretary in 
accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 701 et seq.
    Proposed Sec.  10.2 defines terms for purposes of this rule 
implementing Executive Order 13658. Section 4(c) of the Executive Order 
instructs that any regulations issued pursuant to the Order should 
``incorporate existing definitions'' under the FLSA, the SCA, and the 
DBA ``to the extent practicable and consistent with section 8 of this 
order.'' 79 FR 9852. Most of the definitions provided in this proposed 
rule are therefore based on either the Executive Order itself or the 
definitions of relevant terms set forth in the statutory text or 
implementing regulations of the FLSA, SCA, or DBA. Several proposed 
definitions adopt or rely upon definitions published by the FARC in 
section 2.101 of the FAR. 48 CFR 2.101. The Department also proposes to 
adopt, where applicable, definitions set forth in the Department's 
regulations implementing Executive Order 13495, Nondisplacement of 
Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts. 29 CFR 9.2. The Department 
notes that, while the proposed definitions discussed herein govern the 
implementation and enforcement of Executive Order 13658, nothing in the 
proposed rule is intended to alter the meaning of or to be interpreted 
inconsistently with the definitions set forth in the FAR for purposes 
of that regulation.
    The Department proposes to define the term agency head to mean the 
Secretary, Attorney General, Administrator, Governor, Chairperson, or 
other chief official of an executive agency, unless otherwise 
indicated, including any deputy or assistant chief official of an 
executive agency or any persons authorized to act on behalf of the 
agency head. This proposed definition is based on the definition of the 
term set forth in section 2.101 of the FAR. See 48 CFR 2.101.
    The Department proposes to define concessions contract (or contract 
for concessions) to mean a contract under which the Federal Government 
grants a right to use Federal property, including land or facilities, 
for furnishing services. This proposed definition does not contain a 
limitation regarding the beneficiary of the services, and such 
contracts may be of direct or indirect benefit to the Federal 
Government, its property, its civilian or military personnel, or the 
general public. See 29 CFR 4.133. The proposed definition includes but 
is not limited to all concession contracts excluded by Departmental 
regulations under the SCA at 29 CFR 4.133(b).
    The Department proposes to define contract and contract-like 
instrument collectively for purposes of the Executive Order as an 
agreement between two or more parties creating obligations that are 
enforceable or otherwise recognizable at law. This definition includes, 
but is not limited to, a mutually binding legal relationship obligating 
one party to furnish services (including construction) and another 
party to pay for them. The proposed definition of the term contract 
broadly includes all contracts and any subcontracts of any tier 
thereunder, whether negotiated or advertised, including any procurement 
actions, lease agreements, cooperative agreements, provider agreements, 
intergovernmental service agreements, service agreements, licenses, 
permits, or any other type of agreement, regardless of nomenclature, 
type, or particular form, and whether entered into verbally or in 
writing. The proposed definition of the term contract shall be 
interpreted broadly to include, but not be limited to, any contract 
that may be consistent with the definition provided in the FAR or 
applicable Federal statutes. This definition shall include, but shall 
not be limited to, any contract that may be covered under any Federal 
procurement statute. The Department specifically proposes to note in 
this definition that contracts may be the result of competitive bidding 
or awarded to a single source under applicable authority to do so. The 
proposed definition also explains that, in addition to bilateral 
instruments, contracts include, but are not limited to, awards and 
notices of awards; job orders or task letters issued under basic 
ordering agreements; letter contracts; orders, such as purchase orders, 
under which the contract becomes effective by written acceptance or 
performance; and bilateral contract modifications. The proposed 
definition also specifies that, for purposes of the minimum wage 
requirements of the Executive Order, the term contract includes 
contracts covered by the SCA, contracts covered by the DBA, and 
concessions contracts not otherwise subject to the SCA, as provided in 
section 7(d) of the Executive Order. See 79 FR 9853. The proposed 
definition of contract discussed herein is derived from the definition 
of the term contract set forth in Black's Law Dictionary (9th ed. 2009) 
and Sec.  2.101 of the FAR (48 CFR 2.101), as well as the descriptions 
of the term contract that appear in the SCA's regulations at 29 CFR 
4.110-.111, 4.130. The Department also incorporates the exclusions from 
coverage specified in section 7(f) of the Executive Order and provides 
that the term contract does not include grants; contracts and 
agreements with and grants to Indian

[[Page 34572]]

Tribes under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 
(Public Law 93-638), as amended; or any contracts or contract-like 
instruments expressly excluded by Sec.  10.4.
    The Department notes that the mere fact that a legal instrument 
constitutes a contract under this definition does not mean that such 
contract is subject to the Executive Order. In order for a contract to 
be covered by the Executive Order and this proposed rule, the contract 
must qualify as one of the specifically enumerated types of contracts 
set forth in section 7(d) of the Order and proposed Sec.  10.3. For 
example, although a cooperative agreement is considered a contract 
pursuant to the Department's proposed definition, a cooperative 
agreement will not be covered by the Executive Order and this part 
unless it is subject to the DBA or SCA, is a concessions contract, or 
is entered into ``in connection with Federal property or lands and 
related to offering services for Federal employees, their dependents, 
or the general public.'' 79 FR 9853. In other words, this part does not 
apply to cooperative agreements that do not involve providing services 
for Federal employees, their dependents, or the general public.
    The Department proposes to substantially adopt the definition for 
contracting officer in section 2.101 of the FAR, which means a person 
with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate 
contracts and make related determinations and findings. The term 
includes certain authorized representatives of the contracting officer 
acting within the limits of their authority as delegated by the 
contracting officer. See 48 CFR 2.101.
    The Department defines contractor to mean any individual or other 
legal entity that (1) directly or indirectly (e.g., through an 
affiliate), submits offers for or is awarded, or reasonably may be 
expected to submit offers for or be awarded, a Government contract or a 
subcontract under a Government contract; or (2) conducts business, or 
reasonably may be expected to conduct business, with the Government as 
an agent or representative of another contractor. The term contractor 
refers to both a prime contractor and all of its first or lower-tier 
subcontractors on a contract with the Federal Government. This proposed 
definition incorporates relevant aspects of the definitions of the term 
contractor in section 9.403 of the FAR, see 48 CFR 9.403; the SCA's 
regulations at 29 CFR 4.1a(f); and the Department's regulations 
implementing Executive Order 13495, Nondisplacement of Qualified 
Workers Under Service Contracts at 29 CFR 9.2. This definition includes 
lessors and lessees, as well as employers of workers performing on 
covered Federal contracts whose wages are computed pursuant to special 
certificates issued under 29 U.S.C. 214(c). The Department notes that 
the term employer is used interchangeably with the terms contractor and 
subcontractor in this part. The proposed rule also explains that the 
U.S. Government, its agencies, and its instrumentalities are not 
considered contractors, subcontractors, employers, or joint employers 
for purposes of compliance with the provisions of Executive Order 
13658.
    The Department proposes to define the term Davis-Bacon Act to mean 
the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, as amended, 40 U.S.C. 3141 et seq., and 
its implementing regulations.
    In the NPRM, the Department defines executive departments and 
agencies that are subject to Executive Order 13658 by adopting the 
definition of executive agency provided in section 2.101 of the FAR. 48 
CFR 2.101. The Department therefore interprets the Executive Order to 
apply to executive departments within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 101, 
military departments within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 102, independent 
establishments within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 104(1), and wholly owned 
Government corporations within the meaning of 31 U.S.C. 9101. The 
Department does not interpret this definition as including the District 
of Columbia or any Territory or possession of the United States.
    The Department defines the term Executive Order minimum wage as a 
wage that is at least: (i) $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015; 
and (ii) beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an amount 
determined by the Secretary pursuant to section 2 of Executive Order 
13658. This definition is based on the language set forth in section 2 
of the Executive Order. 79 FR 9851-52.
    The Department proposes to define Fair Labor Standards Act as the 
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq., 
and its implementing regulations.
    The term Federal Government is defined in the NPRM as an agency or 
instrumentality of the United States that enters into a contract 
pursuant to authority derived from the Constitution or the laws of the 
United States. This proposed definition is based on the definition of 
Federal Government set forth in 29 CFR 9.2, but eliminates the term 
``procurement'' from that definition because Executive Order 13658 
applies to both procurement and non-procurement contracts covered by 
section 7(d) of the Order. Consistent with the SCA, the term Federal 
Government includes nonappropriated fund instrumentalities under the 
jurisdiction of the Armed Forces or of other Federal agencies. See 29 
CFR 4.107(a). For purposes of the Executive Order and this part, the 
Department's proposed definition does not include the District of 
Columbia or any Territory or possession of the United States.
    The Department proposes to define the term independent agencies, 
for the purposes of Executive Order 13658, as any independent 
regulatory agency within the meaning of 44 U.S.C. 3502(5). Section 7(g) 
of the Executive Order states that ``[i]ndependent agencies are 
strongly encouraged to comply with the requirements of this order.'' 
The Department interprets this provision to mean that independent 
agencies are not required to comply with this Executive Order. This 
proposed definition is therefore based on other Executive Orders that 
similarly exempt independent regulatory agencies within the meaning of 
44 U.S.C. 3502(5) from the definition of agency or include language 
requesting that they comply. See, e.g., Executive Order 13636, 78 FR 
11739 (Feb. 12, 2013) (defining agency as any executive department, 
military department, Government corporation, Government-controlled 
operation, or other establishment in the executive branch of the 
Government but excluding independent regulatory agencies as defined in 
44 U.S.C. 3502(5)); Executive Order 13610, 77 FR 28469 (May 10, 2012) 
(same); Executive Order 12861, 58 FR 48255 (September 11, 1993) (``Sec. 
4 Independent Agencies. All independent regulatory commissions and 
agencies are requested to comply with the provisions of this order.''); 
Executive Order 12837, 58 FR 8205 (Feb. 10, 1993) (``Sec. 4. All 
independent regulatory commissions and agencies are requested to comply 
with the provisions of this order.'').
    The Department proposes to define the term new contract as a 
contract that results from a solicitation issued on or after January 1, 
2015 or a contract that is awarded outside the solicitation process on 
or after January 1, 2015. The proposed definition would note that this 
term includes both new contracts and replacements for expiring 
contracts provided that the contract results from a solicitation issued 
on or after January 1, 2015 or is awarded outside the solicitation 
process on or after January 1, 2015. This language is based on section 
8 of the Executive Order, 79 FR 9853, and is consistent with the

[[Page 34573]]

convention set forth in section 1.108(d) of the FAR, 48 CFR 1.108(d).
    Proposed Sec.  10.2 defines the term option by adopting the 
definition set forth in section 2.101 of the FAR, which provides that 
the term option means a unilateral right in a contract by which, for a 
specified time, the Federal Government may elect to purchase additional 
supplies or services called for by the contract, or may elect to extend 
the term of the contract. See 48 CFR 2.101.
    The Department proposes to define the term procurement contract for 
construction to mean a contract for the construction, alteration, or 
repair (including painting and decorating) of public buildings or 
public works and which requires or involves the employment of mechanics 
or laborers, and any subcontract of any tier thereunder. The proposed 
definition includes any contract subject to the provisions of the DBA, 
as amended, and its implementing regulations. This proposed definition 
is derived from language found at 40 U.S.C. 3142(a) and 29 CFR 5.2(h).
    The Department proposes to define the term procurement contract for 
services to mean a contract the principal purpose of which is to 
furnish services in the United States through the use of service 
employees, and any subcontract of any tier thereunder. This proposed 
definition includes any contract subject to the provisions of the SCA, 
as amended, and its implementing regulations. This proposed definition 
is derived from language set forth in 41 U.S.C. 6702(a), 29 CFR 
4.1a(e), and 29 CFR 9.2.
    The Department proposes to define the term Service Contract Act to 
mean the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act of 1965, as amended, 41 
U.S.C. 6701 et seq., and its implementing regulations. See 29 CFR 
4.1a(a).
    In this NPRM, the term solicitation is defined to mean any request 
to submit offers or quotations to the Federal Government. This 
definition is based on the language found at 29 CFR 9.2. The Department 
broadly interprets the term solicitation to apply to both traditional 
and nontraditional methods of solicitation, including informal requests 
by the Federal Government to submit offers or quotations.
    The Department adopts in this proposed rule the definition of 
tipped employee in section 3(t) of the FLSA, that is, any employee 
engaged in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly 
receives more than $30 a month in tips. See 29 U.S.C. 203(t). For 
purposes of the Executive Order, a worker performing on a contract 
covered by the Executive Order who meets this definition is a tipped 
employee.
    In proposed Sec.  10.2, the Department defines the term United 
States by adopting the definition set forth in 29 CFR 9.2, which 
provides that the term means the United States and all executive 
departments, independent establishments, administrative agencies, and 
instrumentalities of the United States, including corporations of which 
all or substantially all of the stock is owned by the United States, by 
the foregoing departments, establishments, agencies, instrumentalities, 
and including nonappropriated fund instrumentalities. The proposed 
definition also incorporates the definition of the term that appears in 
the FAR at 48 CFR 2.101, which explains that when the term is used in a 
geographic sense, the United States means the 50 States and the 
District of Columbia. The Department's proposed rule does not adopt any 
of the exceptions to the definition of this term that are set forth in 
the FAR.
    The Department proposes to define wage determination as including 
any determination of minimum hourly wage rates or fringe benefits made 
by the Secretary pursuant to the provisions of the SCA or the DBA. This 
term includes the original determination and any subsequent 
determinations modifying, superseding, correcting, or otherwise 
changing the provisions of the original determination. The proposed 
definition is derived from 29 CFR 4.1a(h) and 29 CFR 5.2(q).
    The Department proposes to define worker as any person engaged in 
the performance of a contract covered by the Executive Order, and whose 
wages under such contract are governed by the FLSA, the SCA, or the 
DBA, regardless of the contractual relationship alleged to exist 
between the individual and the employer. The proposed definition also 
incorporates the Executive Order's provision that the term worker 
includes any individual performing on or in connection with a covered 
contract whose wages are calculated pursuant to special certificates 
issued under 29 U.S.C. 214(c). 79 FR 9851, 9853. The definition of 
worker includes any person working on or in connection with a covered 
contract and individually registered in a bona fide apprenticeship or 
training program registered with the Department's Employment and 
Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship, or with a State 
Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the Office of Apprenticeship. See 
29 CFR 4.6(p) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.2(n) (DBA). Consistent with the FLSA, 
SCA, and DBA and their implementing regulations, this proposed 
definition of worker excludes from coverage any person employed in a 
bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity, as those 
terms are defined in 29 CFR part 541. See 29 U.S.C. 213(a)(1) (FLSA); 
41 U.S.C. 6701(3)(C) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.2(m) (DBA). The Department also 
emphasizes the well-established principle under those statutes that 
worker coverage does not depend upon the existence or form of any 
contractual relationship that may be alleged to exist between the 
contractor or subcontractor and such persons. See, e.g., 29 U.S.C. 
203(d), (e)(1), (g) (FLSA); 41 U.S.C. 6701(3)(B), 29 CFR 4.155 (SCA); 
29 CFR 5.5(a)(1)(i) (DBA). As reflected in the proposed definition, the 
Executive Order is intended to apply to a wide range of employment 
relationships. Neither an individual's subjective belief about his or 
her employment status nor the existence of a contractual relationship 
is determinative of whether a worker is covered by the Executive Order.
    Finally, the Department proposes to adopt the definitions for the 
terms Administrator, Administrative Review Board, Office of 
Administrative Law Judges, and Wage and Hour Division set forth in 29 
CFR 9.2.
    Proposed Sec. Sec.  10.3 and 10.4 address and implement the 
coverage and exclusionary provisions of Executive Order 13658. Proposed 
Sec.  10.3 explains the scope of the Executive Order and its coverage 
of executive agencies, new contracts, types of contractual arrangements 
and workers. Proposed Sec.  10.4 implements the exclusions expressly 
set forth in section 7(f) of the Executive Order and would provide 
other limited exclusions to coverage as authorized by section 4(a) of 
the Order. 79 FR 9852-53.
    Executive Order 13658 provides that agencies must, to the extent 
permitted by law, ensure that new contracts, as described in section 7 
of the Order, include a clause specifying, as a condition of payment, 
that the minimum wage to be paid to workers in the performance of the 
contract shall be at least: (i) $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 
2015; and (ii) an amount determined by the Secretary, beginning January 
1, 2016, and annually thereafter. 79 FR 9851. Section 7(d) of the 
Executive Order establishes that this minimum wage requirement only 
applies to a new contract if: (i) (A) It is a procurement contract for 
services or construction; (B) it is a contract for services covered by 
the SCA; (C) it is a contract for concessions, including any

[[Page 34574]]

concessions contract excluded by the Department's regulations at 29 CFR 
4.133(b); or (D) it is a contract entered into with the Federal 
Government in connection with Federal property or lands and related to 
offering services for Federal employees, their dependents, or the 
general public; and (ii) the wages of workers under such contract are 
governed by the FLSA, the SCA, or the DBA. 79 FR 9853. Section 7(e) of 
the Order states that, for contracts covered by the SCA or the DBA, the 
Order applies only to contracts at the thresholds specified in those 
statutes. Id. It also specifies that, for procurement contracts where 
workers' wages are governed by the FLSA, the Order applies only to 
contracts that exceed the micro-purchase threshold, as defined in 41 
U.S.C. 1902(a), unless expressly made subject to the Order pursuant to 
regulations or actions taken under section 4 of the Order. 79 FR 9853. 
The Executive Order states that it does not apply to grants; contracts 
and agreements with and grants to Indian Tribes under the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (Public Law 93-638), as 
amended; or any contracts expressly excluded by the regulations issued 
pursuant to section 4(a) of the Order. 79 FR 9853.
    Proposed Sec.  10.3(a) would implement these coverage provisions by 
stating that Executive Order 13658 and this part apply to any contract 
with the Federal Government, unless excluded by Sec.  10.4, that 
results from a solicitation issued on or after January 1, 2015 or that 
is awarded outside the solicitation process on or after January 1, 
2015, provided that: (1) (i) It is a procurement contract for 
construction covered by the DBA; (ii) it is a contract for services 
covered by the SCA; (iii) it is a contract for concessions, including 
any concessions contract excluded by Departmental regulations at 29 CFR 
4.133(b); or (iv) it is a contract in connection with Federal property 
or lands and related to offering services for Federal employees, their 
dependents, or the general public; and (2) the wages of workers under 
such contract are governed by the FLSA, the SCA, or the DBA. 79 FR 
9853. Proposed Sec.  10.3(b) incorporates the monetary value thresholds 
referred to in section 7(e) of the Executive Order. 79 FR 9853. 
Finally, proposed Sec.  10.3(c) states that the Executive Order and 
this part only apply to contracts with the Federal Government requiring 
performance in whole or in part within the United States. Several 
issues relating to the coverage provisions of the Executive Order and 
proposed Sec.  10.3 are discussed below.
Coverage of Executive Agencies and Departments
    Executive Order 13658 applies to all ``[e]xecutive departments and 
agencies.'' 79 FR 9851. As explained above, the Department would define 
executive departments and agencies by adopting the definition of 
executive agency provided in section 2.101 of the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation (FAR). 48 CFR 2.101. The proposed rule therefore interprets 
the Executive Order as applying to executive departments within the 
meaning of 5 U.S.C. 101, military departments within the meaning of 5 
U.S.C. 102, independent establishments within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 
104(1), and wholly owned Government corporations within the meaning of 
31 U.S.C. 9101. Pursuant to this definition, contracts awarded by the 
District of Columbia or any Territory or possession of the United 
States would not be covered by the Order.
    The Executive Order strongly encourages, but does not compel, 
``[i]ndependent agencies'' to comply with its requirements. 79 FR 9853. 
The Department interprets this provision, in light of the Executive 
Order's broad goal of adequately compensating workers on contracts with 
the Federal Government, as a narrow exemption from coverage. See 79 FR 
9851. As discussed above, the proposed rule interprets independent 
agencies to mean any independent regulatory agency within the meaning 
of 44 U.S.C. 3502(5). This interpretation is consistent with provisions 
in other Executive Orders. See, e.g., Executive Order 13636, 78 FR 
11739 (Feb. 12, 2013); Executive Order 12861, 58 FR 48255 (Sept. 11, 
1993). Thus, under the proposed rule, the Executive Order covers 
executive departments and agencies but does not cover any independent 
regulatory agency within the meaning of 44 U.S.C. 3502(5).
Coverage of New Contracts With the Federal Government
    Proposed Sec.  10.3(a) provides that the requirements of the 
Executive Order generally apply to ``contracts with the Federal 
Government.'' As discussed above, the NPRM sets forth a broadly 
inclusive definition of the term contract that would cover all 
contracts and contract-like instruments and any subcontracts of any 
tier thereunder, whether negotiated or advertised, including any 
procurement actions, lease agreements, cooperative agreements, 
intergovernmental service agreements, provider agreements, service 
agreements, licenses, permits, awards and notices of awards, job orders 
or task letters issued under basic ordering agreements, letter 
contracts, purchase orders, or any other type of agreement, regardless 
of nomenclature, type, or particular form, and whether entered into 
verbally or in writing. Unless otherwise noted, the use of the term 
contract throughout the Executive Order and this part therefore 
includes contract-like instruments and subcontracts.
    As reflected in proposed Sec.  10.3(a), the minimum wage 
requirements of Executive Order 13658 apply only to ``new contracts'' 
with the Federal Government within the meaning of section 8 of the 
Order. 79 FR 9853-54. Section 8 of the Executive Order states that the 
Order shall apply to covered contracts where the solicitation for such 
contract has been issued on or after: (i) January 1, 2015, consistent 
with the effective date for the action taken by the FARC pursuant to 
section 4(a) of the Order; or (ii) for contracts where an agency action 
is taken pursuant to section 4(b) of the Order, January 1, 2015, 
consistent with the effective date for such action. 79 FR 9853-54. 
Proposed Sec.  10.3(a) of this rule therefore states that this part 
applies to contracts with the Federal Government, unless excluded by 
Sec.  10.4, that result from solicitations issued on or after January 
1, 2015 or to contracts that are awarded outside the solicitation 
process on or after January 1, 2015. The Executive Order and this part 
thus apply to both new contracts and replacements for expiring 
contracts provided that such a contract results from a solicitation 
issued on or after January 1, 2015 or is awarded outside the 
solicitation process on or after January 1, 2015. The Department 
proposes that the Executive Order and this part do not apply to 
subcontracts unless the prime contract under which the subcontract is 
awarded results from a solicitation issued on or after January 1, 2015 
or is awarded outside the solicitation process on or after January 1, 
2015. Pursuant to the proposed rule, the requirements of the Executive 
Order and this part would not apply to contracts entered into pursuant 
to solicitations issued prior to January 1, 2015, the automatic renewal 
of such contracts, or the exercise of options under such contracts.
    As discussed above in the context of the Department's proposed 
definitions in Sec.  10.2, the term option means a unilateral right in 
a contract by which, for a specified time, the Federal Government may 
elect to purchase additional supplies or services called for by the 
contract, or may elect to extend the term of the contract. See 48 CFR

[[Page 34575]]

2.101. The Department notes that only truly automatic renewals of 
contracts or exercises of options devoid of any bilateral negotiations 
fall outside the scope of the Executive Order. As discussed above and 
consistent with the FAR, the Department's proposed definition of the 
term contract specifically includes bilateral contract modifications. 
Any renewals or extensions of contracts resulting from bilateral 
negotiations involving contractual modifications other than 
administrative changes would therefore qualify as ``new contracts'' 
subject to the Executive Order if they are awarded on or after January 
1, 2015, even if such negotiations occur during option periods. For 
example, pursuant to this proposed interpretation, renewals of GSA 
Schedule Contracts that occur after January 1, 2015, and subsequent 
task or delivery orders under such contracts, will be covered by the 
Executive Order and this part to the extent that such renewals reflect 
bilateral negotiations resulting in contractual modifications other 
than administrative changes. By way of another example, if on January 
1, 2015, a contracting agency and contractor renew or modify an 
existing contract for construction after engaging in negotiations 
regarding the type, size, cost, or location for the construction work 
under the contract, the Department would view such a contractual 
renewal as a ``new contract'' subject to the Executive Order. However, 
when a contracting agency exercises its unilateral right to extend the 
term of an existing service contract and simply makes pricing 
adjustments based on increased labor costs that result from its 
obligation to include a current SCA wage determination pursuant to 29 
CFR 4.4 but no bilateral negotiations occur (other than any necessary 
to determine and effectuate those pricing adjustments), the Department 
would not view the exercise of that option as a ``new contract'' 
covered by the Executive Order.
Coverage of Types of Contractual Arrangements
    Proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1) sets forth the specific types of 
contractual arrangements with the Federal Government that are covered 
by the Executive Order. As explained below, Executive Order 13658 and 
this part are intended to apply to a wide range of contracts with the 
Federal Government for services or construction. Proposed Sec.  
10.3(a)(1) implements the Executive Order by generally extending 
coverage to procurement contracts for construction covered by the DBA; 
service contracts covered by the SCA; concessions contracts, including 
any concessions contract excluded by the Department's regulations at 29 
CFR 4.133(b); and contracts in connection with Federal property or 
lands and related to offering services for Federal employees, their 
dependents, or the general public. Each of these categories of 
contractual agreements is discussed in greater detail below.
    Procurement contracts for construction: Section 7(d)(i)(A) of the 
Executive Order extends coverage to ``procurement contract[s] for . . . 
construction.'' 79 FR 9853. The proposed rule at Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(i) 
would interpret this provision of the Order as referring to any 
contract covered by the DBA, as amended, and its implementing 
regulations. The Department notes that this provision reflects that the 
Executive Order and this part apply to contracts subject to the DBA 
itself, but do not apply to contracts subject only to the Davis-Bacon 
Related Acts, including those set forth at 29 CFR 5.1(a)(2)-(60).
    The DBA applies, in relevant part, to contracts to which the 
Federal Government is a party, for the construction, alteration, or 
repair, including painting and decorating, of public buildings and 
public works of the Federal Government and which require or involve the 
employment of mechanics or laborers. 40 U.S.C. 3142(a). The DBA's 
regulatory definition of construction is expansive and includes all 
types of work done on a particular building or work by laborers and 
mechanics employed by a construction contractor or construction 
subcontractor. See 29 CFR 5.2(j). For purposes of the DBA and thereby 
the Executive Order, a contract is ``for construction'' if ``more than 
an incidental amount of construction-type activity'' is involved in its 
performance. See, e.g., In the Matter of Crown Point, Indiana 
Outpatient Clinic, WAB Case No. 86-33, 1987 WL 247049, at *2 (June 26, 
1987) (citing In re: Military Housing, Fort Drum, New York, WAB Case 
No. 85-16, 1985 WL 167239 (Aug. 23, 1985)), aff'd sub nom., Building 
and Construction Trades Dep't, AFL-CIO v. Turnage, 705 F. Supp. 5 
(D.D.C. 1988); 18 Op. O.L.C. 109, 1994 WL 810699 (May 23, 1994), at *5. 
The term ``contract for construction'' is not limited to contracts 
entered into with a construction contractor; rather, a contract for 
construction ``would seem to require only that there be a contract, and 
that one of the things required by that contract be construction of a 
public work.'' Id. at *3-4. The term ``public building or public work'' 
includes any building or work, the construction, prosecution, 
completion, or repair of which is carried on directly by authority of 
or with funds of a Federal agency to serve the general public interest. 
See 29 CFR 5.2(k).
    Proposed Sec.  10.3(b) implements section 7(e) of Executive Order 
13658, 79 FR 9853, which provides that the Order applies only to DBA-
covered prime contracts that exceed the $2,000 value threshold 
specified in the DBA. See 40 U.S.C. 3142(a). Consistent with the DBA, 
there is no value threshold requirement for subcontracts awarded under 
such prime contracts.
    Contracts for services: Proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(ii) provides that 
coverage of the Executive Order and this part encompasses ``contract[s] 
for services covered by the Service Contract Act.'' This proposed 
provision implements sections 7(d)(i)(A) and (B) of the Executive 
Order, which state that the Order applies respectively to a 
``procurement contract for services'' and a ``contract or contract-like 
instrument for services covered by the Service Contract Act.'' 79 FR 
9853. The Department interprets a ``procurement contract for 
services,'' as set forth in section 7(d)(i)(A) of the Executive Order, 
to mean a procurement contract that is subject to the SCA, as amended, 
and its implementing regulations. The proposed rule would view a 
``contract for services covered by the Service Contract Act'' under 
section 7(d)(i)(B) of the Order as including both procurement and non-
procurement contracts for services that are covered by the SCA. The 
Department has therefore incorporated sections 7(d)(i)(A) and (B) of 
the Executive Order in proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(ii) by expressly 
stating that the requirements of the Order apply to service contracts 
covered by the SCA.
    The SCA generally applies to every contract entered into by the 
United States that ``has as its principal purpose the furnishing of 
services in the United States through the use of service employees.'' 
41 U.S.C. 6702(a)(3). The SCA is intended to cover a wide variety of 
service contracts with the Federal Government, so long as the principal 
purpose of the contract is to provide services using service employees. 
See, e.g., 29 CFR 4.130(a). As reflected in the SCA's regulations, 
where the principal purpose of the contract with the Federal Government 
is to provide services through the use of service employees, the 
contract is covered by the SCA, regardless of the direct beneficiary of 
the services or the source of the funds from which the contractor is 
paid for the service, and irrespective of whether the contractor 
performs the work in its own establishment, on a Government 
installation, or elsewhere. See 29 CFR

[[Page 34576]]

4.133(a). Coverage of the SCA, however, does not extend to contracts 
for services to be performed exclusively by persons who are not service 
employees, i.e., persons who qualify as bona fide executive, 
administrative, or professional employees as defined in the FLSA's 
regulations at 29 CFR part 541. Similarly, a contract for professional 
services performed essentially by bona fide professional employees, 
with the use of service employees being only a minor factor in contract 
performance, is not covered by the SCA and thus would not be covered by 
the Executive Order or this part. See 41 U.S.C. 6702(a)(3); 29 CFR 
4.113(a), 4.156; WHD Field Operations Handbook (FOH) ]] 14b05, 14c07.
    Although the SCA covers all non-exempted contracts with the Federal 
Government that have the ``principal purpose'' of furnishing services 
in the United States through the use of service employees regardless of 
the value of the contract, the prevailing wage requirements of the SCA 
only apply to covered contracts in excess of $2,500. 41 U.S.C. 
6702(a)(2) (recodifying 41 U.S.C. 351(a)). Proposed Sec.  10.3(b) of 
this rule implements section 7(e) of the Executive Order, which 
provides that for SCA-covered contracts, the Executive Order applies 
only to those prime contracts that exceed the $2,500 threshold for 
prevailing wage requirements specified in the SCA. 79 FR 9853. 
Consistent with the SCA, there is no value threshold requirement for 
subcontracts awarded under such prime contracts.
    Contracts for concessions: Proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(iii) 
implements the Executive Order's coverage of a ``contract or contract-
like instrument for concessions, including any concessions contract 
excluded by the Department of Labor's regulations at 29 C.F.R. 
4.133(b).'' 79 FR 9853. As explained above, the NPRM interprets a 
``contract or contract-like instrument for concessions'' under section 
7(d)(i)(C) of the Executive Order as a contract under which the Federal 
Government grants a right to use Federal property, including land or 
facilities, for furnishing services. The proposed definition of the 
term concessions contract includes every contract the principal purpose 
of which is to furnish food, lodging, automobile fuel, souvenirs, 
newspaper stands, and/or recreational equipment, regardless of whether 
the services are of direct benefit to the Government, its personnel, or 
the general public. The SCA generally covers contracts for 
concessionaire services. See 29 CFR 4.130(a)(11). However, pursuant to 
the Secretary's authority under section 4(b) of the SCA, the SCA's 
regulations specifically exempt from coverage concession contracts 
``principally for the furnishing of food, lodging, automobile fuel, 
souvenirs, newspaper stands, and recreational equipment to the general 
public.'' 29 CFR 4.133(b); Preamble to the SCA Final Rule, 48 FR 49736, 
49753 (Oct. 27, 1983). Section 7(d)(i)(C) of the Executive Order 
specifies that the Order applies to all contracts with the Federal 
Government for concessions, including any concessions contract that are 
excluded from SCA coverage by 29 CFR 4.133(b). Proposed Sec.  
10.3(a)(1)(iii) implements this provision and extends coverage of the 
Executive Order and this part to all concession contracts with the 
Federal Government. Consistent with the SCA's implementing regulations 
at 29 CFR 4.107(a), the Department notes that the Executive Order 
generally applies to concessions contracts with nonappropriated fund 
instrumentalities under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces or of 
other Federal agencies.
    Proposed Sec.  10.3(b) of this rule implements the value threshold 
requirements of section 7(e) of Executive Order 13658. 79 FR 9853. 
Pursuant to that section, the Executive Order applies to an SCA-covered 
concessions contract only if it exceeds $2,500. Id.; 41 U.S.C. 
6702(a)(2). Section 7(e) of the Executive Order further provides that, 
for procurement contracts where workers' wages are governed by the 
FLSA, such as procurement contracts for concessionaire services that 
are excluded from SCA coverage under 29 CFR 4.133(b), this part applies 
only to contracts that exceed the $3,000 micro-purchase threshold, as 
defined in 41 U.S.C. 1902(a). There is no value threshold for 
subcontracts awarded under prime contracts or for non-procurement 
concessions contracts or contracts in connection with Federal property 
or lands and related to offering services for Federal employees, their 
dependents, or the general public.
    Contracts in connection with Federal property and related to 
offering services: Proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(iv) implements Section 
7(d)(i)(D) of the Executive Order, which extends coverage of the Order 
to contracts ``entered into with the Federal Government in connection 
with Federal property or lands and related to offering services for 
Federal employees, their dependents, or the general public.'' 79 FR 
9853. To the extent that such agreements are not otherwise covered by 
proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1), the Department interprets this provision as 
generally including leases of Federal property, including space and 
facilities, and licenses to use such property entered into by the 
Federal Government for the purpose of offering services to the Federal 
Government, its personnel, or the general public. In other words, 
private entities that lease space in a Federal building to provide 
services to Federal employees or the general public are covered by the 
Executive Order and this part. Although evidence that an agency has 
retained some measure of control over the terms and conditions of the 
lease or license to provide services is not necessary for purposes of 
determining applicability of this section, such a circumstance strongly 
indicates that the agreement involved is covered by section 7(d)(i)(D) 
of the Executive Order and proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(iv). Pursuant to 
this interpretation, a private fast food or casual dining restaurant 
that rents space in a Federal building and serves food to the general 
public will be subject to the Executive Order minimum wage requirement. 
Additional examples of agreements that would generally be covered by 
the Executive Order and this part include delegated leases of space in 
a Federal building from an agency to a contractor whereby the 
contractor operates a child care center, credit union, gift shop, 
barber shop, or fitness center in the Federal agency building to serve 
Federal employees and/or the general public. Coverage of this section 
only extends, however, to contracts that are ``in connection with 
Federal property or lands.'' 79 FR 9853. For example, if a Federal 
agency contracts with an outside catering company to provide and 
deliver coffee for a conference, such a contract may be covered by the 
SCA but it will not be considered a covered contract under section 
7(d)(i)(D) of the Order because it is not a contract in connection with 
Federal property.
    Pursuant to proposed Sec.  10.3(b) and section 7(e) of Executive 
Order 13658, 79 FR 9853, the Order and this part apply only to SCA-
covered prime contracts in connection with Federal property and related 
to offering services if such contracts exceed $2,500. Id.; 41 U.S.C. 
6702(a)(2). For procurement contracts in connection with Federal 
property and related to offering services where workers' wages are 
governed by the FLSA (rather than the SCA), this part applies only to 
such contracts that exceed the $3,000 micro-purchase threshold, as 
defined in 41 U.S.C. 1902(a).
    Relation to the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act: Finally the 
Department notes that contracts for the manufacturing or furnishing of 
materials, supplies, articles, or equipment to the Federal Government, 
i.e., those subject to the Walsh-Healey

[[Page 34577]]

Public Contracts Act (PCA), 41 U.S.C. 6501 et seq. are not covered by 
Executive Order 13658 or this part. The Department intends to follow 
the SCA's regulations at 29 CFR 4.117 in distinguishing between work 
that is subject to the PCA and work that is subject to the SCA (and 
therefore the Executive Order). The Department similarly proposes to 
follow the regulations set forth in the FAR at 48 CFR 22.402(b) in 
addressing whether the DBA (and thus the Executive Order) applies to 
construction work on a PCA contract. Under that proposed approach, 
where a PCA-covered contract involves a substantial and segregable 
amount of construction work that is subject to the DBA, workers whose 
wages are governed by the DBA or FLSA are entitled to the Executive 
Order minimum wage for the time that they spend performing on such DBA-
covered construction work.
Coverage of Workers
    Proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(2) implements section 7(d)(ii) of Executive 
Order 13658, which provides that the minimum wage requirements of the 
Order only apply to contracts covered by section 7(d)(i) of the Order 
if the wages of workers under such contracts are subject to the FLSA, 
SCA, or the DBA. 79 FR 9853. The Executive Order thus provides that its 
minimum wage protections only extend to workers performing on contracts 
covered by the Executive Order whose wages are governed by the FLSA, 
SCA, or the DBA. Id. For example, the Order does not extend to workers 
whose wages are governed by the PCA. Moreover, as discussed below, the 
Department proposes that, except for workers whose wages are calculated 
pursuant to special certificates issued under 29 U.S.C. 214(c) and 
workers who are otherwise covered by the SCA or DBA, employees who are 
exempt from the minimum wage protections of the FLSA under 29 U.S.C. 
213(a) are similarly not subject to the minimum wage protections of 
Executive Order 13658 and this part.
    In determining whether a worker's wages are ``governed by'' the 
FLSA for purposes of section 7(d)(ii) of the Executive Order and this 
part, the Department interprets this provision as referring to 
employees who are entitled to the minimum wage under FLSA section 
6(a)(1), employees whose wages are calculated pursuant to special 
certificates issued under FLSA section 14(c), and tipped employees 
under FLSA section 3(t) who are not otherwise covered by the SCA or the 
DBA. See 29 U.S.C. 203(t), 206(a)(1), 214(c).
    In evaluating whether a worker's wages are ``governed by'' the SCA 
for purposes of the Executive Order, the Department interprets such 
provision as referring to service employees who are entitled to 
prevailing wages under the SCA. See 29 CFR 4.150-56. The Department 
notes that workers whose wages are subject to the SCA include 
individuals who are employed on an SCA contract and individually 
registered in a bona fide apprenticeship program registered with the 
Department's Employment and Training Administration, Office of 
Apprenticeship, or with a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the 
Office of Apprenticeship. The Department also interprets the language 
in section 7(d)(ii) of Executive Order 13658 and proposed Sec.  
10.3(a)(2) as extending coverage to FLSA-covered employees performing 
on a SCA-covered contract who provide support on a service contract but 
who are not ``service employees'' under the contract for purposes of 
the SCA. 41 U.S.C. 6701(3). Although such workers performing on SCA-
covered service contracts are not covered by the SCA because they are 
not ``service employees,'' such workers would be covered by the plain 
language of section 7(d) of the Executive Order because they are 
performing on a contract covered by the Order and their wages are 
governed by the FLSA. For example, a non-exempt accounting clerk who is 
covered by the FLSA and who exclusively processes invoices and work 
orders and responds to other administrative matters on an SCA-covered 
contract would be covered by the Executive Order even though the non-
exempt accounting clerk may not qualify as a ``service employee'' for 
purposes of the SCA. Similarly, the Department interprets the language 
in section 7(d)(ii) of the Executive Order and proposed Sec.  
10.3(a)(2) as extending coverage to job coaches who assist FLSA section 
14(c) workers in performing on covered contracts, to the extent that 
the job coach's wages would be governed by the FLSA, even if such 
individuals may not be ``service employees'' under the SCA.
    However, if a contractor that performs work on SCA-covered 
contracts employs a security officer who is covered under the FLSA to 
guard the contractor's headquarters, that security officer would not be 
covered by the Executive Order because the employee is not engaged in 
working on or in connection with the contract, either in performing the 
specific services called for by the contract's terms or in performing 
other duties necessary to the performance of the contract. See 29 CFR 
4.150
    In evaluating whether a worker's wages are ``governed by'' the DBA 
for purposes of the Order, the proposed rule interprets such language 
as referring to laborers and mechanics who are covered by the DBA, 
including any individual who is employed on a DBA-covered contract and 
individually registered in a bona fide apprenticeship program 
registered with the Department's Employment and Training 
Administration, Office of Apprenticeship, or with a State 
Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the Office of Apprenticeship. The 
Department also interprets the language in section 7(d)(ii) of 
Executive Order 13658 and proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(2) as extending 
coverage to workers performing on DBA-covered contracts for 
construction who are not laborers or mechanics but whose wages are 
governed by the FLSA. Although such workers are not covered by the DBA 
itself because they are not ``laborers and mechanics,'' 40 U.S.C. 
3142(b), such individuals are workers performing on a contract subject 
to the Executive Order whose wages are governed by the FLSA and thus 
are covered by the plain language of section 7(d) of the Executive 
Order. 79 FR 9853. For example, the Department would view an 
administrative employee working on a DBA-covered contract or a security 
guard patrolling a construction worksite where DBA-covered work is 
being performed whose wages are governed by the FLSA as a covered 
worker entitled to the minimum wage established by the Executive Order. 
The NPRM extends this coverage to FLSA-covered employees working on 
DBA-covered contracts regardless of whether such employees are 
physically present on the DBA-covered construction worksite. However, 
if a contractor that performs work on DBA-covered contracts employs a 
technician who is covered under the FLSA to repair its electronic time 
system, that technician would not be covered by the Executive Order 
because the employee is not engaged in working on or in connection with 
the contract, either in performing the specific services called for by 
the contract's terms or in performing other duties necessary to the 
performance of the contract. See 29 CFR 4.150.
    The Department notes that where state or local government workers 
are performing on covered contracts and their wages are subject to the 
FLSA or the SCA, such workers are entitled to minimum wage protections 
of the Executive Order and this part. The DBA does not apply to 
construction

[[Page 34578]]

performed by state or local government workers.
Geographic Scope
    Finally, proposed Sec.  10.3(c) provides that the Executive Order 
and this part only apply to contracts with the Federal Government 
requiring performance in whole or in part within the United States. 
This interpretation is similarly reflected in the Department's proposed 
definition of the term United States, which provides that when used in 
a geographic sense, the United States means the 50 States and the 
District of Columbia. Under this approach, the minimum wage 
requirements of the Executive Order and this part do not apply to 
contracts with the Federal Government to be performed in their entirety 
outside the geographical limits of the United States as thus defined. 
However, if a contract with the Federal Government is to be performed 
in part within and in part outside these geographical limits and is 
otherwise covered by the Executive Order and this part, the minimum 
wage requirements of the Order and this proposed rule apply with 
respect to that part of the contract that is performed within these 
geographical limits. This approach is consistent with the enforcement 
position adopted under the SCA and set forth at 29 CFR 4.112(b).
    Proposed Sec.  10.4 addresses and implements the exclusionary 
provisions expressly set forth in section 7(f) of Executive Order 13658 
and provides other limited exclusions to coverage as authorized by 
section 4(a) of the Executive Order. See 79 FR 9852-53. Specifically, 
proposed Sec. Sec.  10.4(a)-(d) set forth the limited categories of 
contractual arrangements for services or construction that are excluded 
from the minimum wage requirements of the Executive Order and this 
part, while proposed Sec.  10.4(e) establishes narrow categories of 
workers that are excluded from coverage of the Order and this part. 
Each of these proposed exclusions is discussed below.
    Proposed Sec.  10.4(a) implements section 7(f) of Executive Order 
13658, which states that the Order does not apply to ``grants.'' 79 FR 
9853. The Department interprets this provision to mean that the minimum 
wage requirements of the Executive Order and this part do not apply to 
grants, as that term is used in the Federal Grant and Cooperative 
Agreement Act, 31 U.S.C. 6301 et seq. That statute defines a ``grant 
agreement'' as ``the legal instrument reflecting a relationship between 
the United States Government and a State, a local government, or other 
recipient when-- (1) the principal purpose of the relationship is to 
transfer a thing of value to the State or local government or other 
recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation 
authorized by a law of the United States instead of acquiring (by 
purchase, lease, or barter) property or services for the direct benefit 
or use of the United States Government; and (2) substantial involvement 
is not expected between the executive agency and the State, local 
government, or other recipient when carrying out the activity 
contemplated in the agreement.'' 31 U.S.C. 6304. Section 2.101 of the 
FAR similarly excludes ``grants,'' as defined in the Federal Grant and 
Cooperative Agreement Act, from its coverage of contracts. 48 CFR 
2.101. Several appellate courts have similarly adopted this 
construction of ``grants'' in defining the term for purposes of other 
Federal statutory schemes. See, e.g., Chem. Service, Inc. v. 
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory, 12 F.3d 1256, 1258 (3rd 
Cir. 1993) (applying same definition of ``grants'' for purposes of 15 
U.S.C. 3710a); East Arkansas Legal Services v. Legal Services Corp., 
742 F.2d 1472, 1478 (D.C. Cir. 1984) (applying same definition of 
``grants'' in interpreting 42 U.S.C. 2996a). If a contract or contract-
like instrument qualifies as a grant within the meaning of the Federal 
Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act, it would thereby be excluded from 
coverage of Executive Order 13658 and this part.
    Proposed Sec.  10.4(b) implements the other exclusion set forth in 
section 7(f) of Executive Order 13658, which states that the Order does 
not apply to ``contracts and agreements with and grants to Indian 
Tribes under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 
(Public Law 93-638), as amended.'' 79 FR 9853.
    The remaining exclusionary provisions of the proposed rule are 
derived from the authority granted to the Secretary pursuant to section 
4(a) of the Executive Order to ``provid[e] exclusions from the 
requirements set forth in this order where appropriate'' in 
implementing regulations. 79 FR 9852. In issuing such regulations, the 
Executive Order instructs the Secretary to ``incorporate existing 
definitions'' under the FLSA, SCA, and DBA ``to the extent 
practicable.'' Id. Accordingly, the proposed exclusions discussed below 
incorporate existing applicable statutory and regulatory exclusions and 
exemptions set forth in the FLSA, SCA, and DBA.
    As discussed in the coverage section above, the Department has 
proposed to interpret section 7(d)(i)(A) of the Executive Order, which 
states that the Order applies to ``procurement contract[s] for . . . 
construction,'' 79 FR 9853, as referring to any contract covered by the 
DBA, as amended, and its implementing regulations. See proposed Sec.  
10.3(a)(1)(i). In order to provide further definitional clarity to the 
regulated community for purposes of proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(i), the 
Department would thus establish in Sec.  10.4(c) that any procurement 
contracts for construction that are not subject to the DBA are 
similarly excluded from coverage of the Executive Order and this part. 
To assist all interested parties in understanding their rights and 
obligations under Executive Order 13658, the Department proposes to 
make coverage of construction contracts under the Executive Order and 
this part consistent with coverage under the DBA to the greatest extent 
possible.
    Similarly, the Department has proposed to implement the coverage 
provisions set forth in sections 7(d)(i)(A) and (B) of the Executive 
Order, which state that the Order applies respectively to a 
``procurement contract for services'' and a ``contract or contract-like 
instrument for services covered by the Service Contract Act,'' 79 FR 
9853, by providing that the requirements of the Order apply to all 
service contracts covered by the SCA. See proposed Sec.  
10.3(a)(1)(ii). Proposed Sec.  10.4(d) provides additional 
clarification by incorporating, where appropriate, the SCA's exclusion 
of certain service contracts into the exclusionary provisions of the 
Executive Order. This proposed provision excludes from coverage of the 
Executive Order and this part any contracts for services, except for 
those expressly covered by proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(ii)-(iv), that are 
exempted from coverage under the SCA. The SCA specifically exempts from 
coverage seven types of contracts (or work) that might otherwise be 
subject to its requirements. See 41 U.S.C. 6702(b). Pursuant to this 
statutory provision, the SCA expressly does not apply to (1) a contract 
of the Federal Government or the District of Columbia for the 
construction, alteration, or repair, including painting and decorating, 
of public buildings or public works; (2) any work required to be done 
in accordance with chapter 65 of title 41; (3) a contract for the 
carriage of freight or personnel by vessel, airplane, bus, truck, 
express, railway line or oil or gas pipeline where published tariff 
rates are in effect; (4) a contract for the furnishing of services by 
radio, telephone, telegraph, or cable companies, subject to the 
Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.; (5) a contract for

[[Page 34579]]

public utility services, including electric light and power, water, 
steam, and gas; (6) an employment contract providing for direct 
services to a Federal agency by an individual; or (7) a contract with 
the United States Postal Service, the principal purpose of which is the 
operation of postal contract stations. Id.; see 29 CFR 4.115-4.122; WHD 
FOH ] 14c00.
    The SCA also authorizes the Secretary to ``provide reasonable 
limitations'' and to ``prescribe regulations allowing reasonable 
variation, tolerances, and exemptions with respect to this chapter . . 
. but only in special circumstances where the Secretary determines that 
the limitation, variation, tolerance, or exemption is necessary and 
proper in the public interest or to avoid the serious impairment of 
Federal Government business, and is in accord with the remedial purpose 
of this chapter to protect prevailing labor standards.'' 41 U.S.C. 
6707(b); see 29 CFR 4.123. Pursuant to this authority, the Secretary 
has exempted a specific list of contracts from SCA coverage to the 
extent regulatory criteria for exclusion from coverage are satisfied as 
provided at 29 CFR 4.123(d), (e). To assist all interested parties in 
understanding their rights and obligations under Executive Order 13658, 
the Department proposes to make coverage of service contracts under the 
Executive Order and this part consistent with coverage under the SCA to 
the greatest extent possible.
    The Department therefore provides in proposed Sec.  10.4(d) that 
contracts for services that are exempt from SCA coverage pursuant to 
its statutory language or implementing regulations are not subject to 
this part unless expressly included by proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(ii)-
(iv). For example, the SCA exempts contracts for public utility 
services, including electric light and power, water, steam, and gas, 
from its coverage. See 41 U.S.C. 6702(b)(5); 29 CFR 4.120. Such 
contracts would also be exempt from coverage of the Executive Order and 
this part. Similarly contracts principally for the maintenance, 
calibration, or repair of automated data processing equipment and 
office information/word processing systems are exempted from SCA 
coverage pursuant to the SCA's implementing regulations at 29 CFR 
4.123(e)(1)(i)(A); such contracts are thus not covered by the Executive 
Order or this proposed rule. However, certain types of concessions 
contracts are excluded from SCA coverage pursuant to 29 CFR 4.133(b) 
but are explicitly covered by the Executive Order and this part under 
proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(iii). 79 FR 9853. Moreover, to the extent 
that a contract is excluded from SCA coverage but subject to the DBA 
(e.g., a contract with the Federal Government for the construction, 
alteration, or repair, including painting and decorating, of public 
buildings or public works that would be excluded from the SCA under 41 
U.S.C. 6702(b)(1)), such a contract would be covered by the Executive 
Order and this part as ``procurement contract for . . . construction.'' 
79 FR 9853; proposed Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(i).
    The Department proposes to provide in Sec.  10.4(e) that, except 
for workers whose wages are calculated pursuant to special certificates 
issued under 29 U.S.C. 214(c) and workers who are otherwise covered by 
the SCA or DBA, employees who are exempt from the minimum wage 
protections of the FLSA under 29 U.S.C. 213(a) are similarly not 
subject to the minimum wage protections of Executive Order 13658 and 
this part. Proposed Sec. Sec.  10.4(e)(1)-(3), which are discussed 
briefly below, highlight some of the narrow categories of employees 
that are not entitled to the minimum wage protections of the Order and 
this part pursuant to this exclusion.
    Proposed Sec. Sec.  10.4(e)(1) and (2) specifically exclude from 
the requirements of Executive Order 13658 and this part workers whose 
wages are calculated pursuant to special certificates issued under 29 
U.S.C. 214(a) and (b). Specifically, proposed Sec.  10.4(e)(1) excludes 
from coverage learners, apprentices, or messengers employed under 
special certificates pursuant to 29 U.S.C. 214(a). Id.; see 29 CFR part 
520. Proposed Sec.  10.4(e)(2) also excludes from coverage full-time 
students employed under special certificates issued under 29 U.S.C. 
214(b). Id.; see 29 CFR part 519.
    Proposed Sec.  10.4(e)(3) provides that the Executive Order and 
this part do not apply to individuals employed in a bona fide 
executive, administrative, or professional capacity, as those terms are 
defined and delimited in 29 CFR part 541. This proposed exclusion is 
consistent with the FLSA, SCA, and DBA and their implementing 
regulations. See, e.g., 29 U.S.C. 213(a)(1) (FLSA); 41 U.S.C. 
6701(3)(C) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.2(m) (DBA).
    Proposed Sec.  10.5 sets forth the minimum wage rate requirement 
for Federal contractors and subcontractors established in Executive 
Order 13658. See 79 FR 9851-52. This section generally discusses the 
minimum hourly wage protections provided by the Executive Order for 
workers performing on covered contracts with the Federal Government, as 
well as the methodology that the Secretary will utilize for determining 
the applicable minimum wage rate under the Executive Order on an annual 
basis beginning at least 90 days before January 1, 2016. The Executive 
Order provides that the minimum wage beginning January 1, 2016, and 
annually thereafter, will be an amount determined by the Secretary. It 
further provides that such rates be increased by the annual percentage 
increase in the CPI for the most recent month, quarter, or year 
available as determined by the Secretary. The Secretary proposes to 
base such increases on the most recent year available to minimize the 
impact of seasonal fluctuations on the Executive Order minimum wage 
rate. This section emphasizes that nothing in the Executive Order or 
this part shall excuse noncompliance with any applicable Federal or 
State prevailing wage law, or any applicable law or municipal ordinance 
establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum wage established 
under the Executive Order and this part. See 79 FR 9851.
    Proposed Sec.  10.6 establishes an antiretaliation provision 
stating that it shall be unlawful for any person to discharge or in any 
other manner discriminate against any worker because such worker has 
filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any 
proceeding under or related to Executive Order 13658 or this part, or 
has testified or is about to testify in any such proceeding. This 
language is derived from the FLSA's antiretaliation provision set forth 
at 29 U.S.C. 215(a)(3) and is consistent with the Executive Order's 
direction to adopt enforcement mechanisms as consistent as practicable 
with the FLSA, SCA, or DBA. The Department believes that such a 
provision will help ensure effective enforcement of Executive Order 
13658. Consistent with the Supreme Court's observation in interpreting 
the scope of the FLSA's antiretaliation provision, enforcement of 
Executive Order 13658 will depend ``upon information and complaints 
received from employees seeking to vindicate rights claimed to have 
been denied.'' Kasten v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp., 131 
S. Ct. 1325, 1333 (2011) (internal quotation marks omitted). 
Accordingly, the Department is proposing to include an antiretaliation 
provision based on the FLSA's antiretaliation provision. See 29 U.S.C. 
215(a)(3). Importantly, and consistent with the Supreme Court's 
interpretation of the FLSA's antiretaliation provision, the 
Department's proposed rule protects workers who file oral as well as 
written complaints. See Kasten, 131 S. Ct. at

[[Page 34580]]

1336. Moreover, as under the FLSA, the proposed antiretaliation 
provision under this part protects workers who complain to the 
Department as well as those who complain internally to their employers 
about alleged violations of the Order or this part. See, e.g., Minor v. 
Bostwick Laboratories, 669 F.3d 428, 438 (4th Cir. 2012); Hagan v. 
Echostar Satellite, LLC, 529 F.3d 617, 626 (5th Cir. 2008); Lambert v. 
Ackerley, 180 F.3d 997, 1008 (9th Cir. 1999) (en banc); Valerio v. 
Putnam Associates, 173 F.3d 35, 43 (1st Cir. 1999); EEOC v. Romeo 
Community Sch., 976 F.2d 985, 989 (6th Cir. 1992). The Department also 
notes that the antiretaliation provision set forth herein, like the 
FLSA's antiretaliation provision, would apply in situations where there 
is no current employment relationship between the parties; for example, 
it protects a worker from retaliation by a prospective or former 
employer.
    Proposed Sec.  10.7 provides that workers cannot waive, nor may 
contractors induce workers to waive, their rights under Executive Order 
13658 or this part. The Supreme Court has consistently concluded that 
an employee's rights and remedies under the FLSA, including payment of 
minimum wage and back wages, cannot be waived or abridged by contract. 
See, e.g., Tony & Susan Alamo Found. v. Sec'y of Labor, 471 U.S. 290, 
302 (1985); Barrentine v. Arkansas-Best Freight Sys., Inc., 450 U.S. 
728, 740 (1981); D.A. Schulte, Inc. v. Gangi, 328 U.S. 108, 112-16 
(1946); Brooklyn Sav. Bank v. O'Neil, 324 U.S. 697, 706-07 (1945). The 
Supreme Court has reasoned that the FLSA was intended to establish a 
``uniform national policy of guaranteeing compensation for all work'' 
performed by covered employees. Jewell Ridge Coal Corp. v. Local No. 
6167, United Mine Workers, 325 U.S. 161, 167 (1945) (internal quotation 
marks omitted). Consequently, the Court has held that ``[a]ny custom or 
contract falling short of that basic policy, like an agreement to pay 
less than the minimum wage requirements, cannot be utilized to deprive 
employees of their statutory rights.'' Id. (internal quotation marks 
omitted). In Barrentine, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the ``nonwaivable 
nature'' of these fundamental FLSA protections and stated that ``FLSA 
rights cannot be abridged by contract or otherwise waived because this 
would `nullify the purposes' of the statute and thwart the legislative 
policies it was designed to effectuate.'' 450 U.S. at 740 (quoting 
Brooklyn Sav. Bank, 324 U.S. at 707). Moreover, FLSA rights are not 
subject to waiver because they serve an important public interest by 
protecting employers against unfair methods of competition in the 
national economy. See Tony & Susan Alamo Found., 471 U.S. at 302. 
Releases and waivers executed by employees for unpaid wages (and fringe 
benefits) due them under the SCA are similarly without legal effect. 29 
CFR 4.187(d). Because the public policy interests underlying the 
issuance of the Executive Order would be similarly thwarted by 
permitting workers to waive, or contractors to induce workers to waive, 
their rights under Executive Order 13658 or this part, proposed Sec.  
10.7 makes clear that such waiver of rights is impermissible.
Subpart B--Government Requirements
    Proposed subpart B of part 10 establishes the requirements for the 
Federal Government to implement and comply with Executive Order 13658. 
Proposed Sec.  10.11 addresses contracting agency requirements, while 
proposed Sec.  10.12 explains the requirements placed upon the 
Department.
Contracting Agency Requirements
    Proposed Sec.  10.11(a) implements section 2 of Executive Order 
13658, which directs that executive departments and agencies must 
include a contract clause in any new contracts or solicitations for 
contracts covered by the Executive Order. 79 FR 9851. Proposed Sec.  
10.11(a) briefly describes the basic function of the contract clause, 
which is to require that workers performing on covered contracts be 
paid the applicable Executive Order minimum wage. For all contracts 
subject to Executive Order 13658, except for procurement contracts 
subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the contracting 
agency shall include the Executive Order minimum wage contract clause 
set forth in appendix A of this part in all covered contracts and 
solicitations for such contracts, as described in Sec.  10.3. The 
required contract clause directs, as a condition of payment, that all 
workers performing on covered contracts must be paid the applicable, 
currently effective minimum wage under Executive Order 13658 and Sec.  
10.5. For procurement contracts subject to the FAR, contracting 
agencies shall use the clause set forth in the FAR developed to 
implement this rule. Such clause shall accomplish the same purposes as 
the clause set forth in appendix A and shall be consistent with the 
requirements set forth in this rule.
    Proposed Sec.  10.11(b) states the consequences in the event that a 
contracting agency fails to include the contract clause in a covered 
contract. Proposed Sec.  10.11(b) first provides that if a contracting 
agency made an erroneous determination that Executive Order 13658 or 
this part did not apply to a particular contract or failed to include 
the applicable contract clause in a contract to which the Executive 
Order applies, the contracting agency, on its own initiative or within 
15 calendar days of notification by an authorized representative of the 
Department, shall include the clause in the contract retroactive to 
commencement of performance under the contract through the exercise of 
any and all authority that may be needed. The Administrator possesses 
analogous authority under the DBA, 29 CFR 1.6(f), and the Department 
believes a similar mechanism for addressing a failure to include the 
contract clause in a contract subject to the Executive Order will 
enhance its ability to obtain compliance with the Executive Order.
    Proposed Sec.  10.11(c) addresses the obligations of a contracting 
agency in the event that the contract clause has been included in a 
covered contract but the contractor may not have complied with its 
obligations under the Executive Order or this part. Specifically, 
proposed Sec.  10.11(c) provides that the contracting agency shall, 
upon its own action or upon written request of an authorized 
representative of the Department, withhold or cause to be withheld from 
the prime contractor under the contract or any other Federal contract 
with the same prime contractor, so much of the accrued payments or 
advances as may be necessary to pay workers the full amount of wages 
required by the Executive Order. Both the SCA and DBA provide for 
withholding to ensure the availability of monies for the payment of 
back wages to covered workers when a contractor or subcontractor has 
failed to pay the full amount of required wages. 29 CFR 4.6(i); 29 CFR 
5.5(a)(2). Withholding likewise is an appropriate remedy under the 
Executive Order for all covered contracts because the Order directs the 
Department to adopt SCA and DBA enforcement processes to the extent 
practicable and to exercise authority to obtain compliance with the 
Order. 79 FR 9852. Consistent with withholding procedures under the SCA 
and DBA, proposed Sec.  10.11(c) allows the contracting agency and the 
Department to withhold or cause to be withheld funds from the prime 
contractor not only under the contract on which covered workers were 
not paid the Executive Order minimum wage, but also under any other 
contract that the prime contractor has entered into with

[[Page 34581]]

the Federal Government. Finally, a withholding remedy is consistent 
with the requirement in section 2(a) of the Executive Order that 
compliance with the specified obligations is an express ``condition of 
payment'' to a contractor or subcontractor. 79 FR 9851.
    Proposed Sec.  10.11(d) describes a contracting agency's 
responsibility to forward to the WHD any complaint alleging a 
contractor's non-compliance with Executive Order 13658, as well as any 
information related to the complaint. Although the Department proposes 
in Sec.  10.41 that complaints be filed with the WHD rather than with 
contracting agencies, the Department recognizes that some workers or 
other interested parties nonetheless may file formal or informal 
complaints concerning alleged violations of the Executive Order or this 
part with contracting agencies. Proposed Sec.  10.11(d) therefore 
specifically requires the contracting agency to transmit the complaint-
related information identified in Sec.  10.11(d)(1)(ii)(A)-(E) to the 
WHD's Branch of Government Contracts Enforcement within 14 calendar 
days of receipt of a complaint alleging a violation of the Executive 
Order or this part, or within 14 calendar days of being contacted by 
the WHD regarding any such complaint. This language is substantially 
similar to an analogous provision in the Department's regulations 
implementing Executive Order 13495, Nondisplacement of Qualified 
Workers Under Service Contracts. See 29 CFR 9.11(d). The Department 
believes adoption of the language in proposed Sec.  10.11(d), which 
includes an obligation to transmit such complaint-related information 
to WHD even absent a specific request (e.g., when a complaint is filed 
with a contracting agency rather than with WHD), is appropriate because 
prompt receipt of such information from the relevant contracting agency 
would allow the Department to fulfill its charge under the Order to 
implement enforcement mechanisms for obtaining compliance with the 
Order. 79 FR 9852.
Department of Labor Requirements
    Proposed Sec.  10.12 addresses the Department's requirements under 
the Executive Order. The Order requires the Secretary to establish a 
minimum wage that Federal contractors and subcontractors must pay to 
workers on covered contracts. 79 FR 9851. Proposed Sec.  10.12(a) 
accordingly sets forth the Secretary's obligation to establish the 
Executive Order minimum wage on an annual basis in accordance with this 
Order. Proposed Sec.  10.12(b) explains that the Secretary will 
determine the applicable minimum wages on an annual basis by utilizing 
methods set forth in Sec.  10.5(b).
    Section 10.12(c) explains how the Secretary will provide notice to 
contractors and subcontractors of the applicable minimum wages on an 
annual basis. Specifically, the Administrator of the WHD will publish a 
notice in the Federal Register on an annual basis at least 90 days 
before any new minimum wage is to take effect. Additionally, the 
Administrator will publish and maintain on Wage Determinations OnLine 
(WDOL), www.wdol.gov, or any successor Web site, the applicable minimum 
wage to be paid to workers on covered contracts, including the cash 
wage to be paid to tipped employees. The Administrator may also publish 
the applicable wage to be paid to workers on covered contracts, 
including the cash wage to be paid to tipped employees, on an annual 
basis at least 90 days before any such minimum wage is to take effect 
in any other media the Administrator deems appropriate.
    Proposed Sec.  10.12(d) addresses the WHD's obligation to notify a 
contractor in the event of a request for the withholding of funds. 
Under proposed Sec.  10.11(c), the Administrator may direct that 
payments due on the covered contract or any other contract between the 
contractor and the Government may be withheld as may be considered 
necessary to pay unpaid wages. If the Administrator elects to exercise 
his authority under proposed Sec.  10.11(c) to request withholding, 
proposed Sec.  10.12(d) would require the Administrator or the 
contracting agency to notify the affected prime contractor of the 
Administrator's withholding request to the contracting agency.
Subpart C--Contractor Requirements
Contractor Requirements
    Proposed Subpart C articulates the requirements that contractors 
must comply with under Executive Order 13658 and this part. This 
section sets forth the general obligation to pay no less than the 
applicable Executive Order minimum wage to workers for all time worked 
on or in connection with the covered contract, and to include the 
Executive Order minimum wage contract clause in subcontracts and lower-
tiered contracts. Proposed Subpart C also sets forth contractor 
requirements pertaining to permissible deductions, frequency of pay, 
and recordkeeping, as well as a prohibition against taking kickbacks 
from wages paid on covered contracts.
Contract Clause
    Proposed Sec.  10.21(a) requires the contractor, as a condition of 
payment, to abide by the terms of the Executive Order minimum wage 
contract clause described in proposed Sec.  10.11(a). The contract 
clause contains the obligations with which the contractor must comply 
on the covered contract and is reflective of the contractor's 
requirements as stated in the proposed regulations. Proposed Sec.  
10.21(b) articulates the obligation that contractors and subcontractors 
must insert the Executive Order minimum wage contract clause in any 
covered subcontracts and shall require, as a condition of payment, that 
subcontractors include the clause in all lower-tier subcontracts. Under 
the proposal, the prime contractor and upper-tier contractor will be 
responsible for compliance by any subcontractor or lower-tier 
subcontractor with the Executive Order minimum wage contract clause. 
This responsibility on the part of prime and upper-tier contractors for 
subcontractor compliance parallels that of the SCA and DBA. See 29 CFR 
4.114(b) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(6) (DBA).
Rate of Pay
    Proposed Sec.  10.22 addresses contractors' obligations to pay the 
Executive Order minimum wage to workers performing on a covered 
contract under Executive Order 13658. Proposed Sec.  10.22(a) states 
the general obligation that contractors must pay workers on a covered 
contract the applicable minimum wage under Executive Order 13658 for 
all time spent performing work on the covered contract. Workers 
performing on contracts covered by the Executive Order must receive not 
less than the minimum hourly wage of $10.10 beginning January 1, 2015. 
In order to comply with the Executive Order's minimum wage requirement, 
a contractor may compensate workers on a daily, weekly, or other time 
basis, or by piece or task rates, so long as the measure of work and 
compensation used, when translated or reduced by computation to an 
hourly basis each workweek, will provide a rate per hour that is no 
lower than the applicable Executive Order minimum wage. Whatever system 
of payment is used, however, must ensure that each hour of work in 
performance of the contract is compensated at not less than the 
required minimum rate. Failure to pay for certain hours at the required 
rate cannot be transformed into compliance with the Executive Order or 
this part by reallocating portions of payments made

[[Page 34582]]

for other hours that are in excess of the specified minimum.
    The Department believes that the principles, processes, and 
practices that it utilizes in its implementing regulations under the 
SCA, which incorporates by reference the principles applied under the 
FLSA as set forth in 29 CFR part 785, will be useful to contractors in 
determining and segregating hours worked on contracts with the Federal 
Government subject to the Executive Order. See 29 CFR 4.169, 4.178-79; 
WHD FOH ]] 14c07, 14g00-01.\4\ In determining whether a worker is 
performing within the scope of a covered contract, the Department 
proposes that all workers who, on or after the date of award, are 
engaged in working on or in connection with the contract, either in 
performing the specific services called for by its terms or in 
performing other duties necessary to the performance of the contract, 
are thus subject to the Executive Order and this part unless a specific 
exemption is applicable. This standard is derived from the SCA's 
implementing regulations at 29 CFR 4.150.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ Contractors subject to the Executive Order are likely 
already familiar with these segregation principles and should, as a 
matter of usual business practices, already have recordkeeping 
systems in place that enable the segregation of hours worked on 
different contracts or at different locations. The Department 
believes that such systems will enable contractors to identify and 
pay for hours worked subject to the Executive Order without having 
to employ an additional systems or processes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Because workers covered by the Executive Order are entitled to its 
minimum wage protections for all time worked in performance of a 
covered contract, a computation of their hours worked in each workweek 
on the covered contract is essential. See 29 CFR 4.178. For purposes of 
the Executive Order, the hours worked by a worker generally include all 
periods in which the worker is suffered or permitted to work, whether 
or not required to do so, and all time during which the worker is 
required to be on duty or to be on the employer's premises or to be at 
a prescribed workplace. Id. The hours worked which are subject to the 
minimum wage requirement of the Executive Order are those in which the 
worker is engaged in performing work on or in connection with a 
contract subject to the Executive Order. Id. However, unless such hours 
are adequately segregated or there is affirmative proof to the contrary 
that such work did not continue throughout the workweek, as discussed 
below, compensation in accordance with the Executive Order will be 
required for all hours of work in any workweek in which the worker 
performs any work in connection with a contract covered by the 
Executive Order. Id.
    In situations where contractors are not exclusively engaged in 
contract work covered by the Executive Order, and there are adequate 
records segregating the periods in which work was performed on 
contracts subject to the Order from periods in which other work was 
performed, the minimum wage requirement of the Executive Order need not 
be paid for hours spent on work not covered by the Order. See 29 CFR 
4.169. However, in the absence of records adequately segregating non-
covered work from the work performed on or in connection with the 
covered contract, all workers working in the establishment or 
department where such covered work is performed shall be presumed to 
have worked on or in connection with the contract during the period of 
its performance, unless affirmative proof establishing the contrary is 
presented. Id. Similarly, in the absence of such records, a worker 
performing any work on or in connection with the covered contract in a 
workweek shall be presumed to have continued to perform such work 
throughout the workweek, unless affirmative proof establishing the 
contrary is presented. Id.
    If a contractor desires to segregate covered work from non-covered 
work under the Executive Order for purposes of applying the minimum 
wage established in the Order, the contractor must therefore identify 
such covered work accurately in its records or by other means. See 29 
CFR 4.169, 4.179; WHD FOH ] 14g00. In this regard, an arbitrary 
assignment of time on the basis of a formula, as between covered and 
non-covered work, is not sufficient. However, if the contractor does 
not wish to keep detailed hour-by-hour records for segregation purposes 
under the Executive Order, records can be segregated on the wider basis 
of departments, work shifts, days, or weeks in which covered work was 
performed. For example, if on a given day no work covered by the 
Executive Order was performed by a contractor that day could be 
segregated and shown in the records. See WHD FOH ] 14g00.
    Finally, the Department notes that the Supreme Court has held that 
when an employer has failed to keep adequate or accurate records of 
employees' hours under the FLSA, employees should not effectively be 
penalized by denying them recovery of back wages on the ground that the 
precise extent of their uncompensated work cannot be established. See 
Anderson v. Mt. Clemens Pottery Co., 328 U.S. 680, 687 (1946). 
Specifically, the Supreme Court concluded that where an employer has 
not maintained adequate or accurate records of hours worked, an 
employee need only prove that ``he has in fact performed work for which 
he was improperly compensated'' and produce ``sufficient evidence to 
show the amount and extent of that work as a matter of just and 
reasonable inference.'' Id. Once the employee establishes the amount of 
uncompensated work as a matter of ``just and reasonable inference,'' 
the burden then shifts to the employer ``to come forward with evidence 
of the precise amount of work performed or with evidence to negative 
the reasonableness of the inference to be drawn from the employee's 
evidence.'' Id. at 687-88. If the employer fails to meet this burden, 
the court may award damages to the employee ``even though the result be 
only approximate.'' Id. at 688. These principles for determining hours 
worked and accompanying back wage liability apply with equal force to 
the Executive Order.
    Proposed Sec.  10.22(a) explains that the contractor's obligation 
to pay the applicable minimum wage to workers on covered contracts does 
not excuse noncompliance with any applicable Federal or State 
prevailing wage law, or any applicable law or municipal ordinance 
establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum wage established 
under Executive Order 13658. This provision implements section 2(c) of 
the Executive Order, which states that the Order does not relieve the 
contractor or any subcontractor under the contract from compliance with 
a higher wage obligation to workers under any other Federal, State, or 
local law. 79 FR 9851.
    The Department notes that the minimum wage requirements of 
Executive Order 13658 are separate and distinct legal obligations from 
the prevailing wage requirements of the SCA and the DBA. If a contract 
is covered by the SCA or DBA and the wage rate on the applicable SCA or 
DBA wage determination for the classification of work the worker 
performs is less than the applicable Executive Order minimum wage, the 
contractor must pay the Executive Order minimum wage in order to comply 
with the Order and this part. If, however, the applicable SCA or DBA 
prevailing wage rate exceeds the Executive Order minimum wage rate, the 
contractor must pay that prevailing wage rate to the SCA- or DBA-
covered worker in order to be in compliance with the SCA or DBA.
    The minimum wage requirements of Executive Order 13658 are also 
separate and distinct from the commensurate wage rates under 29 U.S.C. 
214(c). If the

[[Page 34583]]

commensurate wage rate paid to a worker on a covered contract whose 
wages are calculated pursuant to a special certificate issued under 29 
U.S.C. 214(c), whether hourly or piece rate, is less than the Executive 
Order minimum wage, the contractor must pay the Executive Order minimum 
wage rate to achieve compliance with the Order. The Department notes 
that if the commensurate wage due under the certificate is greater than 
the Executive Order minimum wage, the contractor must pay the 14(c) 
worker the greater commensurate wage.
    Proposed Sec.  10.22(b) explains how the contractor's obligation to 
pay the applicable Executive Order minimum wage applies to workers who 
receive fringe benefits. Pursuant to the Executive Order and this part, 
a contractor may not discharge any part of its minimum wage obligation 
under the Executive Order by furnishing fringe benefits (or, with 
respect to workers whose wages are governed by the SCA, the cash 
equivalent thereof). Under this proposal and for the reasons discussed 
below, contractors must pay the Executive Order minimum wage rate in 
monetary wages, and may not receive credit for the cost of fringe 
benefits provided.
    Executive Order 13658 increases, initially to $10.10, ``the hourly 
minimum wage'' paid by contractors with the Federal Government. 79 FR 
9851. By repeatedly referencing that it is establishing a higher hourly 
minimum wage, without any reference to fringe benefits, the text of the 
Executive Order makes clear that a contractor cannot discharge its 
minimum wage obligation by furnishing fringe benefits. This 
interpretation is consistent with the SCA, which does not permit a 
contractor to meet its minimum wage obligation through the furnishing 
of fringe benefits, but rather imposes distinct ``minimum wage'' and 
``fringe benefit'' obligations on contractors. 41 U.S.C. 6703(1)-(2); 
29 CFR 4.177(a). Similarly, the FLSA does not allow a contractor to 
meet its minimum wage obligation through the furnishing of fringe 
benefits. Although the DBA specifically includes fringe benefits within 
its definition of minimum wage, thereby allowing a contractor to meet 
its minimum wage obligation, in part, through the furnishing of fringe 
benefits, 40 U.S.C. 3141(2), Executive Order 13658 contains no similar 
provision expressly authorizing a contractor to discharge its Executive 
Order minimum wage obligation through the furnishing of fringe 
benefits. Consistent with the Executive Order, proposed Sec.  10.22(b) 
would accordingly preclude a contractor from discharging its minimum 
wage obligation by furnishing fringe benefits.
    Proposed Sec.  10.22(b) also prohibits a contractor from 
discharging its minimum wage obligation to workers whose wages are 
governed by the SCA by providing the cash equivalent of fringe 
benefits. As discussed above, the SCA imposes distinct ``minimum wage'' 
and ``fringe benefit'' obligations on contractors. 41 U.S.C. 6703(1)-
(2). A contractor cannot satisfy any portion of its SCA minimum wage 
obligation through the provision of fringe benefit payments or cash 
equivalents furnished or paid pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 6703(2). See also 
29 CFR 4.177(a). Consistent with the treatment of fringe benefit 
payments or their cash equivalents under the SCA, proposed Sec.  
10.22(b) would not allow contractors to discharge any portion of their 
minimum wage obligation under the Executive Order to workers whose 
wages are governed by the SCA through the provision of either fringe 
benefits or their cash equivalent.
    Proposed Sec.  10.22(c) states that a contractor may satisfy the 
wage payment obligation to a tipped employee under the Executive Order 
through a combination of an hourly cash wage and a credit based on tips 
received by such employee pursuant to the provisions in proposed Sec.  
10.28.
    Proposed Sec.  10.23 explains that deductions that reduce a 
worker's wages below the Executive Order minimum wage rate may only be 
made under the limited circumstances set forth in this section. 
Proposed Sec.  10.23 permits deductions required by Federal, State, or 
local law, including Federal or State withholding of income taxes. See 
29 CFR 531.38 (FLSA); 29 CFR 4.168(a) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(1) (DBA). 
This proposed provision would permit deductions for payments made to 
third parties pursuant to court orders. Permissible deductions made 
pursuant to a court order may include such deductions as those made for 
child support. See 29 CFR 531.39 (FLSA); 29 CFR 4.168(a) (SCA); 29 CFR 
5.5(a)(1) (DBA). It also permits deductions directed by a voluntary 
assignment of the worker or his or her authorized representative. See 
29 CFR 531.40 (FLSA); 29 CFR 4.168(a) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(1) (DBA). 
Deductions made for voluntary assignments include items such as, but 
not limited to, deductions for the purchase of U.S. savings bonds, 
donations to charitable organizations, and the payment of union dues. 
Deductions made for voluntary assignments must be made for the worker's 
account and benefit pursuant to the request of the worker or his or her 
authorized representative. See 29 CFR 531.40 (FLSA); 29 CFR 4.168(a) 
(SCA); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(1) (DBA). Finally, the Department proposes to 
permit deductions made for the reasonable cost or fair value of board, 
lodging, and other facilities. See 29 CFR part 531 (FLSA); 29 CFR 
4.168(a) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(1) (DBA). Deductions made for these items 
must be in compliance with the regulations in 29 CFR part 531. The 
Department notes that an employer may take credit for the reasonable 
cost or fair value of board, lodging, or other facilities against a 
worker's wages, rather than taking a deduction for the reasonable cost 
or fair value of these items. See 29 CFR part 531.
    Proposed Sec.  10.24(a) explains that workers who are covered under 
the FLSA or the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) 
must receive overtime pay of not less than one and one-half times the 
regular hourly rate of pay or basic rate of pay for all hours worked 
over 40 hours in a workweek. See 29 U.S.C. 207(a), 40 U.S.C. 3702(a). 
These statutes, however, do not require workers to be compensated on an 
hourly rate basis; workers may be paid on a daily, weekly, or other 
time basis; or by piece rates, task rates, salary, or some other basis, 
so long as the measure of work and compensation used, when reduced by 
computation to an hourly basis each workweek, will provide a rate per 
hour (i.e., the regular rate of pay) that will fulfill the requirements 
of the Executive Order or applicable statute. The regular rate of pay 
is generally determined by dividing the worker's total earnings in any 
workweek by the total number of hours actually worked by the worker in 
that workweek for which such compensation was paid. See 29 CFR 
778.5-.7; .105, .107, .109; 29 CFR 4.166, 4.180-.182; 29 CFR 5.32(a).
    Proposed Sec.  10.24(b) addresses the payment of overtime premiums 
to tipped employees who are paid with a tip credit. In calculating 
overtime payments, the regular rate of an employee paid with a tip 
credit consists of both the cash wages paid and the amount of the tip 
credit taken by the contractor. Overtime payments are not computed 
based solely on the cash wage paid; for example, if after January 1, 
2015, a contractor pays a tipped employee performing on a covered 
contract a cash wage of $4.90 and claims a tip credit of $5.20, the 
worker is entitled to $15.15 per hour for each overtime hour ($10.10 x 
1.5), not $7.35 ($4.90 x 1.5). A contractor may not claim a higher tip 
credit in an overtime hour than in a straight time hour. Accordingly, 
as of January 1, 2015 for

[[Page 34584]]

contracts covered by the Executive Order, if a contractor pays the 
minimum cash wage of $4.90 per hour and claims a tip credit of $5.20 
per hour, then the cash wage due for each overtime hour would be $9.95 
($15.15-$5.20). Tips received by a tipped employee in excess of the 
amount of the tip credit claimed are not considered to be wages under 
the Executive Order and are not included in calculating the regular 
rate for overtime payments.
    Proposed Sec.  10.25 describes how frequently the contractor must 
pay its workers. Under the proposed rule, wages shall be paid no later 
than one pay period following the end of the regular pay period in 
which such wages were earned or accrued. Proposed Sec.  10.25 also 
provides that a pay period under the Executive Order may not be of any 
duration longer than semi-monthly. (The Department notes that workers 
whose wages are governed by the DBA must be paid no less often than 
once a week and reiterates that compliance with the Executive Order 
does not excuse noncompliance with applicable FLSA, SCA, or DBA 
requirements.) These provisions are derived from the contract clauses 
applicable to contracts subject to the SCA and the DBA, see 29 CFR 
4.6(h) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(1) (DBA). While the FLSA does not specify a 
minimum pay period duration, WHD believes this will not be a burden for 
FLSA-covered employers as WHD experience suggests that most covered 
employers pay no less frequently than semi-monthly.
    Proposed Sec.  10.26 explains the recordkeeping and related 
requirements for contractors. The obligations set forth in proposed 
Sec.  10.26 are derived from the FLSA, SCA, and DBA. See 29 CFR part 
516 (FLSA); 29 CFR 4.6(g) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(3) (DBA). Proposed Sec.  
10.26(a) states that contractors and subcontractors shall make and 
maintain, for three years, records containing the information 
enumerated in the proposed Sec.  10.26(a)(1)-(4) for each worker: Name, 
address, and Social Security number; the rate or rates of wages paid to 
the worker; the number of daily and weekly hours worked by each worker; 
and any deductions made. The records required to be kept by contractors 
pursuant to this part are coextensive with recordkeeping requirements 
that already exist under, and are consistent across, the FLSA, SCA, and 
DBA; as a result, compliance by a covered contractor with these payroll 
records obligations will not impose any obligations to which the 
contractor is not already subject under the FLSA, SCA, or DBA. This 
proposed section further provides that the contractor and each 
subcontractor performing work subject to the Executive Order shall make 
such records available for inspection and transcription by authorized 
representatives of the WHD.
    Proposed Sec.  10.26(b) requires the contractor to permit 
authorized representatives of the WHD to conduct interviews of workers 
at the worksite during normal working hours. Proposed Sec.  10.26(c) 
provides that nothing in this part limits or otherwise modifies a 
contractor's payroll and recordkeeping obligations, if any, under the 
FLSA, SCA, or DBA, or their implementing regulations, respectively.
    Proposed Sec.  10.27 makes clear that all wages paid to workers 
performing on covered contracts must be paid free and clear and without 
subsequent deduction (unless set forth in proposed Sec.  10.23), 
rebate, or kickback on any account. Kickbacks directly or indirectly to 
the contractor or to another person for the benefit the contractor for 
the whole or part of the wage are also prohibited. This proposal is 
intended to ensure full payment of the applicable Executive Order 
minimum wage to covered workers.
    Proposed Sec.  10.28 explains how tipped workers must be 
compensated under the Executive Order on covered contracts. Section 3 
of the Executive Order governs how the minimum wage for Federal 
contractors and subcontractors applies to tipped employees. Section 3 
of the Order provides: (a) For workers covered by section 2 of this 
order who are tipped employees pursuant to 29 U.S.C. 203(t), the hourly 
cash wage that must be paid by an employer to such workers shall be at 
least: (i) $4.90 an hour, beginning on January 1, 2015; (ii) for each 
succeeding 1-year period [beginning on January 1, 2016] until the 
hourly cash wage under this section equals 70 percent of the wage in 
effect under section 2 of this order for such period, an hourly cash 
wage equal to the amount determined under this section for the 
preceding year, increased by the lesser of: (A) $0.95; or (B) the 
amount necessary for the hourly cash wage under this section to equal 
70 percent of the wage under section 2 of this order; and (iii) for 
each subsequent year, 70 percent of the wage in effect under section 2 
for such year rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05; (b) Where 
workers do not receive a sufficient additional amount on account of 
tips, when combined with the hourly cash wage paid by the employer, 
such that their wages are equal to the minimum wage under section 2 of 
this order, the cash wage paid by the employer, as set forth in this 
section for those workers, shall be increased such that their wages 
equal the minimum wage under section 2 of this order. Consistent with 
applicable law, if the wage required to be paid under the Service 
Contract Act, 41 U.S.C. 6701 et seq., or any other applicable law or 
regulation is higher than the wage required by section 2, the employer 
shall pay additional cash wages sufficient to meet the highest wage 
required to be paid.
    Accordingly, as of January 1, 2015, section 3 of the Executive 
Order requires contractors to pay tipped employees covered by the 
Executive Order performing on covered contracts a cash wage of at least 
$4.90, provided the employees receive sufficient tips to equal the 
minimum wage under section 2 when combined with the cash wage. In each 
succeeding year, beginning January 1, 2016, the required cash wage 
increases by $0.95 (or a lesser amount if necessary) until it reaches 
70 percent of the minimum wage under section 2 of the Executive Order. 
For subsequent years, the cash wage for tipped employees is 70 percent 
of the Executive Order minimum wage rounded to the nearest $0.05. At 
all times, the amount of tips received by the employee must equal at 
least the difference between the cash wage paid and the Executive Order 
minimum wage; if the employee does not receive sufficient tips, the 
contractor must increase the cash wage paid so that the cash wage in 
combination with the tips received equals the Executive Order minimum 
wage. If the contractor is required to pay a wage higher than the 
Executive Order minimum wage by the Service Contract Act or other 
applicable law or regulation, the contractor must pay additional cash 
wages equal to the difference between the higher required wage and the 
Executive Order minimum wage.
    For purposes of the Executive Order and this part, tipped workers 
(or tipped employees) are defined by section 3(t) of the FLSA. 29 
U.S.C. 203(t). The FLSA defines a tipped employee as ``any employee 
engaged in an occupation in which he customarily and regularly receives 
more than $30 a month in tips.'' Id. Section 3 of the Executive Order 
sets forth a wage payment method for tipped employees that is similar 
to the tipped employee wage provision of the FLSA. 29 U.S.C. 203(m). As 
with the FLSA ``tip credit'' provision, the Executive Order permits 
contractors to take a partial credit against their wage payment 
obligation to a tipped employee under the Order based on tips received 
by the employee. The wage paid to the tipped employee comprises both 
the cash wage paid under section 3(a) of the Executive Order and the

[[Page 34585]]

amount of tips used for the tip credit, which is limited to the 
difference between the cash wage paid and the Executive Order minimum 
wage. Because contractors with a contract subject to the Executive 
Order may be required by the SCA or any other applicable law or 
regulation to pay a wage in excess of the Executive Order minimum wage, 
section 3(b) of the Order provides that in such circumstances 
contractors must pay the difference between the Executive Order minimum 
wage and the higher required wage in cash to the tipped employees and 
may not make up the difference with additional tip credit.
    In the proposed regulations implementing section 3 of the Executive 
Order, the Department has set forth procedures that closely follow the 
FLSA requirements for payment of tipped employees with which employers 
are already familiar. This is consistent with the directive in section 
4(c) of the Executive Order that regulations issued pursuant to the 
order should, to the extent practicable, incorporate existing 
procedures from the FLSA, SCA and DBA. 79 FR 9852. In an effort to 
assist contractors who employ tipped workers and avoid the need for 
extensive cross references to the FLSA tip credit regulations, the 
requirements for paying tipped employees under the Executive Order have 
been fully set forth in proposed Sec.  10.28. The Department has also 
sought to use plain language in the proposed tipped employee 
regulations to make clear contractors' wage payment obligations to 
tipped employees under the Executive Order.
    Section 10.28(a) of the proposed regulations sets forth the 
provisions of section 3 of the Executive Order explaining contractors' 
wage payment obligation under section 2 to tipped employees. Proposed 
Sec.  10.28(a)(1) and (2) makes clear that the wage paid to a tipped 
employee under section 2 of the Executive Order is composed of two 
components: a cash wage payment (which must be at least $4.90 as of 
January 1, 2015 and rises yearly thereafter) and a credit based on tips 
(tip credit) received by the worker equal to the difference between the 
cash wage paid and the Executive Order minimum wage. Accordingly, on 
January 1, 2015, if a contractor pays a tipped employee performing on a 
covered contract a cash wage of $4.90 per hour, the contractor may 
claim a tip credit of $5.20 per hour (assuming the worker receives at 
least $5.20 per hour in tips). Under no circumstances may a contractor 
claim a higher tip credit than the difference between the required cash 
wage and the Executive Order minimum wage; contractors may, however, 
pay a higher cash wage than required by section 3 and claim a lower tip 
credit. Because the sum of the cash wage paid and the tip credit equals 
the Executive Order minimum wage, any increase in the amount of the 
cash wage paid will result in a corresponding decrease in the amount of 
tip credit that may be claimed, except as provided in proposed Sec.  
10.28(a)(4). For example, if on January 1, 2015, a contractor on a 
contract subject to the Executive Order paid a tipped worker a cash 
wage of $5.50 per hour instead of the minimum requirement of $4.90, the 
contractor would only be able to claim a tip credit of $4.60 per hour 
to reach the $10.10 Executive Order minimum wage. If the tipped 
employee does not receive sufficient tips in the workweek to equal the 
amount of the tip credit claimed, the contractor must increase the cash 
wage paid so that the amount of cash wage paid and tips received by the 
employee equal the section 2 minimum wage for all hours in the 
workweek.
    Proposed Sec.  10.28(a)(3) makes clear that a contractor may pay a 
higher cash wage than required by subsection (3)(a)(i) of the Executive 
Order--and claim a correspondingly lower tip credit--but may not pay a 
lower cash wage than that required by section 3(a)(i) of the Executive 
Order and claim a higher tip credit. In order for the contractor to 
claim a tip credit the employee must receive tips equal to at least the 
amount of the credit claimed. If the employee receives less in tips 
than the amount of the credit claimed, the contractor must pay the 
additional cash wages necessary to ensure the employee receives the 
Executive Order minimum wage in effect under section 2 on the regular 
pay day.
    Proposed Sec.  10.28(a)(4) sets forth the contractors' wage payment 
obligation when the wage required to be paid under the SCA or any other 
applicable law or regulation is higher than the Executive Order minimum 
wage. In such circumstances, the contractor must pay the tipped 
employee additional cash wages equal to the difference between the 
Executive Order minimum wage and the highest wage required to be paid 
by other applicable State or Federal law or regulation. This additional 
cash wage is on top of the cash wage paid under Sec.  10.28(a)(1) and 
any tip credit claimed. Unlike raising the cash wage paid under Sec.  
10.28(a)(1), additional cash wages paid under Sec.  10.28(a)(4) do not 
impact the calculation of the amount of tip credit the employer may 
claim.
    Proposed Sec.  10.28(b) follows section 3(t) of the FLSA, 29 U.S.C. 
203(t), in defining a tipped employee as one who customarily and 
regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. If an employee 
receives less than that amount, he or she is not considered a tipped 
employee and is entitled to not less than the full Executive Order 
minimum wage in cash. Workers may be considered tipped employees 
regardless of whether they work full time or part time, but the amount 
of tips required per month to be considered a tipped employee is not 
prorated for part time workers. Only the tips actually retained by the 
employee may be considered in determining if he or she is a tipped 
employee (i.e., only tips retained after any redistribution of tips 
through a valid tip pool). As explained in proposed Sec.  10.28(b), the 
tip credit may only be taken for hours an employee works in a tipped 
occupation. Accordingly, where a worker works in both a tipped and a 
non-tipped occupation for the contractor (dual jobs), the tip credit 
may only be used for the hours worked in the tipped occupation and no 
tip credit may be taken for the hours worked in the non-tipped 
occupation. The tip credit, however, may be used for time spent 
performing incidental activities related to the tipped occupation that 
do not directly produce tips, such as cleaning tables and filling salt 
shakers, etc.
    Proposed Sec.  10.28(c) defines what constitutes a tip. Consistent 
with common understanding, a tip is defined as a sum presented by a 
customer in recognition of a service performed for the customer. 
Whether a tip is to be given and its amount are determined solely by 
the customer. Thus, a tip is different from a fixed charge assessed by 
a business for service. Tips may be made in cash presented to, or left 
for, the worker, or may be designated on a credit card bill or other 
electronic payment. Gifts that are not cash equivalents are not 
considered to be tips for purposes of wage payments under the Executive 
Order. A contractor with a contract subject to the Executive Order is 
prohibited from using an employee's tips, whether it has claimed a tip 
credit or not, for any reason other than as a credit against the 
contractor's wage payment obligations under section 3 of the Executive 
Order, or in furtherance of a valid tip pool. Employees and contractors 
may not agree to waive the employee's right to retain his or her tips.
    Proposed Sec.  10.28(d) addresses payments that are not considered 
to be tips. Paragraph (d)(1) addresses compulsory service charges added 
to a bill by the business, which are not considered tips. Compulsory 
service charges are considered to be part of the business' gross 
receipts and, even if

[[Page 34586]]

distributed to the worker, cannot be counted as tips for purposes of 
determining if a worker is a tipped employee. Paragraph (d)(2) of this 
section addresses a contractor's use of service charges to pay wages to 
tipped employees. Where the contractor distributes compulsory service 
charges to workers the money will be considered wages paid to the 
worker and may be used in their entirety to satisfy the minimum wage 
payment obligation under the Executive Order.
    Proposed Sec.  10.28(e) addresses a common practice at many tipped 
workplaces of pooling all or a portion of employees' tips and 
redistributing them to other employees. Contractors may not use 
employees' tips to supplement the wages paid to non-tipped employees. 
Accordingly, a valid tip pool may only include workers who customarily 
and regularly receive tips; inclusion of employees who do not receive 
tips such as ``back of the house'' workers (dishwashers, cooks, etc.), 
will invalidate the tip pool and result in denial of the tip credit for 
any tipped employees who contributed to the invalid tip pool. A 
contractor that requires tipped employees to participate in a tip pool 
must notify workers of any required contribution to the tip pool, may 
only take a credit for the amount of tips ultimately received by a 
tipped employee, and may not retain any portion of the employee's tips 
for any other purpose.
    Proposed Sec.  10.28(f) addresses the requirements for a contractor 
with a contract subject to the Executive Order to avail itself of a tip 
credit in paying wages to a tipped employee under the Executive Order. 
These requirements follow the requirements for taking a tip credit 
under the FLSA and are familiar to employers of tipped employees. 
Before a contractor may claim a tip credit it must inform the tipped 
employee of the amount of the cash wage that will be paid; the 
additional amount of tip credit that will be claimed in determining the 
wages paid to the employee; that the amount of tip credit claimed may 
not be greater than the amount of tips received by the employee in the 
workweek and that the contractor has the obligation to increase the 
cash wage paid in any workweek in which the employee does not receive 
sufficient tips; that all tips received by the worker must be retained 
by the employee except for tips that are redistributed through a valid 
tip pool and the amount required to be contributed to any such pool; 
and that the contractor may not claim a tip credit for any employee who 
has not been informed of its use of the tip credit.
Subpart D--Enforcement
    Section 5 of Executive Order 13658, titled ``Enforcement,'' grants 
the Secretary ``authority for investigating potential violations of and 
obtaining compliance with th[e] order.'' 79 FR 9852. Section 4(c) of 
the Order directs that the regulations the Secretary issues should, to 
the extent practicable, incorporate existing procedures, remedies, and 
enforcement processes under the FLSA, SCA and DBA. Id. The Department 
has adhered to these two requirements in drafting proposed subpart D.
    Specifically, consistent with the Secretary's authority to obtain 
compliance with the Order, as well as the Secretary's obligation to 
promulgate implementing regulations that incorporate, to the extent 
practicable, existing procedures, remedies, and enforcement processes 
under the FLSA, SCA, and DBA, subpart D of this part incorporates FLSA, 
SCA, and DBA remedies, procedures, and enforcement processes that the 
Department believes will facilitate investigations of potential 
violations of the Order, address and remedy violations of the Order, 
and promote compliance with the Order. Most of the enforcement 
procedures and remedies contained in this part therefore are based on 
the statutory text or implementing regulations of the FLSA, SCA, and 
DBA. The Department also proposes to adopt, in instances where it is 
appropriate, enforcement procedures set forth in the Department's 
regulations implementing Executive Order 13495, Nondisplacement of 
Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts. See 29 CFR part 9.
    Proposed Sec.  10.41 establishes the procedure for filing 
complaints. Section 10.41(a) outlines the procedure to file a complaint 
with any office of the WHD. It additionally provides that a complaint 
may be filed orally or in writing and that the WHD will accept a 
complaint in any language if the complainant is unable to file in 
English. Section 10.41(b) states the well-established policy of the 
Department with respect to confidential sources. See 29 CFR 4.191(a); 
29 CFR 5.6(a)(5).
    Proposed Sec.  10.42 establishes an informal complaint resolution 
process for complaints filed with the WHD. The provision would allow 
WHD, after obtaining the necessary information from the complainant 
regarding the alleged violations, to contact the party against whom the 
complaint is lodged and attempt to reach an acceptable resolution 
through conciliation.
    Proposed Sec.  10.43, which is derived primarily from regulations 
implementing the SCA and the DBA, see 29 CFR 4.6(g)(4) and 29 CFR 
5.6(b), outlines WHD's investigative authority. Proposed Sec.  10.43 
permits the Administrator to initiate an investigation either as the 
result of a complaint or at any time on his or her own initiative. As 
part of the investigation, the Administrator would be able to inspect 
the relevant records of the applicable contractors (and make copies or 
transcriptions thereof) as well as interview the contractors. The 
Administrator would additionally be able to interview any of the 
contractors' workers at the worksite during normal work hours, and 
require the production of any documentary or other evidence deemed 
necessary to determine whether a violation of this part (including 
conduct warranting imposition of debarment) has occurred. The section 
would also require Federal agencies and contractors to cooperate with 
authorized representatives of the Department in the inspection of 
records, in interviews with workers, and in all aspects of 
investigations.
    Proposed Sec.  10.44 discusses remedies and sanctions. Proposed 
Sec.  10.44(a), which is derived from the back wage and withholding 
provisions of the SCA and the DBA, provides that when the Administrator 
determines a contractor has failed to pay the Executive Order's minimum 
wage to workers, the Administrator will notify the contractor and the 
contracting agency of the violation and request the contractor to 
remedy the violation. It additionally states that if the contractor 
does not remedy the violation, the Administrator will direct the 
contractor to pay all unpaid wages in the Administrator's investigation 
findings letter issued pursuant to proposed Sec.  10.51. Proposed Sec.  
10.44(a) further provides that the Administrator may additionally 
direct that payments due on the contract or any other contract between 
the contractor and the Government be withheld as necessary to pay 
unpaid wages, and that, upon the final order of the Secretary that 
unpaid wages are due, the Administrator may direct the relevant 
contracting agency to transfer the withheld funds to the Department for 
disbursement.
    Proposed Sec.  10.44(b), which is derived from the FLSA's 
antiretaliation provision set forth at 29 U.S.C. 215(a)(3) as well as 
29 U.S.C. 216(b)(2) of the FLSA, provides that the Administrator may 
provide for any relief appropriate, including employment, 
reinstatement, promotion and payment of unpaid wages, when the 
Administrator determines that any person has discharged or in any other 
manner

[[Page 34587]]

retaliated against a worker because such worker has filed any complaint 
or instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under or 
related to Executive Order 13658 or this part, or has testified or is 
about to testify in any such proceeding. For the reasons described in 
the preamble to subpart A, the Department believes that such a 
provision will promote compliance with the Executive Order.
    Proposed Sec.  10.44(c) provides that if the Administrator 
determines a contractor has disregarded its obligations to workers 
under the Executive Order or this part, a standard the Department 
derived from the DBA implementing regulations at 29 CFR 5.12(a)(2), the 
Secretary shall order that the contractor and its responsible officers, 
and any firm, corporation, partnership, or association in which the 
contractor or responsible officers have an interest, shall be 
ineligible to be awarded any contract or subcontract subject to the 
Executive Order for a period of up to three years from the date of 
publication of the name of the contractor or person(s) on the 
ineligible list. Proposed Sec.  10.44(c) further provides that neither 
an order for debarment of any contractor or responsible officer from 
further Government contracts under this section nor the inclusion of a 
contractor or its responsible officers on a published list of 
noncomplying contractors shall be carried out without affording the 
contractor or responsible officers an opportunity for a hearing.
    This proposed debarment provision is derived from the debarment 
provisions of the SCA and the DBA and reflects both the Executive 
Order's instruction that the Department incorporate remedies from the 
FLSA, SCA, and DBA to the extent practicable and the Executive Order's 
conferral of authority on the Secretary to adopt an enforcement scheme 
that will both remedy violations and obtain compliance with the Order. 
Debarment is a long-established remedy for a contractor's failure to 
fulfill its labor standard obligations under the SCA and the DBA. 40 
U.S.C. 3144(b); 41 U.S.C. 6706(b); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(7); 29 CFR 5.12(a)(2); 
29 CFR 4.188(a). The possibility that a contractor will be unable to 
obtain government contracts for a fixed period of time due to debarment 
promotes contractor compliance with the SCA and DBA. Since the 
government contract statutes whose remedies the Executive Order 
instructs the Department to incorporate include a debarment remedy to 
promote contractor compliance, the Department has also included 
debarment as a remedy for certain violations of the Executive Order by 
covered contractors.
    Proposed Sec.  10.44(d), which is derived from the SCA, 41 U.S.C. 
6705(b)(2), allows for initiation of an action, following a final order 
of the Secretary, against a contractor in any court of competent 
jurisdiction to collect underpayments when the amounts withheld under 
Sec.  10.11(c) are insufficient to reimburse workers' lost wages. 
Proposed Sec.  10.44(d) also authorizes initiation of an action, 
following the final order of the Secretary, in any court of competent 
jurisdiction when there are no payments available to withhold. For 
example, the Executive Order will cover concessions contracts (and 
possibly other contracts) under which the contractor may not receive 
payments from the Federal Government; similarly, in some instances the 
Administrator may be unable to direct withholding of funds because at 
the time it discovers a contractor owes wages to workers no payments 
remain owing under the contract or another contract between the same 
contractor and the Federal Government. With respect to such 
contractors, there will be no funds to withhold. Proposed section Sec.  
10.44(d) allows the Department to pursue an action in any court of 
competent jurisdiction to collect underpayments against such 
contractors. Proposed Sec.  10.44(d) additionally provides that any 
sums the Department recovers shall be paid to affected workers to the 
extent possible, but that sums not paid to workers because of an 
inability to do so within three years shall be transferred into the 
Treasury of the United States.
    Proposed Sec.  10.44(e) addresses what remedy is available when a 
contracting agency fails to include the contract clause in a contract 
subject to the Executive Order. The section would provide that the 
contracting agency shall on its own initiative or within 15 calendar 
days of notification by the Department, incorporate the clause 
retroactive to commencement of performance under the contract through 
the exercise of any and all authority necessary. This clause would 
provide the Administrator authority to collect underpayments on behalf 
of affected workers on the applicable contract retroactive to 
commencement of performance under the contract. The Administrator 
possesses comparable authority under the DBA, 29 CFR 1.6(f), and the 
Department believes a similar mechanism for addressing a failure to 
include the contract clause in a contract subject to the Executive 
Order will further the interest in both remedying violations and 
obtaining compliance with the Executive Order.
    Finally, as noted in the preamble to subpart A, the Executive Order 
covers certain non-procurement contracts. Because the FAR does not 
apply to all contracts covered by the Executive Order, there will be 
instances where, pursuant to section 4(b) of the Executive Order, a 
contracting agency takes steps to the extent permitted by law, 
including but not limited to insertion of the contract clause set forth 
in appendix A, to exercise any applicable authority to ensure that 
covered contracts as described in section 7(d)(1)(C) and(D) of this 
order comply with the requirements set forth in sections 2 and 3 of the 
Executive Order, including payment of the Executive Order minimum wage. 
In such instances, the enforcement provisions contained in subpart D 
(as well as the remainder of this part) fully apply to the covered 
contract, consistent with the Secretary's authority under section 5 of 
the Executive Order to investigate potential violations of, and obtain 
compliance with, the Order.
Subpart E--Administrative Proceedings
    As discussed with respect to proposed subpart D, section 5 of 
Executive Order 13658, titled ``Enforcement,'' grants the Secretary 
``authority for investigating potential violations of and obtaining 
compliance with th[e] order.'' 79 FR 9852. Section 4(c) of the Order 
directs that the regulations the Secretary issues should, to the extent 
practicable, incorporate existing procedures, remedies, and enforcement 
processes under the FLSA, SCA and DBA. Id. The Department has adhered 
to these two requirements in drafting proposed subpart E.
    Specifically, subpart E of this part incorporates, to the extent 
practicable, the DBA and SCA administrative procedures necessary to 
remedy potential violations and ensure compliance with the Executive 
Order. The administrative procedures included in this subpart also 
closely adhere to existing practices of the Office of Administrative 
Law Judges and the Administrative Review Board.
    Proposed Sec.  10.51, which is derived primarily from 29 CFR 5.11 
addresses how the Administrator will process disputes regarding a 
contractor's compliance with this part. Proposed Sec.  10.51(a) 
provides that the Administrator or a contractor may initiate a 
proceeding covered by Sec.  10.51. Proposed Sec.  10.51(b)(1) provides 
that when it appears that relevant facts are at issue in a dispute 
covered by Sec.  10.51(a), the Administrator will notify the affected 
contractor (and the prime

[[Page 34588]]

contractor, if different) of the investigation's findings by certified 
mail to the last known address. If the Administrator determines there 
are reasonable grounds to believe the contractor(s) should be subject 
to debarment, the investigative findings letter will so indicate.
    Proposed Sec.  10.51(b)(2) requires a contractor desiring a hearing 
concerning the investigative findings letter to request a hearing by 
letter postmarked within 30 calendar days of the date of the 
Administrator's letter. It further requires the request to set forth 
those findings which are in dispute with respect to the violation(s) 
and/or debarment, as appropriate, and to explain how such findings are 
in dispute, including by reference to any applicable affirmative 
defenses.
    Proposed Sec.  10.51(b)(3) requires the Administrator, upon receipt 
of a timely request for hearing, to refer the matter to the Chief 
Administrative Law Judge by Order of Reference for designation of an 
ALJ to conduct such hearings as may be necessary to resolve the 
disputed matter in accordance with the procedures set forth in 29 CFR 
part 6. It also requires the Administrator to attach a copy of the 
Administrator's letter, and the response thereto, to the Order of 
Reference that the Administrator sends to the Chief Administrative Law 
Judge.
    Proposed Sec.  10.51(c)(1) applies when it appears there are no 
relevant facts at issue and there is not at that time reasonable cause 
to institute debarment proceedings. It requires the Administrator to 
notify the contractor, by certified mail to the last known address, of 
the investigative findings and to issue a ruling on any issues of law 
known to be in dispute. Proposed Sec.  10.51(c)(2)(i) applies when a 
contractor disagrees with the Administrator's factual findings or 
believes there are relevant facts in dispute. It would allow the 
contractor to advise the Administrator of such disagreement by letter 
postmarked within 30 calendar days of the date of the Administrator's 
letter. The response would have to explain in detail the facts alleged 
to be in dispute and attach any supporting documentation.
    Proposed Sec.  10.51(c)(2)(ii) requires the Administrator to 
examine the information submitted in the response alleging the 
existence of a factual dispute. Where the Administrator determines 
there is a relevant issue of fact, the Administrator will refer the 
case to the Chief Administrative Law Judge as under Sec.  10.51(b)(3). 
If the Administrator determines there is no relevant issue of fact, the 
Administrator shall so rule and advise the contractor(s) accordingly.
    Proposed Sec.  10.51(d) provides that the Administrator's 
investigative findings letter shall become the final order of the 
Secretary if a timely response to the letter is not made or a timely 
petition for review is not filed. It additionally provides if a timely 
response or a timely petition for review is filed, the investigative 
findings letter shall be inoperative unless and until the decision is 
upheld by the ALJ or the ARB, or the letter otherwise becomes a final 
order to the Secretary.
    Proposed Sec.  10.52, which is primarily derived from 29 CFR 5.12, 
addresses debarment proceedings. Proposed Sec.  10.52(a)(1) provides 
that whenever any contractor is found by the Administrator to have 
disregarded its obligations to workers or subcontractors under 
Executive Order 13658 or this part, such contractor and its responsible 
officers, and/or any firm, corporation, partnership, or association in 
which such contractor or responsible officers have an interest, shall 
be ineligible for a period of up to three years to receive any 
contracts or subcontracts subject to the Executive Order from the date 
of publication of the name or names of the contractor or persons on the 
ineligible list.
    Proposed Sec.  10.52(b)(1) provides that where the Administrator 
finds reasonable cause to believe a contractor has committed a 
violation of the Executive Order or this part that constitutes a 
disregard of its obligations to its workers or subcontractors, the 
Administrator will notify by certified mail to the last known address 
the contractor and its responsible officers (and/or any firms, 
corporations, partnerships, or associations in which the contractor or 
responsible officers is known to have an interest) of the finding. 
Pursuant to Sec.  10.52(b)(1), the Administrator must additionally 
furnish those notified a summary of the investigative findings and 
afford them an opportunity for a hearing regarding the debarment issue. 
Those notified must request a hearing on the debarment issue, if 
desired, by letter to the Administrator postmarked within 30 calendar 
days of the date of the letter from the Administrator. The letter 
requesting a hearing must set forth any findings which are in dispute 
and the reasons therefore, including any affirmative defenses to be 
raised. Proposed Sec.  10.52(b)(1) also requires the Administrator, 
upon receipt of a timely request for hearing, to refer the matter to 
the Chief Administrative Law Judge by Order of Reference, to which 
shall be attached a copy of the Administrator's investigative findings 
letter and the response thereto, for designation to an ALJ to conduct 
such hearings as may be necessary to determine the matters in dispute. 
Proposed Sec.  10.52(b)(2) provides that hearings under Sec.  10.52 
shall be conducted in accordance with 29 CFR part 6. If no timely 
request for hearing is received, the Administrator's findings shall 
become the final order of the Secretary.
    Proposed Sec.  10.53 is derived from the SCA and DBA rules of 
practice for administrative proceedings in 29 CFR part 6. Proposed 
Sec.  10.53(a) provides that upon receipt of a timely request for a 
hearing under Sec.  10.51 (where the Administrator has determined that 
relevant facts are in dispute) or Sec.  10.52 (debarment), the 
Administrator shall refer the case to the Chief Administrative Law 
Judge by Order of Reference, to which shall be attached a copy of the 
investigative findings letter from the Administrator and the response 
thereto, for designation of an ALJ to conduct such hearings as may be 
necessary to decide the disputed matters. It further provides that a 
copy of the Order of Reference and attachments thereto shall be served 
upon the respondent and that the investigative findings letter and the 
response thereto shall be given the effect of a complaint and answer, 
respectively, for purposes of the administrative proceeding.
    Proposed Sec.  10.53(b) states that at any time prior to the 
closing of the hearing record, the complaint or answer may be amended 
with permission of the ALJ upon such terms as he/she shall approve, and 
that for proceedings initiated pursuant to Sec.  10.51, such an 
amendment may include a statement that debarment action is warranted 
under Sec.  10.52. It further provides that such amendments shall be 
allowed when justice and the presentation of the merits are served 
thereby, provided there is no prejudice to the objecting party's 
presentation on the merits. It additionally states that when issues not 
raised by the pleadings are reasonably within the scope of the original 
complaint and are tried by express or implied consent of the parties, 
they shall be treated as if they had been raised in the pleadings, and 
such amendments may be made as necessary to make them conform to the 
evidence. Proposed Sec.  10.53(b) further provides that the presiding 
ALJ may, upon reasonable notice and upon such terms as are just, permit 
supplemental pleadings setting forth transactions, occurrences or 
events which have happened since the date of the pleadings and which 
are relevant to any

[[Page 34589]]

of the issues involved. It also authorizes the ALJ to grant a 
continuance in the hearing, or leave the record open, to enable the new 
allegations to be addressed.
    Proposed Sec.  10.54, which is derived from 29 CFR 6.18 and 6.32, 
provides a process whereby parties may at any time prior to the ALJ's 
receipt of evidence or, at the ALJ's discretion, at any time prior to 
issuance of a decision, amicably dispose of the matter, or any part 
thereof, by entering into consent findings and an order. Proposed Sec.  
10.54(b) identifies four requirements of any agreement containing 
consent findings and an order. Proposed Sec.  10.54(c) provides that 
within 30 calendar days of receipt of any proposed consent findings and 
order, the ALJ shall accept the agreement by issuing a decision based 
on the agreed findings and order, provided the ALJ is satisfied with 
the proposed agreement's form and substance.
    Proposed Sec.  10.55, which is primarily derived from 29 CFR 6.19 
and 6.33, addresses the ALJ's proceedings and decision. Proposed Sec.  
10.55(a) provides that the Office of Administrative Law Judges has 
jurisdiction to hear and decide appeals concerning questions of law and 
fact from the Administrator's determinations issued under Sec.  10.51 
or Sec.  10.52. It further provides that any party may, when requesting 
an appeal or during the pendency of a proceeding on appeal, timely move 
an ALJ to consolidate a proceeding initiated hereunder with a 
proceeding initiated under the SCA or DBA. This language would allow 
the Office of Administrative Law Judges and interested parties to 
efficiently dispose of related proceedings arising out of the same 
contract with the Federal Government. Proposed Sec.  10.55(b) provides 
that each party may file with the ALJ proposed findings of fact, 
conclusions of law, and a proposed order, together with a brief, within 
20 calendar days of filing of the transcript (or a longer period if the 
ALJ permits). It also provides that each party shall serve such 
proposals and brief on all other parties.
    Proposed Sec.  10.55(c)(1) requires an ALJ to issue a decision 
within a reasonable period of time after receipt of the proposed 
findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order, or within 30 calendar 
days after receipt of an agreement containing consent findings and an 
order disposing of the matter in whole. It further provides that the 
decision shall contain appropriate findings, conclusions of law, and an 
order and be served upon all parties to the proceeding. Proposed Sec.  
10.55(c)(2) provides that if the Administrator has requested debarment, 
and the ALJ concludes the contractor has violated the Executive Order 
or this part, the ALJ must issue an order regarding whether the 
contractor is subject to the ineligible list that includes any findings 
related to the contractor's disregard of its obligations to workers or 
subcontractors under the Executive Order or this part.
    Proposed Sec.  10.55(d) provides that the Equal Access to Justice 
Act (EAJA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. 504, does not apply to these 
proceedings. The proceedings proposed here are not required by an 
underlying statute to be determined on the record after an opportunity 
for an agency hearing. Therefore, an ALJ would have no authority to 
award attorney fees and/or other litigation expenses pursuant to the 
provisions of the EAJA for any proceeding under this part.
    Proposed Sec.  10.55(e) provides that if the ALJ concludes a 
violation occurred, the final order must require action to correct the 
violation, including, but not limited to, monetary relief for unpaid 
wages. It also requires an ALJ to determine whether an order imposing 
debarment is appropriate, if the Administrator has sought debarment. 
Proposed Sec.  10.55(f) provides that the ALJ's decision shall become 
the final order of the Secretary, provided a party does not timely 
appeal the matter to the ARB.
    Proposed Sec.  10.56, which is derived from 29 CFR 6.20 and 6.34, 
applies to petitions for review to the ARB from ALJ decisions. Proposed 
Sec.  10.56(a) provides that within 30 calendar days after the date of 
the decision of the ALJ, or such additional time as the ARB grants, any 
party aggrieved thereby who desires review shall file a petition for 
review with supporting reasons in writing to the ARB with a copy 
thereof to the Chief Administrative Law Judge. It further requires the 
petition to refer to the specific findings of fact, conclusions of law, 
and order at issue and that a petition concerning a debarment decision 
state the disregard of obligations to workers and subcontractors, or 
lack thereof, as appropriate. It additionally requires a party to serve 
the petition for review, and all briefs, on all parties and on the 
Chief Administrative Law Judge. It also states a party must timely 
serve copies of the petition and all briefs on the Administrator and 
the Associate Solicitor, Division of Fair Labor Standards, Office of 
the Solicitor, U.S. Department of Labor.
    Proposed Sec.  10.56(b) provides that if a party files a timely 
petition for review, the ALJ's decision shall be inoperative unless and 
until the ARB issues an order affirming the letter or decision, or the 
letter or decision otherwise becomes a final order of the Secretary. It 
further provides that if a petition for review concerns only the 
imposition of debarment, the remainder of the decision shall be 
effective immediately. It additionally states that judicial review 
shall not be available unless a timely petition for review to the ARB 
is first filed. Failure of the aggrieved party to file a petition for 
review with the ARB within 30 calendar days of the ALJ decision shall 
render the decision final, without further opportunity for appeal.
    Proposed Sec.  10.57, which is derived primarily from 29 CFR 9.35, 
outlines the ARB proceedings under the Executive Order. Proposed Sec.  
10.57(a)(1) states the ARB has jurisdiction to hear and decide in its 
discretion appeals from the Administrator's investigative findings 
letters issued under Sec.  10.51(c)(1) or Sec.  10.51(c)(2), 
Administrator's rulings issued under Sec.  10.58, and from decisions of 
ALJ's issued under Sec.  10.55. It further provides that in considering 
the matters within its jurisdiction, the Board shall act as the 
Secretary's authorized representative and act fully and finally on 
behalf of the Secretary. Proposed Sec.  10.57(a)(2) identifies the 
limitations on the ARB's scope of review, including a restriction on 
passing on the validity of any provision of this part, a general 
prohibition on receiving new evidence in the record (because the ARB is 
an appellate body and shall decide cases before it based on substantial 
evidence in the existing record), and a bar on granting attorney's fees 
or other litigation expenses under the Equal Access to Justice Act.
    Proposed Sec.  10.57(b) requires the ARB to issue a final decision 
within a reasonable period of time following receipt of the petition 
for review and to serve the decision by mail on all parties at their 
last known address, and on the Chief Administrative Law Judge, if the 
case involves an appeal from an ALJ's decision. Proposed Sec.  10.57(c) 
requires the ARB's order to mandate action to remedy the violation, 
including, but not limited to, providing monetary relief for unpaid 
wages, if the Board concludes a violation occurred. If the 
Administrator has sought debarment, the Board must determine whether a 
debarment remedy is appropriate. Proposed Sec.  10.57(d) provides the 
ARB's decision shall become the Secretary's final order in the matter.
    Proposed Sec.  10.58 sets forth a procedure for addressing 
questions regarding the application and interpretation of the rules 
contained in this part. Proposed Sec.  10.58(a), which is

[[Page 34590]]

derived primarily from 29 CFR 5.13, provides that such questions may be 
referred to the Administrator. It further provides that the 
Administrator shall issue an appropriate ruling or interpretation 
related to the question. Requests for rulings under this section should 
be addressed to the Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20210. Any interested party may, 
pursuant to Sec.  10.58(b), appeal a final ruling of the Administrator 
issued pursuant to Sec.  10.58(a) to the ARB.
Appendix A (Contract Clause)
    Section 2 of Executive Order 13658 provides that executive 
departments and agencies (agencies), shall, to the extent permitted by 
law, ensure that new contracts, contract-like instruments, and 
solicitations include a clause, which the contractor and any 
subcontractors shall incorporate into lower-tier subcontracts, 
specifying, as a condition of payment, the minimum wage to be paid to 
workers under the Order. 79 FR 9851. Section 4 of the Executive Order 
provides that the Secretary shall issue regulations by October 1, 2014, 
to the extent permitted by law and consistent with the requirements of 
the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, to implement the 
requirements of the Order. Id. at 9852. Section 4 of the Order also 
requires that, to the extent permitted by law, within 60 days of the 
Secretary issuing such regulations, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory 
Council (FARC) shall issue regulations in the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation (FAR) to provide for inclusion of the contract clause in 
Federal procurement solicitations and contracts subject to the 
Executive Order. Id. The Order further specifies that any regulations 
issued pursuant to section 4 of the Order should, to the extent 
practicable and consistent with section 8 of the Order, incorporate 
existing definitions, procedures, remedies, and enforcement processes 
under the FLSA, SCA, and DBA. Id. Section 5 of the Order grants 
authority to the Secretary to investigate potential violations of and 
obtain compliance with the Order. Id.
    As a contract clause is a requirement of the Order, the text of a 
proposed contract clause is set forth in appendix A to proposed part 
10. As required by the Order, the proposed contract clause specifies 
the minimum wage to be paid to workers under the Order. Consistent with 
the Secretary's authority under the Order to obtain compliance with the 
Order, as well as the Secretary's responsibility under the Order to 
issue regulations implementing the requirements of the Order that 
incorporate, to the extent practicable, existing procedures, remedies, 
and enforcement processes under the FLSA, SCA, and DBA, the additional 
provisions of the contract clause are based on the statutory text or 
implementing regulations of the FLSA, SCA, and DBA and are intended to 
obtain compliance with the Order.
    For all contracts subject to Executive Order 13658, except for 
procurement contracts subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation 
(FAR), the contracting agency shall include the Executive Order minimum 
wage contract clause set forth in appendix A of this part in all 
covered contracts and solicitations for such contracts, as described in 
Sec.  10.3. The required contract clause directs, as a condition of 
payment, that all workers performing on covered contracts must be paid 
the applicable, currently effective minimum wage under Executive Order 
13658 and Sec.  10.5. For procurement contracts subject to the FAR, 
contracting agencies shall use the clause set forth in the FAR 
developed to implement this rule. Such clause shall accomplish the same 
purposes as the clause set forth in appendix A and shall be consistent 
with the requirements set forth in this rule.
    Paragraph (a) of the proposed contract clause set forth in appendix 
A provides that the contract in which the clause is included is subject 
to Executive Order 13658, the regulations issued by the Secretary of 
Labor at 29 CFR part 10 to implement the Order's requirements, and all 
the provisions of the contract clause.
    Paragraph (b) specifies the contractor's minimum wage obligations 
to workers pursuant to the Executive Order. Paragraph (b)(1) stipulates 
that each worker employed in the performance of the contract by the 
prime contractor or any subcontractor, regardless of any contractual 
relationship that may be alleged to exist between the contractor and 
the worker, shall be paid not less than the Executive Order's 
applicable minimum wage. Paragraph (b)(2) provides that the minimum 
wage required to be paid to each worker performing work on the contract 
between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015 shall be $10.10 per hour. 
It specifies that the applicable minimum wage required to be paid to 
each worker performing work on the contract shall thereafter be 
adjusted each time the Secretary's annual determination of the 
applicable minimum wage under section 2(a)(ii) of the Executive Order 
results in a higher minimum wage. Section (b)(1) further provides that 
adjustments to the Executive Order minimum wage will be effective 
January 1st of the following year, and shall be published in the 
Federal Register no later than 90 days before such wage is to take 
effect. It also provides the applicable minimum wage will be published 
on www.wdol.gov (or any successor Web site) and is incorporated by 
reference into the contract.
    The effect of paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) would be to require the 
contractor to adjust the minimum wage of workers employed on a contract 
subject to the Executive Order each time the Secretary's annual 
determination of the minimum wage results in a higher minimum wage than 
the previous year. For example, paragraph (b)(1) would require a 
contractor on a contract subject to the Executive Order in 2015 to pay 
covered workers at least $10.10 per hour for work performed on the 
contract. If the contractor continued to employ workers on the covered 
contract in 2016 and the Secretary determined the applicable minimum 
wage to be effective January 1, 2016 was $10.20 per hour, sections 
(b)(1) and (b)(2) would require the contractor to pay covered workers 
$10.20 for work performed on the contract beginning January 1, 2016, 
thereby raising the wages of any workers paid $10.10 per hour prior to 
January 1, 2016.
    Paragraph (b)(3), which is derived from the contract clauses 
applicable to contracts subject to the SCA and the DBA, see 29 CFR 
4.6(h) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(1) (DBA), is intended to ensure full 
payment of the applicable Executive Order minimum wage to covered 
workers. Specifically, paragraph (b)(3) requires the contractor to pay 
unconditionally to each covered worker all wages due free and clear and 
without deduction (except as otherwise provided by Sec.  10.23), rebate 
or kickback on any account. Paragraph (b)(3) further provides that 
wages shall be paid no later than one pay period following the end of 
the regular pay period in which such wages were earned or accrued. 
Paragraph (b)(3) also provides that a pay period under the Executive 
Order may not be of any duration longer than semi-monthly (a duration 
permitted under the SCA, see 29 CFR 4.165(b)). Paragraph (b)(4) 
provides that the contractor and any subcontractor(s) responsible shall 
therefore be liable for unpaid wages in the event of any violation of 
the minimum wage obligation of these clauses.
    Paragraphs (c) and (d) of the contract clause are derived primarily 
from the contract clauses applicable to contracts subject to the SCA 
and the DBA, see 29 CFR 4.6(i) (SCA); 29 CFR 5.5(a)(2), (7)

[[Page 34591]]

(DBA), and specify remedies in the event of a determination of a 
violation of Executive Order 13658 or this part. Paragraph (c) provides 
that the contracting officer shall, upon its own action or upon written 
request of an authorized representative of the Department, withhold or 
cause to be withheld from the prime contractor under the contract or 
any other Federal contract with the same prime contractor, so much of 
the accrued payments or advances as may be considered necessary to pay 
workers the full amount of wages required by the contract. Consistent 
with withholding procedures under the SCA and the DBA, section (c) 
would allow the contracting agency and the Department to effect 
withholding of funds from the prime contractor on not only the contract 
covered by the Executive Order but also on any other contract that the 
prime contractor has entered into with the Federal Government.
    Paragraph (d) states the circumstances under which the contracting 
agency and/or the Department may suspend, terminate, or debar a 
contractor for violations of the Executive Order. It provides that in 
the event of a failure to comply with any term or condition of the 
Executive Order or 29 CFR part 10, including failure to pay any worker 
all or part of the wages due under the Executive Order, or 
discriminating against an employee who has filed a complaint, the 
contracting agency may on its own action, or after authorization or by 
direction of the Department and written notification to the contractor, 
take action to cause suspension of any further payment, advance or 
guarantee of funds until such violations have ceased. Paragraph (d) 
additionally provides that any failure to comply with the contract 
clause may constitute grounds for termination of the right to proceed 
with the contract work and, in such event, for the Federal Government 
to enter into other contracts or arrangements for completion of the 
work, charging the contractor in default with any additional cost. 
Paragraph (d) also provides that a breach of the contract clauses may 
be grounds to debar the contractor as provided in 29 CFR part 10.
    Paragraph (e) provides that neither a contractor nor subcontractor 
may discharge any portion of its minimum wage obligation under the 
contract by furnishing fringe benefits, or with respect to workers 
whose wages are governed by the SCA, the cash equivalent thereof. As 
noted earlier, Executive Order 13658 establishes a minimum wage for 
contractors and provides that the Order seeks to increase, initially to 
$10.10, ``the hourly minimum wage'' paid by contractors with the 
Federal Government. By repeatedly referencing that it is establishing a 
higher hourly minimum wage, without any reference to fringe benefits, 
the text of the Executive Order makes clear that a contractor cannot 
discharge its minimum wage obligation by furnishing fringe benefits. 
This interpretation is consistent with the SCA, which does not permit a 
contractor to meet its minimum wage obligation through the furnishing 
of fringe benefits, but rather imposes distinct ``minimum wage'' and 
``fringe benefit'' obligations on contractors. 41 U.S.C. 6703(1)-(2). 
Similarly, the FLSA does not allow a contractor to meet its minimum 
wage obligation through the furnishing of fringe benefits. Although the 
DBA specifically includes fringe benefits within its definition of 
minimum wage, thereby allowing a contractor to meet its minimum wage 
obligation, in part, through the furnishing of fringe benefits, 40 
U.S.C. 3141(2), Executive Order 13658 contains no similar provision 
expressly authorizing a contractor to discharge its Executive Order 
minimum wage obligation through the furnishing of fringe benefits. 
Consistent with the Executive Order, paragraph (e) would accordingly 
preclude a contractor from discharging its minimum wage obligation by 
furnishing fringe benefits.
    Paragraph (e) also prohibits a contractor from discharging its 
minimum wage obligation to workers whose wages are governed by the SCA 
by providing the cash equivalent of fringe benefits, including vacation 
and holidays. As discussed above, the SCA imposes distinct ``minimum 
wage'' and ``fringe benefit'' obligations on contractors. 41 U.S.C. 
6703(1)-(2). A contractor cannot satisfy any portion of its SCA minimum 
wage obligation through the provision of fringe benefit payments or 
cash equivalents furnished or paid pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 6703(2). 29 
CFR 4.177(a). Consistent with the treatment of fringe benefit payments 
or their cash equivalents under the SCA, paragraph (e) would not allow 
contractors to discharge any portion of their minimum wage obligation 
under the Executive Order to workers whose wages are governed by the 
SCA through the provision of either fringe benefits or their cash 
equivalent.
    Paragraph (f) provides that nothing in the contract clause shall 
relieve the contractor from compliance with a higher wage obligation to 
workers under any other Federal, State, or local law. This provision 
would implement section 2(c) of the Executive Order, which provides 
that nothing in the Order excuses noncompliance with any applicable 
Federal or State prevailing wage law, or any applicable law or 
municipal ordinance establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum 
wage established under the Order. 79 FR 9851. This provision thus would 
ensure that a contractor cannot rely on the applicable Executive Order 
minimum wage to justify payment of a wage that is lower than the wage 
the contractor is obligated to pay under any applicable Federal or 
State prevailing wage law, or any applicable law or municipal ordinance 
establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum wage established 
under the Order. For example, if a municipal law required a contractor 
to pay a worker $10.75 per hour on January 1, 2015, a contractor could 
not rely on the $10.10 Executive Order minimum wage to pay the worker 
less than $10.75 per hour.
    Paragraph (g) sets forth recordkeeping and related obligations that 
are consistent with the Secretary's authority under section 5 of the 
Order to obtain compliance with the Order, and that the Department 
views as essential to determining whether the contractor has paid the 
Executive Order minimum wage to covered workers. The obligations set 
forth in paragraph (g) are derived from the FLSA, SCA, or DBA. 
Paragraph (g)(1) lists specific payroll records obligations of 
contractors and subcontractors performing work subject to the Executive 
Order, providing in particular that such contractors and subcontractors 
shall make and maintain for three years from the completion of the 
covered contract work records containing the following information for 
each covered worker: name, address, and social security number; the 
rate or rates paid to the worker; the number of daily and weekly hours 
worked by each worker; and any deductions made. The records required to 
be kept by contractors pursuant to this part are coextensive with 
recordkeeping requirements that already exist under, and are consistent 
across, the FLSA, SCA, and DBA; as a result, compliance by a covered 
contractor with these payroll records obligations will not impose any 
obligations to which the contractor is not already subject under the 
FLSA, SCA, or DBA. Paragraph (g)(1) further provides that the 
contractor and each subcontractor performing work subject to the 
Executive Order shall make such records available for inspection and 
transcription by authorized representatives of the WHD.
    Paragraph (g)(2) requires the contractor to make available a copy 
of

[[Page 34592]]

the contract for inspection or transcription by authorized 
representatives of the WHD. Paragraph (g)(3) provides that failure to 
make and maintain, or to make available to the WHD for transcription 
and copying, the records identified in section (g)(1) is a violation of 
the regulations implementing Executive Order 13658 and the contract. 
Paragraph (g)(3) additionally provides that in the case of a failure to 
produce such records, the contracting officer, upon direction of the 
Department and notification of the contractor, shall take action to 
cause suspension of any further payment or advance of funds until such 
violation ceases. Paragraph (g)(4) requires the contractor to permit 
authorized representatives of the WHD to conduct the investigation, 
including interviewing workers at the worksite during normal working 
hours. Paragraph (g)(5) provides that nothing in the contract clauses 
limits or otherwise modifies a contractor's recordkeeping obligations, 
if any, under the FLSA, SCA, and DBA, and their implementing 
regulations, respectively. Thus, for example, a contractor subject to 
both Executive Order 13658 and the DBA with respect to a particular 
project is required to comply with all recordkeeping requirements under 
the DBA and its implementing regulations.
    Paragraph (h) requires the contractor to both insert the contract 
clause in all its subcontracts and to require its subcontractors to 
include the clause in any lower-tiered subcontracts. Paragraph (h) 
further makes the prime contractor or upper-tier contractor responsible 
for the compliance by any subcontractor or lower tier subcontractor 
with the contract clause.
    Paragraph (i), which is derived from the SCA contract clause, 29 
CFR 4.6(n), sets forth the certifications of eligibility the contractor 
makes by entering into the contract. Paragraph (i)(1) stipulates that 
by entering into the contract, the contractor and its officials certify 
that neither the contractor, the certifying officials, nor any person 
or firm with an interest in the contractor's firm is a person or firm 
ineligible to be awarded Federal contracts pursuant to section 5 of the 
SCA, section 3(a) of the DBA, or 29 CFR 5.12(a)(1). Paragraph (i)(2) 
constitutes a certification that no part of the contract shall be 
subcontracted to any person or firm ineligible to receive Federal 
contracts. Paragraph (i)(3) contains an acknowledgement by the 
contractor that the penalty for making false statements is prescribed 
in the U.S. Criminal Code at 18 U.S.C. 1001.
    Paragraph (j) is based on section 3 of the Executive Order and 
addresses the employer's ability to use a partial wage credit based on 
tips received by a tipped employee (tip credit) to satisfy the wage 
payment obligation under the Executive Order. The provision sets the 
requirements an employer must meet in order to claim a tip credit.
    Paragraph (k) establishes a prohibition on contractor retaliation 
that is derived from the FLSA's antiretaliation provision and is 
consistent with the Secretary's authority under section 5 of the Order 
to obtain compliance with the Order. It prohibits a contractor from 
discharging or discriminating against a worker because such worker has 
filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any 
proceeding under or related to Executive Order 13658 or this part, or 
has testified or is about to testify in any such proceeding. The 
Department proposes to interpret the prohibition on contractor 
retaliation in paragraph (k) in accordance with its interpretation of 
the analogous FLSA provision.
    Paragraph (l) is based on section 5(b) of the Executive Order and 
provides that disputes related to the application of the Executive 
Order to the contract shall not be subject to the contract's general 
disputes clause. Instead, such disputes shall be resolved in accordance 
with the dispute resolution process set forth in 29 CFR part 10. 
Paragraph (l) also provides that disputes within the meaning of the 
clause include disputes between the contractor (or any of its 
subcontractors) and the contracting agency, the U.S. Department of 
Labor, or the workers or their representatives.

IV. Paperwork Reduction Act

    As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burden, the Department conducts a preclearance consultation program to 
provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to 
comment on proposed and continuing collections of information in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial 
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be 
properly assessed. The PRA typically requires an agency to provide 
notice and seek public comments on any proposed collection of 
information contained in a proposed rule. See 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(B); 
5 CFR 1320.8. Persons are not required to respond to the information 
collection requirements until they are approved by OMB under the PRA at 
the final rule stage.
    Purpose and use: As previously explained, Executive Order 13658 
provides that agencies must, to the extent permitted by law, ensure 
that new contracts, as described in section 7 of the Order, include a 
clause specifying, as a condition of payment, that the minimum wage to 
be paid to workers in the performance of the contract shall be at 
least: (i) $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015; and (ii) an 
amount determined by the Secretary, beginning January 1, 2016, and 
annually thereafter. 79 FR 9851. Section 7(d) of the Executive Order 
establishes that this minimum wage requirement only applies to a new 
contract if: (i) (A) It is a procurement contract for services or 
construction; (B) it is a contract for services covered by the SCA; (C) 
it is a contract for concessions, including any concessions contract 
excluded by the Department's regulations at 29 CFR 4.133(b); or (D) it 
is a contract entered into with the Federal Government in connection 
with Federal property or lands and related to offering services for 
Federal employees, their dependents, or the general public; and (ii) 
the wages of workers under such contract are governed by the FLSA, the 
SCA, or the DBA. 79 FR 9853. Section 7(e) of the Order states that, for 
contracts covered by the SCA or the DBA, the Order applies only to 
contracts at the thresholds specified in those statutes. Id. It also 
specifies that, for procurement contracts where workers' wages are 
governed by the FLSA, the Order applies only to contracts that exceed 
the micro-purchase threshold, as defined in 41 U.S.C. 1902(a), unless 
expressly made subject to the Order pursuant to regulations or actions 
taken under section 4 of the Order. 79 FR 9853. This NPRM, which 
implements the minimum wage requirement of Executive Order 13658, 
contains several provisions that could be considered to entail 
collections of information: the section 10.21 requirement for a 
contractor and its subcontractors to include the applicable Executive 
Order minimum wage contract clause in any covered subcontract, the 
section 10.26 recordkeeping requirements, the section 10.41 complaint 
process, and the subpart E administrative proceedings.
    Proposed subpart C states the contractor's requirements in 
complying with the Executive Order. Proposed Sec.  10.21 states that 
the contractor and any subcontractor, as a condition of payment, must 
abide by the Executive Order minimum wage contract clause and must 
include in any covered subcontracts the minimum wage

[[Page 34593]]

contract clause in any lower-tier subcontracts.
    The Department notes that the proposed rule does not require 
contractors to comply with an employee notice requirement. Furthermore, 
disclosure of information originally supplied by the Federal Government 
for the purpose of disclosure is not included within the definition of 
a collection of information subject to the PRA. See 5 CFR 1320.3(c)(2). 
The Department has determined that Sec.  10.21 does not include an 
information collection subject to the PRA. The Department also notes 
that the proposed recordkeeping requirements in this NPRM are 
requirements that contractors must already comply with under the FLSA, 
SCA, or DBA under an OMB approved collection of information (OMB 
control number 1235-0018). The Department believes that the proposed 
rule does not impose any additional notice or recordkeeping 
requirements on contractors for PRA purposes; therefore, the burden for 
complying with the recordkeeping requirements in this proposed rule is 
subsumed under the current approval. An information collection request 
(ICR), however, has been submitted to the OMB that would revise the 
existing PRA authorization for control number 1235-0018 to incorporate 
the recordkeeping regulatory citations in this proposed rule.
    The WHD obtains PRA clearance under control number 1235-0021 for an 
information collection covering complaints alleging violations of 
various labor standards that the agency administers and enforces. An 
ICR has been submitted to revise the approval to incorporate the 
regulatory citations in this proposed rule applicable to complaints and 
adjust burden estimates to reflect any increase in the number of 
complaints filed against contractors who fail to comply with the 
minimum wage requirement.
    Subpart E establishes administrative proceedings to resolve 
investigation findings. Particularly with respect to hearings, the rule 
imposes information collection requirements. The Department notes that 
information exchanged between the target of a civil or an 
administrative action and the agency in order to resolve the action 
would be exempt from PRA requirements. See 44 U.S.C. 3518(c)(1)(B); 5 
CFR 1320.4(a)(2). This exemption applies throughout the civil or 
administrative action (such as an investigation and any related 
administrative hearings); therefore, the Department has determined the 
administrative requirements contained in subpart E of this proposed 
rule are exempt from needing OMB approval under the PRA.
    Information and technology: There is no particular order or form of 
records prescribed by the proposed regulations. A contractor may meet 
the requirements of this proposed rule using paper or electronic means. 
The WHD, in order to reduce burden caused by the filing of complaints 
that are not actionable by the agency, uses a complaint filing process 
that has complainants discuss their concerns with WHD professional 
staff. This process allows agency staff to refer complainants raising 
concerns that are not actionable under wage and hour laws and 
regulations to an agency that may be able to offer assistance.
    Public comments: The Department seeks comments on its analysis that 
this NPRM creates a slight increase in paperwork burden associated with 
ICR 1235-0021 but does not create a paperwork burden on the regulated 
community of the information collection provisions contained in ICR 
1235-0018. Commenters may send their views to the Department in the 
same way as all other comments (e.g., through the www.regulations.gov 
Web site). While much of the information provided to OMB in support of 
the information collection request appears in the preamble, interested 
parties may obtain a copy of the full recordkeeping and complaint 
process supporting statements by sending a written request to the mail 
address shown in the ADDRESSES section at the beginning of this 
preamble. Alternatively, a copy of the recordkeeping ICR with 
applicable supporting documentation; including a description of the 
likely respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total 
burden may be obtained free of charge from the RegInfo.gov Web site at 
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201405-1235-002 
(this link will only become active on the day following publication of 
this notice). Similarly, the complaint process ICR is available from 
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201405-1235-001 
(this link will only become active on the day following publication of 
this notice) or by visiting https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain 
Web site. In addition to having an opportunity to file comments with 
the Department, comments about the paperwork implications of the 
proposed regulations may be addressed to the OMB. Comments to the OMB 
should be directed to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Attention OMB Desk Officer for the Wage and Hour Division, Office of 
Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503; Telephone: 
202-395-7316/Fax: 202-395-6974 (these are not toll-free numbers). The 
OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives within 30 
days of publication of this proposed rule. As previously indicated, 
written comments directed to the Department may be submitted within 30 
days of publication of this notice.
    The OMB and the Department are particularly interested in comments 
that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collections of information 
are necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the 
agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    Total burden for the recordkeeping and complaint process 
information collections, including the burdens that will be unaffected 
by this proposed rule and any changes are summarized as follows:
    Type of review: Revisions to currently approved information 
collections.
    Agency: Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor.
    Title: Employment Information Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1235-0021.
    Affected public: Private sector, businesses or other for-profits 
and Individuals or Households.
    Estimated number of respondents: 35,350 (35 from this rulemaking).
    Estimated number of responses: 35,350 (35 from this rulemaking).
    Frequency of response: On occasion.
    Estimated annual burden hours: 11,679 (11.66 burden hours due to 
this NPRM).
    Estimated annual burden costs: $278,193.00 ($278 from this 
rulemaking).
    Title: Records to be kept by Employers.
    OMB Control Number: 1235-0018.
    Affected public: Private sector, businesses or other for-profits 
and Individuals or Households.
    Estimated number of respondents: 3,486,025 (0 from this 
rulemaking).

[[Page 34594]]

    Estimated number of responses: 39,462,547 (0 from this rulemaking).
    Frequency of response: Weekly.
    Estimated annual burden hours: 853,924 (0 from this rulemaking).
    Estimated annual burden costs: 0.

V. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563

    Executive Order 13563 directs agencies to propose or adopt a 
regulation only upon a reasoned determination that its benefits justify 
its costs; tailor the regulation to impose the least burden on society, 
consistent with achieving the regulatory objectives; and in choosing 
among alternative regulatory approaches, select those approaches that 
maximize net benefits. Executive Order 13563 recognizes that some 
benefits are difficult to quantify and provides that, where appropriate 
and permitted by law, agencies may consider and discuss qualitatively 
values that are difficult or impossible to quantify, including equity, 
human dignity, fairness, and distributive impacts.
    Under Executive Order 12866, the Department must determine whether 
a regulatory action is significant and therefore subject to the 
requirements of the Executive Order and to review by OMB. 58 FR 51735. 
Section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866 defines a ``significant 
regulatory action'' as an action that is likely to result in a rule 
that: (1) Has an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more, 
or adversely affects in a material way a sector of the economy, 
productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or 
safety, or State, local or tribal governments or communities (also 
referred to as economically significant); (2) creates serious 
inconsistency or otherwise interferes with an action taken or planned 
by another agency; (3) materially alters the budgetary impacts of 
entitlement grants, user fees, or loan programs, or the rights and 
obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) raises novel legal or policy 
issues arising out of legal mandates, the President's priorities, or 
the principles set forth in Executive Order 12866. Id.
    The Department has determined that this proposed rule is a 
``significant regulatory action'' under section 3(f) of Executive Order 
12866 because it is economically significant based on the analysis set 
forth below. As a result, OMB has reviewed this proposed rule.
    Executive Order 13658 requires an increase in the minimum wage to 
$10.10 for workers on covered Federal contracts where the solicitation 
for such contract has been issued on or after January 1, 2015. 
Beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of 
Labor will determine the applicable minimum wage in accordance with 
section 2 of Executive Order 13658. Workers performing on covered 
contracts as described in the Executive Order and this rule are 
entitled to the minimum wage protections of this part. The Executive 
Order applies only to new contracts where the solicitation for such 
contract has been issued on or after January 1, 2015.
    In order to determine whether the proposed rule would have an 
annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more, it was necessary 
to determine how many workers on contracts covered by the Executive 
Order are earning below $10.10 (affected workers). Because no single 
source contained data reflecting how many Federal contract workers 
receive wages below $10.10, the Department relied on a variety of data 
sources to derive the number of affected workers. First, the Department 
used the Principal North American Industry Classification System 
(NAICS) to identify the industries most likely to employ workers 
covered by the Executive Order. Second, the Department utilized the 
Current Population Survey (CPS) to estimate the number of workers 
within a state within the applicable NAICS category receiving less than 
$10.10 per hour. The Department then relied on ratios it derived from 
USASpending.gov and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Employment 
and Unemployment Statistics (OEUS) data to determine what percentage of 
the applicable CPS workers receiving less than $10.10 per hour were 
working on Federal contracts. Finally, the Department relied on ratios 
again derived from USAspending.gov data to determine what percentage of 
workers receiving less than $10.10 per hour while working on Federal 
contracts were employed on Federal contracts covered by the Executive 
Order. Using this methodology, the Department estimates that there are 
183,814 affected workers.
    It was additionally necessary to determine the average wage rate of 
affected workers and to estimate how many hours affected workers would 
spend on covered contracts. The Department estimated affected workers 
receive an average wage of $8.79, or $1.31 below the Executive Order 
minimum wage, and work 2,080 hours per year on Executive Order covered 
contracts. The Department further estimated that twenty-percent (20%) 
of contracts extant in 2015 will qualify as ``new'' for purposes of the 
Executive Order and that approximately all contracts extant by 2019 
will be ``new'' for purposes of the Executive Order. Based on these 
estimates, the Department anticipates that the annual effect of the 
rule in 2015 and 2019 will be approximately $100.2 million 
(183,814*$1.31*2080*.20= $100.2 million) and $501 million 
(183,814*$1.31*2080), respectively.
    In estimating the annual effect on the economy of this rule, the 
Department proceeded in steps. The first step was to estimate the 
number of affected workers who currently earn less than $10.10 per 
hour. The second step was to estimate the average wage increase for the 
affected workers. The average increase in wages will reflect the range 
of hourly wage rates of the affected workers currently earning between 
$7.25 and $10.10. In the third step, the Department calculated the 
total increase in hourly wages for the affected workers by multiplying 
the number of affected workers (Step 1) by the average increase in 
wages of the affected workers (Step 2) and the estimated number of work 
hours per year. Because this rule applies only to new contracts where 
the solicitation for such contracts has been issued on or after January 
1, 2015, the Department also needed to estimate the percentage of 
extant contracts that would be ``new'' in the years covered by this 
analysis.
    The Federal Government does not collect data that precisely 
quantifies the number of private sector workers employed under Federal 
contracts. The Department accordingly used various methods based on the 
data sources available to derive an estimate of the number of affected 
workers. First, the Department gathered data on Federal contracts from 
USASpending.gov, which classifies government contract spending based on 
the products or services being purchased, to determine the types of 
Federal contracts covered by the Executive Order.\5\ Specifically, the 
Department's estimate of spending on contracts that are covered by this 
Executive Order included contracts for work related to Research and 
Development (``A'' codes), Special Studies and Analyses--Not R&D (``B'' 
codes), Architect and Engineering--Construction (``C'' codes), 
Automatic Data Processing and Telecommunication (``D'' codes), Purchase 
of Structures and Facilities (``E'' codes), Natural Resources and 
Conservation (``F'' codes), Social Services (``G'' codes), Quality 
Control, Testing, and Inspection (``H'' codes), Maintenance, Repair, 
and Rebuilding of

[[Page 34595]]

Equipment (``J'' codes), Modification of Equipment (``K'' codes), 
Technical Representative (``L'' codes), Operation of Government Owned 
Facilities (``M'' codes), Installation of Equipment (``N'' codes), 
Salvage Services (``P'' codes), Medical Services (``Q'' codes), 
Professional, Administrative and Management Support (``R'' codes), 
Utilities and Housekeeping Services (``S'' codes), Photographic, 
Mapping, Printing, and Publications (``T'' codes), Education and 
Training (``U'' codes), Transportation, Travel and Relocation (``V'' 
codes), Lease or Rental of Equipment (``W'' codes), Lease or Rental of 
Facilities (``X'' codes), Construction of Structures and Facilities 
(``Y'' codes), and Maintenance, Repair or Alteration of Real Property 
(``Z'' codes).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ The Department excluded all contracts for products from its 
estimate because the Executive Order generally does not cover such 
contracts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department focused on information found in the USASpending.gov 
Prime Award Spending database, which enabled it to discern how some 
Federal contracts are further redistributed to subcontractors. For 
example, a business performing a Professional, Administrative and 
Management Support contract may subcontract with other businesses to 
complete their work. USASpending.gov is not a perfect data source from 
which to estimate all the Federal contracts subject to the Executive 
Order because a portion of contracts in several of the product service 
codes may not be covered by this proposed rule. In addition, 
USASpending.gov does not capture some concessions contracts and 
contracts in connection with Federal property or lands related to 
offering services for Federal employees, their dependents or the 
general public that will be covered by this proposed rule. Therefore, 
the Department's estimates of the number of affected workers may be 
somewhat imprecise. However, the inclusion of all contracts in the 
aforementioned product service codes and the exclusion of some 
concessions contracts and covered contracts in connection with Federal 
property or lands likely offset each other to at least some degree in 
calculating the total number of affected workers under this proposed 
rule.
    Second, the Department utilized 2012 \6\ OEUS data on total output 
and employment by industry in conjunction with the data on total 
spending on Federal contracts by industry from USASpending.gov to 
calculate the share of workers in each industry sector employed under 
Federal contracts. According to USASpending.gov, the Federal Government 
spent $461.48 billion on procurement contracts in 2013. Subtracting 
amounts spent on contract work performed outside of the United States 
that the Executive Order does not cover resulted in Federal Government 
spending on procurement contracts of approximately $407.68 billion in 
2013. The Department illustrates its approach using the example of the 
information industry; OEUS data indicated that total output and total 
employment for the information industry (NAICS code: 51) in 2012 were 
$1.25 trillion and 2.74 million workers, respectively. Total Federal 
contract spending for the information industry according to 
USASpending.gov was $10.4 billion in 2013. The Department then divided 
the total Federal contract spending for the information industry by the 
total output for the information industry to derive a share of industry 
output in the information sector of .83 percent ($10.4 billion/$1.25 
trillion). Using this method, the Department estimated the share for 
each industry sector from USASpending.gov that it identified as 
containing Federal contracts subject to the Executive Order (see Table 
A below).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ The total spending data on Federal contracts by industry in 
2012 was similar to the total spending data on Federal contracts by 
industry in 2013. The Department accordingly concluded it was 
appropriate to compare the total spending data on Federal contracts 
from USASpending.gov in 2013 to the 2012 data on total output and 
employment from the OEUS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department augmented the national contracting data with 
information on state-based geographic differences in the minimum wage 
and contracting services purchased. By integrating state-level data, 
the Department captured some of the variation in the minimum wage level 
and contracting within states. The Department determined where Federal 
agencies were investing by the place of performance data associated 
with each entry in the USASpending.gov database, which is typically the 
zip code of the location where the contract work takes place. In order 
to avoid overstating the contracts covered by this proposed rule, the 
Department developed an estimate to measure the proportion of total 
Federal spending on services and products in a given state. To measure 
the ratio of covered contracts, the Department divided a state-industry 
pair's total Federal spending on contracts covered by Executive Order 
13658 by the state-industry pair's total Federal spending on all 
contracts (including both services and products) in 2013. The 
Department defined the industries in the state-industry pairs using the 
principal NAICS of the contractor providing the service (see Table B). 
For simplicity, the Department chose to aggregate the data by two-digit 
NAICS industries. Affected workers are estimated based on contracts by 
industry two-digit NAICS level. It should be noted that the 
Department's estimate includes all industry classification of 
contracts. The approach captures all vendors irrespective of industry 
whose contracts are covered by this proposed rule.
    Third, the Department used wage and industry data from the CPS \7\ 
to calculate the total number of workers in each state by two-digit 
NAICS level who earn less than $10.10 per hour.\8\ The Department then 
applied the share of industry output ratios to this CPS data to 
estimate the total number of workers within an industry within a state 
who earn less than $10.10 per hour working on a Federal contract. 
Implicit in the Department's use of the USASpending.gov and CPS data in 
this manner is the Department's assumption that the industry 
distribution of Federal contractors is the same as that in the rest of 
the U.S. economy. For example, according to CPS data, there are 5,991 
workers in the information industry in Maryland who earn less than 
$10.10 per hour, so applying the share of industry output ratio 
estimate of 0.83 percent indicates that there are 50 workers in the 
information industry who earn less than $10.10 and are employed under a 
Federal contract in Maryland. The Department then accounted for those 
workers who are performing on a covered contract by employing the 
applicable ratio of covered contracts. For example, the ratio of 
covered contracts in the information industry in Maryland is 67 
percent. The Department accordingly calculated that the number of 
affected workers in the information industry in Maryland who earn less 
than $10.10 per hour is 33 (67% x 50). By following this procedure for 
each state-industry pair, the Department estimated that out of the 
868,834 workers on Federal contract jobs, 183,814 (21 percent) were 
paid $10.10 per hour or less. See Table C for calculation of the number 
of affected workers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ The CPS, sponsored jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the 
BLS, is the primary source of labor force statistics for the 
population of the United States. The CPS is the source of numerous 
high-profile economic statistics, including the national 
unemployment rate, and provides data on a wide range of issues 
relating to employment and earnings.
    \8\ While the ideal data set for the number of affected workers 
would be Federal procurement data that shows a wage distribution for 
all contract and subcontract workers, such a data set is not 
available.

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[[Page 34596]]

    This regulation affects only new contracts with the Federal 
Government; it does not affect existing contracts. The Department has 
found no precise data with which to measure the number of construction 
and service contracts that are new each year. According to a 2012 Small 
Business Administration (SBA) study, between FY 2005 and FY 2009, an 
average of 17.6 percent of all Federal contracts with small businesses 
were awarded to small businesses that were new to Federal contracting 
(and thus must have been new contracts) based on data from the Federal 
Procurement Data System (FPDS).\9\ In the economic analysis of the 
final rule of ``Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers under Service 
Contracts,'' the Department assumed that slightly more than 20 percent 
of all SCA covered contracts would be successor contracts subject to 
the nondisplacement provisions.\10\ After considering these factors, 
and recognizing in particular that some contracts covered by the 
Executive Order (including those exempted from SCA coverage under 29 
CFR 4.133(b)) are for terms of more than five years, the Department 
conservatively assumed for purposes of this analysis that roughly 20 
percent of Federal contracts are initiated each year; therefore, it 
will take at least five years for the proposed rule's impact to fully 
manifest itself.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ Small Business Administration, ``Characteristics of Recent 
Federal Small Business Contracting,'' May 2012, https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/397tot.pdf.
    \10\ Department of Labor, ``Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers 
under Service Contracts,'' Final Rule, Wage and Hour Division, 2011, 
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/08/29/2011-21261/nondisplacement-of-qualified-workers-under-service-contracts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transfers From Federal Contractor Employers and Taxpayers to Workers

    The most accurate way to measure the pay increase that affected 
workers can expect to receive as a result of the minimum wage increase 
would be to calculate the difference between $10.10 and the average 
wage rate currently paid to the affected workers. However, the 
Department was unable to find data reflecting the distribution of the 
wages currently paid to the affected workers who earn less than $10.10 
per hour. Thus, it is not possible to directly calculate the average 
wage rate the affected workers are currently paid.
    Given this data limitation, the Department used earnings data from 
the CPS to calculate the average wage rate for U.S. workers who earn 
less than $10.10 per hour in the construction and service industries. 
Assuming that the wage distribution of Federal contract workers in the 
construction and service industries is the same as that in the rest of 
the U.S. economy, the Department estimated that the average wage for 
the affected workers associated with this proposed rule is $8.79 per 
hour. Thus, the difference between the average wage rate of $8.79 per 
hour and $10.10 would yield a $1.31 per hour pay increase for the 
affected workers.
    The Department then applied this increase to the Federal contract 
workers who will be potentially affected by the change. The Department 
also needed to account for the fact that this rule applies only to new 
contracts. As noted, the Department estimated that about 20 percent of 
covered contracts are new each year. To estimate the total wage 
increase per year, the Department needed to calculate the total work 
hours in a year. The Department assumed a forty hour workweek, and by 
multiplying 40 hours per week by 52 weeks in a year, concluded that 
affected workers work 2,080 hours in a year.
    The Department calculated the total increase that Federal 
contractors will pay their employees by multiplying the number of 
affected workers by the average wage increase of $1.31 per hour and 
2,080 work hours per year. Based on the assumption that only 20 percent 
of contracts in 2015 will be new, the total increase that Federal 
contractors will pay their employees by the end of 2015 is estimated to 
be $100.20 million (183,814 x $1.31 x 2,080 x 20%).\11\ When this 
rule's impact is fully manifested by the end of 2019, the total 
increase in hourly wages for Federal contract workers is expected to be 
$501 million (in 2014 dollars) ($100.20 million x 5 years).\12\ There 
is however, a possibility that this estimate is overstated because the 
analysis does not account for what are likely higher average hourly 
wages paid to employees whose wages are governed by SCA or DBA 
prevailing wage determinations. Moreover, the analysis does not account 
for changes in state and local minimum wages that will raise wages 
independently of this proposed rule.\13\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ Because the rate is effective for contracts resulting from 
solicitations on or after January 1, 2015, it is likely that work on 
covered contracts will not commence until later in 2015. Therefore, 
our analysis overstates the cost estimate as we used 2,080 hours to 
reflect the full year for 2015.
    \12\ Beginning January 1, 2016, the minimum wage will be 
adjusted annually by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer 
Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). 
Accordingly, this will adjust upward our estimated wage increase in 
2016 and after. However, our estimates of wage increases for the 
affected workers are measured in 2014 constant dollars and 
therefore, remain unchanged.
    \13\ The estimate of rule-induced transfers is based on an 
assumption that the proposed rule would have no impact on 
employment. According to the Council of Economic Advisers, the bulk 
of the empirical literature shows that raising the minimum wage by a 
moderate amount has little or no negative effect on employment. 
However, these studies primarily study the impact of minimum wages 
in the private sector. In the public sector, many of the same 
factors that affect private companies, like the impact on the 
productivity of workers, are relevant for considering any impact on 
employment. However, ultimately employment related to federal 
contracts will largely depend on the future decisions of 
policymakers, such as budget and procurement decisions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This is the estimated transfer cost from employers and taxpayers to 
workers in 2019. However, the Department expects offsetting of the cost 
increase due to workers' increased productivity, reduced turnover, and 
other benefits as discussed in the Benefits section. In fact, as 
discussed below, the Department believes that the long-term cost 
savings to employers and the Federal Government justify the short-term 
costs that would be incurred.

Additional Compliance Costs

    This rule requires executive departments and agencies to include a 
contract clause in any contracts covered by the Executive Order. The 
clause describes the requirement to pay all workers on covered Federal 
Government contracts at least the Executive Order minimum wage. Covered 
contractors and their subcontractors will need to incorporate the 
contract clause into lower-tier subcontracts. The Department believes 
that the compliance cost of incorporating the contract clause will be 
negligible for contractors and subcontractors.
    The Department has drafted this proposed rule consistent with the 
directive in section 4(c) of the Executive Order that any regulations 
issued pursuant to the Order should, to the extent practicable, 
incorporate existing procedures from the FLSA, SCA and DBA. As a 
result, most contractors subject to this rule generally will not face 
any new requirements, other than payment of a wage no less than the 
minimum wage required by the Order. The proposed rule does not require 
contractors to make other changes to their business practices. 
Therefore, the Department posits that the only regulatory 
familiarization cost related to this proposed rule is the time 
necessary for contractors to read the contract clause, evaluate and 
adjust their pay rates to ensure workers on covered contracts receive a 
rate not less than the Executive Order minimum wage, and modify their 
contracts to include the required contract clause. For this activity, 
the Department estimates that contractors will spend one hour. The

[[Page 34597]]

estimated cost of this burden is based on data from the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics in the publication ``Employer Costs for Employee 
Compensation'' (September 2013), which lists hourly compensation for 
the Management, Professional, and Related occupational group as $51.74. 
There are approximately 500,000 contractor firms registered in the 
General Service Administration (GSA)'s System for Award Management 
(SAM). Therefore, the estimated hours for rule familiarization is 
500,000 hours (500,000 contractor firms x 1 hour = 500,000 hours). The 
Department calculated the total estimated cost as $25.87 million 
(500,000 hours x $51.74/hour = $25,870,000).

Benefits

    The Department expects that increasing the minimum wage of Federal 
contract workers would generate several important benefits, including 
reduced absenteeism and turnover in the workplace, improved employee 
morale and productivity, reduced supervisory costs, and increased 
quality of government services.
    Research shows that absenteeism is negatively correlated with 
wages, meaning that better-paid workers are absent less frequently 
(Dionne and Dostie 2007; Pfeifer 2010).\14\ Pfeifer (2010) finds that a 
one percent increase in wages is associated with a reduction in 
absenteeism of about one percent. According to a study by Fairris, 
Runstein, Briones, and Goodheart (2005), managers reported that 
absenteeism decreased following the passage of a living wage ordinance 
in Los Angeles because employees had more to lose if they did not show 
up for work, and employees placed greater value on their jobs because 
they knew they would receive a lower wage at other jobs.\15\ When 
workers are paid higher wages, they are absent from work less often. 
According to studies by Allen (1983), Mefford (1986), Zhang, Sun, 
Woodcock, and Anis (2013), reduced absenteeism has been associated with 
higher productivity.\16\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ Dionne, Georges and Benoit Dostie, ``New Evidence on the 
Determinants of Absenteeism Using Linked Employer-Employee Data,'' 
Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 61, No. 1, 2007.
    Pfeifer, Christian, ``Impact of Wages and Job Levels on Worker 
Absenteeism,'' International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp 
59-72, 2010.
    \15\ Fairris, David, David Runstein, Carolina Briones, and 
Jessica Goodheart, ``Examining the Evidence: The Impact of the Los 
Angeles Living Wage Ordinance on Workers and Businesses,'' LAANE, 
2005.
    \16\ Allen, Steven, ``How Much Does Absenteeism Cost?'' Journal 
of Human Resources, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp 379-393, 1983.
    Mefford, Robert, ``The Effects of Unions on Productivity in a 
Multinational Manufacturing Firm,'' Industrial and Labor Relations 
Review, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp 105-114, 1986.
     Zhang, Wei, Huiying Sun, Simon Woodcock, and Aslam Anis, 
``Valuing Productivity Loss Due to Absenteeism: Firm-level Evidence 
from a Canadian Linked Employer-Employee Data,'' Canadian Health 
Economists' Study Group, The 12th Annual CHESG Meeting, Manitoba, 
Canada, May 2013.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A higher minimum wage is also associated with reduced worker 
turnover (Reich, Hall, and Jacobs 2003; Fairris, Runstein, Briones, and 
Goodheart 2005; Dube, Lester, and Reich 2013; Brochu and Green 
2013).\17\ In a study of homecare workers in San Francisco, Howes 
(2005) found that the turnover rate fell by 57 percent following 
implementation of a living wage policy. Furthermore, Howes found that a 
$1.00 per hour raise from an $8.00 hourly wage increased the 
probability of a new worker remaining with his or her employer for one 
year by 17 percentage points.\18\ In their study of the effects of the 
living wage in Baltimore, Niedt, Ruiters, Wise, and Schoenberger (1999) 
found that most workers who received a pay raise expressed an improved 
attitude toward their job, including greater pride in their work and an 
intention to stay on the job longer.\19\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \17\ Reich, Michael, Peter Hall, and Ken Jacobs, ``Living Wages 
and Economic Performance: The San Francisco Airport Model,'' 
Institute of Industrial Relations, University of California, 
Berkeley, March 2003.
    Dube, Arindrajit, T. William Lester, and Michael Reich, 
``Minimum Wage Shocks, Employment Flows and Labor Market 
Frictions,'' UC Berkeley Institute for Research on Labor and 
Employment, Working Paper, July 20, 2013.
    Brochu, Pierre and David Green, ``The Impact of Minimum Wages on 
Labor Market Transitions,'' The Economic Journal, Vol. 123, No. 573, 
pp 1203-1235, December 2013.
    \18\ Howes, Candace, ``Living Wages and Retention of Homecare 
Workers in San Francisco,'' Industrial Relations, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp 
139-163, 2005.
    \19\ Niedt, Christopher, Greg Ruiters, Dana Wise, and Erica 
Schoenberger, ``The Effect of the Living Wage in Baltimore,'' 
Working Paper No. 119, Department of Geography and Environmental 
Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 1999.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Reduced worker turnover is associated with lower costs to employers 
arising from recruiting and training replacement workers. Because 
seeking and training new workers is costly, reduced turnover leads to 
savings for employers. Research indicates that decreased turnover costs 
partially offset increased labor costs (Reich, Hall, and Jacobs 2003; 
Fairris, Runstein, Briones, and Goodheart 2005). Holzer (1990) finds 
that high-wage firms can offset their higher wage costs through 
improved productivity and lower hiring and turnover costs. More 
specifically, Holzer finds that firms with higher wages spend fewer 
hours on informal training, have longer job tenure, more years of 
previous job experience, higher performance ratings, lower vacancy 
rates, and greater perceived ease in hiring. Holzer concludes that 
firms respond to higher wage costs in a variety of ways that offset 
those costs.\20\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \20\ Holzer, Harry, ``Wages, Employer Costs, and Employee 
Performance in the Firm,'' Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 
Vol. 43, No. 3, pp 147-164, 1990.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Efficiency wage theory predicts that companies pay higher wages to 
reduce the need for direct monitoring and related supervisory costs. 
Workers in higher-wage jobs exhibit greater self-policing in order to 
protect their higher-wage positions. Empirical studies show that higher 
wages are associated with less intensive supervision (Groshen and 
Krueger 1990; Osterman 1994; Rebitzer 1995; Georgiadis 2013).\21\ 
Therefore, increasing the minimum wage of Federal contract workers is 
expected to lead to a reduction in the costs associated with 
supervisory expenses. Higher wages can substitute for other costly 
forms of supervising workers, such as hiring additional managers or 
including more supervisory duties in senior employees' duties.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \21\ Groshen, Erica L. and Alan B. Krueger, ``The Structure of 
Supervision and Pay in Hospitals,'' Industrial and Labor Relations 
Review, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp 134-146, 1990.
    Osterman, Paul, ``Supervision, Discretion, and Work 
Organization,'' The American Economic Review, Vol. 84, No. 2, pp 
380-84, 1994.
    Rebitzer, James, ``Is There a Trade-Off Between Supervision and 
Wages? An Empirical Test of Efficiency Wage Theory,'' Journal of 
Economic Behavior and Organization, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp 107-129, 
1995.
    Georgiadis, Andreas, ``Efficiency Wages and the Economic Effects 
of the Minimum Wage: Evidence from a Low-Wage Labour Market,'' 
Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 75, No. 6, pp 962-
979, 2013.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Higher wages can also boost employee morale, thereby leading to 
increased effort and greater productivity. Akerlof (1982, 1984) 
contends that higher wages increase employee morale, which raises 
employee productivity.\22\ Furthermore, higher productivity can have a 
positive spillover effect, boosting the productivity of co-workers (Mas 
and Moretti 2009).\23\ This means that raising the minimum wage of 
Federal contract workers may not only increase the productivity of 
Federal contract workers, but may also improve the productivity of 
Federal workers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \22\ Akerlof, George, ``Labor Contracts as Partial Gift 
Exchange,'' The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 97, No. 4, pp 
543-569, 1982.
    Akerlof, George, ``Gift Exchange and Efficiency-Wage Theory: 
Four Views,'' The American Economic Review, Vol. 74, No. 2, pp 79-
83, 1984.
    \23\ Mas, Alexandre and Enrico Moretti, ``Peers at Work,'' 
American Economic Review, Vol. 99, No. 1, pp 112-45, 2009.

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[[Page 34598]]

    The Department also expects the quality of government services to 
improve when the minimum wage of Federal contract workers is raised. In 
some cases, higher-paying contractors may be able to attract better 
quality workers who are able to provide better quality services, 
thereby improving the experience of citizens who engage with these 
government contractors. For example, a study by Reich, Hall, and Jacobs 
(2003) found that increased wages paid to workers at the San Francisco 
airport increased productivity and shortened airport lines. In 
addition, higher wages can be associated with a higher number of 
bidders for government contracts, which can be expected to generate 
greater competition and an improved pool of contractors. Multiple 
studies have shown that the bidding for municipal contracts remained 
competitive or even improved when living wage ordinances were 
implemented (Thompson and Chapman 2006).\24\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \24\ Thompson, Jeff and Jeff Chapman, ``The Economic Impact of 
Local Living Wages,'' Economic Policy Institute, Briefing Paper 
170, 2006.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department expects the increase in the minimum wage for Federal 
contract workers to result in less absenteeism, reduced labor turnover, 
lower supervisory costs, and higher productivity. Moreover, higher-paid 
contract workers who demonstrate higher productivity may also boost the 
productivity of those around them, including Federal employees. (The 
Department notes, however, that much of the evidence supporting these 
predicted outcomes--encapsulated in the papers cited above--examines 
why firms voluntarily pay high wages. There may be differences between 
such firms and the contractors that would newly increase wages as a 
result of this proposed rule. Some may posit that a full accounting of 
these differences might change predictions of rule-induced impact. 
Furthermore, the quality of government services may improve as 
contractors who raise the wage rates paid to their workers incur these 
benefits and attract better quality workers, thereby improving the 
experience of citizens who use government services.

Discussion of Regulatory Alternatives

    Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess all 
costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives. Executive 
Order 13563 emphasizes the importance of quantifying both costs and 
benefits, reducing costs, harmonizing rules, and promoting flexibility. 
As discussed above, this rule has been designated an economically 
significant regulatory action under section 3(f)(1) of Executive Order 
12866.
    Executive Order 13658 delegates to the Secretary the authority to 
issue regulations to ``implement the requirements of this order.'' 79 
FR 9852. Because the Executive Order itself establishes the basic 
coverage provisions and minimum wage requirements that the Department 
is responsible for implementing, many potential regulatory alternatives 
are beyond the scope of the Department's authority in issuing this 
proposed rule. For illustrative purposes only, however, this section 
presents two possible alternatives to the provisions set forth in this 
proposed rule.

Alternative 1: The Minimum Wage Increases by the Annual Percentage 
Increase in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U)

    Executive Order 13658 directs the Secretary of Labor to determine 
the minimum wage beginning on January 1, 2016, by indexing future 
increases to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and 
Clerical Workers (CPI-W). See 79 FR 9851. The CPI-W is based on the 
expenditures of households in which more than 50 percent of household 
income comes from clerical or wage occupations. The CPI-W population 
represents about 32 percent of the total U.S. population and is a 
subset, or part, of the CPI-U population.
    A broader CPI is the CPI-U, which covers all urban consumers, who 
represent about 88 percent of the total U.S. population. While the CPI-
W is used to calculate Social Security cost-of-living adjustments 
(COLAs), most other COLAs cited in Federal legislation, such as the 
indexation of Federal income tax brackets, use the CPI-U.
    Under this alternative, the minimum wage increases by the annual 
percentage in the CPI-U. Table 1 below shows the annual percentage 
changes of the CPI-W and CPI-U for 2008-2013.

               Table 1--The CPI-W and CPI-U for 2008-2013
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       Year                         CPI-W (%)  CPI-U (%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008..............................................        4.1        3.8
2009..............................................       -0.7       -0.4
2010..............................................        2.1        1.6
2011..............................................        3.6        3.2
2012..............................................        2.1        2.1
2013..............................................        1.4        1.5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Source: U.S. DOL, BLS, All items (1982-84 = 100).

    The CPI-U generally has lower annual percentage changes and 
therefore, the minimum wage increase by the annual percentage increase 
in the CPI-U would likely result in a slightly smaller impact of this 
proposed rule. The CPI-U is about 0.2 percent lower than the CPI-W per 
year on average. Thus, the annual impact of this rule, starting in the 
second year of the rule's implementation, would be approximately 0.2 
percent smaller if the CPI-U were used rather than the CPI-W. The 
Department rejected this regulatory alternative because it was beyond 
the scope of the Department's authority in issuing this proposed rule. 
Executive Order 13658 specifically requires the Department to utilize 
the CPI-W in determining the Executive Order minimum wage beginning 
January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter. See 79 FR 9851.

Alternative 2: The Minimum Wage Increases by the Annual Percentage 
Increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and 
Clerical Workers (CPI-W) on a Quarterly Basis

    Executive Order 13658 directs the Secretary of Labor, when 
calculating the annual percentage increase in the CPI-W, to compare the 
CPI-W for the most recent month, quarter, or year available with that 
for the same month, quarter, or year in the preceding year. See 79 FR 
9851. As explained above, the Secretary has proposed to base such 
increases on the most recent year available.
    Under this alternative, the annual percentage increase in the CPI-W 
is calculated only by comparing the CPI-W for the most recent quarter 
with the same quarter in the preceding year. The impact of this 
alternative will be either higher or lower than that of the proposed 
rule. However, the Department expects that the difference would be less 
than one per cent of the total impact of this proposed rule.
    The Department rejected this regulatory alternative because 
utilizing the most recent year available, rather than the most recent 
month or quarter, minimizes the impact of seasonal fluctuations on the 
Executive Order minimum wage rate.
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VI. Regulatory Flexibility Act/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA), 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., 
establishes ``as a principle of regulatory issuance that agencies shall 
endeavor, consistent with the objectives of the rule and of applicable 
statutes, to fit regulatory and informational requirements to the scale 
of the business, organizations, and governmental jurisdictions subject 
to regulation.'' Public Law 96-354. To achieve that objective, the Act 
requires agencies promulgating proposed rules to prepare an initial 
regulatory flexibility analysis, and to develop alternatives whenever 
possible, when drafting regulations that will have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The Act 
requires the consideration of the impact of a proposed regulation on a 
wide range of small entities, including small businesses, not-for-
profit organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions.
    Agencies must perform a review to determine whether a proposed or 
final rule would have a significant economic impact on a substantial 
number of small entities. See 5 U.S.C. 603. If the determination is 
that it would, the agency must prepare a regulatory flexibility 
analysis as described in the RFA. Id.
    However, if an agency determines that a proposed or final rule is 
not expected to have a significant economic impact on a substantial 
number of small entities, section 605(b) of the RFA provides that the 
head of the agency may so certify and a regulatory flexibility analysis 
is not required. See 5 U.S.C. 605. The certification must include a 
statement providing the factual basis for this determination, and the 
reasoning should be clear.
    The Department is publishing this initial regulatory flexibility 
analysis to aid stakeholders in understanding the small entity impacts 
of the proposed rule and to obtain additional information on the small 
entity impacts. The Department invites interested persons to submit 
comments on the following estimates, including the number of small 
entities affected by the Executive Order minimum wage requirements, the 
compliance cost estimates, and whether alternatives exist that will 
reduce the burden on small entities while still remaining consistent 
with the objectives of Executive Order 13658.
    Why the Department is Considering Action: The Department has 
published this proposed rule to implement the requirements of Executive 
Order 13658, ``Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors.'' The 
Executive Order grants responsibility for enforcement of the Order to 
the Secretary of Labor.
    Objectives of and Legal Basis for Rule: This rule will provide 
guidance on how to comply with the minimum wage requirements of 
Executive Order 13658 and how the Department intends to administer and 
enforce such requirements. Section 5(a) of the Executive Order grants 
authority to the Secretary to investigate potential violations of and 
obtain compliance with the Order. 79 FR 9852. Section 4(a) of the 
Executive Order directs the Secretary to issue regulations to implement 
the requirements of the Order. Id.
    Compliance Requirements of the Proposed Rule, Including Reporting 
and Recordkeeping: As explained in this proposed rule, Executive Order 
13658 provides that agencies must, to the extent permitted by law, 
ensure that new contracts, as described in section 7 of the Order, 
include a clause specifying, as a condition of payment, that the 
minimum wage to be paid to workers in the performance of the contract 
shall be at least: (i) $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015; and 
(ii) an amount determined by the Secretary, beginning January 1, 2016, 
and annually thereafter. 79 FR 9851. Section 7(d) of the Executive 
Order establishes that this minimum wage requirement only applies to a 
new contract if: (i)(A) It is a procurement contract for services or 
construction; (B) it is a contract for services covered by the SCA; (C) 
it is a contract for concessions, including any concessions contract 
excluded from the SCA by the Department's regulations at 29 CFR 
4.133(b); or (D) it is a contract entered into with the Federal 
Government in connection with Federal property or lands and related to 
offering services for Federal employees, their dependents, or the 
general public; and (ii) the wages of workers under such contract are 
governed by the FLSA, the SCA, or the DBA. 79 FR 9853. Section 7(e) of 
the Order states that, for contracts covered by the SCA or the DBA, the 
Order applies only to contracts at the thresholds specified in those 
statutes. Id. It also specifies that, for procurement contracts where 
workers' wages are governed by the FLSA, the Order applies only to 
contracts that exceed the micro-purchase threshold, as defined in 41 
U.S.C. 1902(a), unless expressly made subject to the Order pursuant to 
regulations or actions taken under section 4 of the Order. 79 FR 9853.
    This NPRM, which implements the coverage provisions and minimum 
wage requirements of Executive Order 13658, contains several provisions 
that could be considered to impose compliance requirements on 
contractors. The general requirements with which contractors must 
comply are set forth in proposed subpart C of this part. Contractors 
are obligated by Executive Order 13658 and this proposed rule to abide 
by the terms of the Executive Order minimum wage contract clause. Among 
other requirements set forth in the contract clause, contractors must 
pay no less than the applicable Executive Order minimum wage to workers 
for all time worked on or in connection with a covered contract. 
Contractors must also include the Executive Order minimum wage contract 
clause in subcontracts and lower-tiered contracts.
    The proposed rule also requires contractors to make and maintain, 
for three years, records containing the information enumerated in 
proposed Sec.  10.26(a)(1)-(4) for each worker: Name, address, and 
Social Security number; the rate or rates of wages paid to the worker; 
the number of daily and weekly hours worked by each worker; and any 
deductions made. However, the records required to be kept by 
contractors pursuant to this part are coextensive with recordkeeping 
requirements that already exist under, and are consistent across, the 
FLSA, SCA, and DBA; as a result, a contractor's compliance with these 
payroll records obligations will not impose any obligations to which 
the contractor is not already subject under the FLSA, SCA, or DBA. The 
proposed rule does not impose any reporting requirements on 
contractors.
    Contractors are also obligated to cooperate with authorized 
representatives of the Department in the inspection of records, in 
interviews with workers, and in all aspects of investigations. The 
proposed rule and the proposed Executive Order minimum wage contract 
clause set forth other contractor requirements pertaining to, inter 
alia, permissible deductions and frequency of pay, as well as 
prohibitions against taking kickbacks from wages paid on covered 
contracts and retaliating against workers because they have filed any 
complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under 
or related to Executive Order 13658 or this part, or have testified or 
are about to testify in any such proceeding.
    All small entities subject to the minimum wage requirements of 
Executive Order 13658 and this proposed rule would be required to 
comply with all of the provisions of the NPRM. Such compliance 
requirements

[[Page 34603]]

are more fully described above in other portions of this preamble. The 
following section analyzes the costs of complying with the Executive 
Order minimum wage requirement for small contractor firms.
    Calculating Impact of Proposed Rule on Small Business Firms: The 
Department must determine the compliance cost of this proposed rule on 
small contractor firms (i.e., small business firms that enter into 
covered contracts with the Federal Government), and whether these costs 
will be significant for a substantial number of small contractor firms. 
If the estimated compliance costs for affected small contractor firms 
are less than three percent of small contractor firms' revenues, the 
Department considers it appropriate to conclude that this proposed rule 
will not have a significant economic impact on the small contractor 
firms covered by Executive Order 13658. The Department has chosen three 
percent as our significance criteria; however, using this benchmark as 
an indicator of significant impact may overstate the significance of 
such an impact, due to offsetting of the costs associated with the 
increased wages by the benefits of raising the minimum wage, which are 
difficult to quantify. The benefits, which include reduced absenteeism, 
reduced employee turnover, increased employee productivity, and 
improved employee morale, are discussed more fully in the Executive 
Order 12866 section of this preamble.
    The data sources used in the analysis of small business impact are 
the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Table of Small Business Size 
Standards, the Current Population Survey (CPS), and the U.S. Census 
Bureau's Statistics of U.S. Businesses. In addition, the industrial 
classifications identifying most Federal contracts covered by Executive 
Order 13658 are found within the following nine industries: 
Construction (North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 
code 23); transportation and warehousing (NAICS codes 48, 492, and 
493); data processing, hosting, related services, and other information 
services (NAICS codes 518 and 519); administrative and support and 
waste management and remediation services (NAICS code 56); education 
services (NAICS code 61); health care and social assistance (NAICS code 
62); accommodation and food services (NAICS code 72); other services 
(NAICS code 81); and agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (NAICS 
code 11). The Department focused its analysis on these nine industries, 
under which most Federal contractors covered by Executive Order 13658 
are classified. Because data limitations do not allow us to determine 
which of the small firms within these industries are Federal 
contractors, the Department assumed that these small firms are not 
significantly different from the small Federal contractors that will be 
directly affected by the proposed rule.
    The Department used the following steps to estimate the cost of the 
proposed rule per small contractor firm as measured by a percentage of 
total annual receipts. First, the Department utilized Census SUSB data 
that disaggregates industry information by firm size in order to 
perform a robust analysis of the impact on small contractor firms. The 
Department applied the SBA small business size standards to the SUSB 
data to determine the number of small firms in each of the nine 
affected industries, as well as the total number of employees in small 
firms in the nine affected industries. Next, the Department calculated 
the number of employees per small firm by dividing the total number of 
employees in small firms in the nine affected industries by the number 
of small firms.
    However, since the Department knows that not all workers in small 
contractor firms earn less than $10.10 per hour, the Department next 
estimated how many employees of small firms (i.e., all small businesses 
in the identified industries in the U.S. economy) earn less than $10.10 
per hour (these employees are referred to as affected employees in the 
text and summary tables below). The Department used the same CPS data 
that was used in the Executive Order 12866 section of this preamble to 
ascertain the number of workers paid less than $10.10 per hour by 
industry. The data was then coupled with the employment levels for each 
industry to derive the percent of workers within an industry who will 
be affected by the proposed minimum wage increase. The Department 
assumes that wage distribution of contract workers covered by this 
proposed rule is the same as that of workers in the rest of the U.S. 
economy.
    The Department then calculated the number of affected employees of 
small firms by multiplying the number of employees per small firm by 
the percentage of employees earning less than $10.10 per hour. Next, 
the Department calculated the cost of the increased minimum wage per 
small firm by multiplying the number of affected workers per small firm 
by the average wage difference of $1.31 per hour ($10.10 minus the 
average wage of $8.79 per hour as explained in the economic analysis 
for this proposed rule) by the number of work hours per year (2,080 
hours). Finally, the Department used receipts data from the SUSB to 
calculate the cost per small firm as a percent of total receipts by 
dividing the estimated annual cost per firm by the average annual 
receipts per firm. This methodology was applied to the nine industries 
where covered contract work principally is performed and the results by 
industry are presented in the summary tables below (see Tables D-1 to 
D-9).
    In sum, the increased wage cost resulting from the proposed rule is 
de minimis relative to revenue at small firms, and hence small 
contractor firms no matter their size. All of the relevant industries 
had an annual cost per firm as a percent of receipts of 3.0 percent or 
less. For instance, the construction industry cost is estimated to 
range from 0.07 percent for firms that have annual receipts of 
approximately $30 million to 0.16 percent for firms that have annual 
receipts of under $2.5 million. Accommodation and food services is the 
industry with the highest relative costs, with a range of 2.31 percent 
for firms that have annual receipts of approximately $35 million to 
2.94 percent for the firms that have annual receipts of under $2.5 
million. A potential reason that this part has a relatively higher 
impact on the accommodation and food services industry is the 
relatively large number of low wage workers in the service industry, 
many of whom are tipped workers. In no instance is the effect of the 
wage increase greater than three percent of total receipts.
    Although the Department estimates that compliance costs are less 
than three percent of the average revenue per small contractor firm for 
each of the nine industries, the Department seeks data and feedback 
from small firms with concessions contracts, particularly those that 
are exempt from the SCA but are covered under Executive Order 13658. 
Information and data regarding the numbers of businesses and small 
businesses newly affected by this proposed rule would be particularly 
useful. The Department would also appreciate feedback on the factors 
and assumptions used in this analysis, such as data sources, small 
business industries, NAICS codes and size standards, the number of 
affected employees and annual costs per firm as a percent of receipts. 
The Department seeks information about which data sources should be 
utilized to estimate the number of Federal small subcontractors. The 
Department also seeks information about the potential compliance cost 
estimates of the

[[Page 34604]]

minimum wage requirements, such as any differences in compliance costs 
for small businesses as compared to larger businesses and any 
compliance costs that may not have been included in this analysis. The 
Department specifically seeks data and feedback about the proposed 
rule's potential impact on management and human resources costs, 
impacts on staffing, and other related issues.
    Estimating the Number of Small Businesses Affected by the 
Rulemaking: The Department now sets forth its estimate of the number of 
small contractor firms actually affected by the proposed rule. This 
information is not readily available. The best source for the number of 
small contractor firms that are affected by this proposed rule is GSA's 
System for Award Management (SAM). The Department used SAM data to 
estimate the number of affected small contractor firms since SAM data 
allow us to directly estimate the number of small contractor firms. 
Federal contractor status cannot be discerned from the SBA firm size 
data: it can only be used to estimate the number of small firms, not 
the number of small contractor firms. The Department used the SBA data 
to estimate the impact of the proposed regulation on a `typical' or 
`average' small firm in each of the nine industries identified above. 
The Department then assumed that a typical small firm is similar to a 
small contractor firm.
    Based on the most current SAM data available, if the Department 
defined small as fewer than 500 employees, then there are 328,552 small 
contractor firms. If the Department defined small as firms with less 
than $35.5 million in revenues, then there are 315,902 small contractor 
firms. Thus, the Department established the range 315,902 to 328,552 as 
the total number of small contractor firms. Of course, not all of these 
contractor firms will be impacted by the proposed rule; only those 
contractors that are paying less than $10.10 per hour to any of their 
workers performing on covered contracts would be affected. Thus, this 
range is an overestimate of the number of firms affected by the 
proposed rule because some of those small contractor firms may pay all 
of their workers more than $10.10 per hour. The Department does not 
have more precise estimates of either the number of workers employed by 
small contractor firms or the number of small contractor firms with 
workers earning less than $10.10 per hour. The Department invites the 
public to provide information related to these two data limitations, 
and any data on small subcontractors.
    The proposed regulation applies only to new contracts. As explained 
in the regulatory analysis, based on the 2012 SBA study, the Department 
assumed that roughly 18 percent of existing small contractor firms are 
awarded new contracts each year. Under the scenario that this proposed 
rule will impact only 18 percent \25\ of the small firms performing 
Federal contracts in the first year, a maximum of between 56,862 and 
59,139 small businesses would be impacted. When this rule's impact is 
fully manifested by the end of 2019, all covered Federal contracts held 
by small firms with workers earning less than $10.10 per hour would be 
impacted.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \25\ The Department assumed 18 percent of small contractors are 
new to Federal contracting each year based on the 2012 SBA study 
(Small Business Administration, ``Characteristics of Recent Federal 
Small Business Contracting,'' May, 2012). The 2012 SBA study shows 
that 17.65 percent of small businesses were new to Federal 
contracting each year between FY 2005 and FY 2009, and the 
Department rounded it up to 18 percent in this analysis. This 18 
percent is separate and distinct from the Department's use of 20 
percent as the number of Federal contracts that are initiated each 
year, which is used in the Executive Order 12866 regulatory 
analysis.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Relevant Federal Rules Duplicating, Overlapping, or Conflicting 
with the Rule: Section 4(a) of the Executive Order requires the FARC to 
issue regulations to provide for inclusion of the applicable contract 
clause in Federal procurement solicitations and contracts subject to 
the Order; thus, the contract clause and some requirements applicable 
to contracting agencies will appear in both this part and in the FARC 
regulations. The Department is not aware of any relevant Federal rules 
that conflict with this NPRM.

Alternatives to the Proposed Rule

    Executive Order 13658 is prescriptive and does not authorize the 
Department to consider less burdensome alternatives for small 
businesses. However, if stakeholders can identify alternatives that 
would accomplish the stated objectives of Executive Order 13658 and 
minimize any significant economic impact of the proposed rule on small 
entities, the Department would welcome that feedback. Below, the 
Department considers the specific alternatives required by section 
603(c) of the RFA.
    Differing Compliance and Reporting Requirements for Small Entities: 
This NPRM provides for no differing compliance requirements and 
reporting requirements for small entities. The Department has strived 
to have this proposal implement the minimum wage requirements of 
Executive Order 13658 with the least possible burden for small 
entities. The NPRM provides a number of efficient and informal 
alternative dispute mechanisms to resolve concerns about contractor 
compliance, including having the contracting agency provide compliance 
assistance to the contractor about the minimum wage requirements, and 
allowing for the Department to attempt an informal conciliation of 
complaints instead of engaging in extensive investigations. These tools 
will provide contractors with an opportunity to resolve inadvertent 
errors rapidly and before significant liabilities develop.
    Clarification, Consolidation, and Simplification of Compliance and 
Reporting Requirements for Small Entities: This NPRM was drafted to 
clearly state the compliance requirements for all contractors subject 
to Executive Order 13658. The proposed rule does not contain any 
reporting requirements. The recordkeeping requirements imposed by this 
proposed rule are necessary for contractors to determine their 
compliance with the rule as well as for the Department and workers to 
determine the contractor's compliance with the law. The recordkeeping 
provisions apply generally to all businesses--large and small--covered 
by the Executive Order; no rational basis exists for creating an 
exemption from compliance and recordkeeping requirements for small 
businesses. The Department makes available a variety of resources to 
employers for understanding their obligations and achieving compliance.
    Use of Performance Rather Than Design Standards: This NPRM was 
written to provide clear guidelines to ensure compliance with the 
Executive Order minimum wage requirements. Under the proposed rule, 
contractors may achieve compliance through a variety of means. The 
Department makes available a variety of resources to contractors for 
understanding their obligations and achieving compliance.
    Exemption from Coverage of the Rule for Small Entities: Executive 
Order 13658 establishes its own coverage and exemption requirements; 
therefore, the Department has no authority to exempt small businesses 
from the minimum wage requirements of the Order.
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VII. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), 2 U.S.C. 1532, 
requires that agencies prepare a written statement, which includes an 
assessment of anticipated costs and benefits, before proposing any 
Federal mandate that may result in excess of $100 million (adjusted 
annually for inflation) in expenditures in any one year by State, 
local, and tribal governments in the aggregate or by the private 
sector. The current threshold after adjustment for inflation is $141 
million, using the 2012 Implicit Price Deflator for the Gross Domestic 
Product.
    As explained in the economic analysis set forth in the section 
discussing Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 above, the Department 
estimates that the proposed rule may result in transfers of up to $500 
million per year (beginning in 2019, with steady increases up to that 
level over the intervening years). Because this proposed rule applies 
only to contracts for which the solicitation will be issued on or after 
January 1, 2015, contractors would have the information necessary to 
factor into their bids the labor costs resulting from the required 
minimum wage, and thus it may be likely that the Federal Government 
would bear the burden of the transfers. However, most contracts covered 
by this proposed rule are paid through appropriated funds, and how 
Congress and agencies respond to rising bids is subject to political 
processes whose unpredictability limits the Department's ability to 
project rule-induced outcomes. The Department therefore acknowledges 
that this proposed rule may yield effects that make it subject to UMRA 
requirements. The Department carried out the requisite cost-benefit 
analysis in preceding sections of this document.

VIII. Executive Order 13132, Federalism

    The Department has (1) reviewed this rule in accordance with 
Executive Order 13132 regarding federalism and (2) determined that it 
does not have federalism implications. The proposed rule would not have 
substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between 
the national government and the States, or on the distribution of power 
and responsibilities among the various levels of government.

IX. Executive Order 13175, Indian Tribal Governments

    This proposed rule would not have tribal implications under 
Executive Order 13175 that would require a tribal summary impact 
statement. The proposed rule would not have substantial direct effects 
on one or more Indian tribes, on the relationship between the Federal 
government and Indian tribes, or on the distribution of power and 
responsibilities between the Federal government and Indian tribes.

X. Effects on Families

    The undersigned hereby certifies that the proposed rule would not 
adversely affect the well-being of families, as discussed under section 
654 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 1999.

XI. Executive Order 13045, Protection of Children

    This proposed rule would have no environmental health risk or 
safety risk that may disproportionately affect children.

XII. Environmental Impact Assessment

    A review of this proposed rule in accordance with the requirements 
of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 
et seq.; the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality, 40 
CFR 1500 et seq.; and the Departmental NEPA procedures, 29 CFR part 11, 
indicates that the rule would not have a significant impact on the 
quality of the human environment. There is, thus, no corresponding 
environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement.

XIII. Executive Order 13211, Energy Supply

    This proposed rule is not subject to Executive Order 13211. It will 
not have a significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or 
use of energy.

XIV. Executive Order 12630, Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

    This proposed rule is not subject to Executive Order 12630 because 
it does not involve implementation of a policy that has takings 
implications or that could impose limitations on private property use.

[[Page 34610]]

XV. Executive Order 12988, Civil Justice Reform Analysis

    This proposed rule was drafted and reviewed in accordance with 
Executive Order 12988 and will not unduly burden the Federal court 
system. The proposed rule was: (1) Reviewed to eliminate drafting 
errors and ambiguities; (2) written to minimize litigation; and (3) 
written to provide a clear legal standard for affected conduct and to 
promote burden reduction.

List of Subjects in 29 CFR Part 10

    Administrative practice and procedure, Construction, Government 
contracts, Law enforcement, Minimum wages, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Wages.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 12th day of June 2014.
David Weil,
Administrator, Wage and Hour Division.

0
For the reasons set out in the preamble, the Department of Labor 
proposes to amend title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations by adding 
part 10 as follows:

PART 10--ESTABLISHING A MINIMUM WAGE FOR CONTRACTORS

Subpart A--General
Sec.
10.1 Purpose and scope.
10.2 Definitions.
10.3 Coverage.
10.4 Exclusions.
10.5 Executive Order 13658 minimum wage for Federal contractors and 
subcontractors.
10.6 Antiretaliation.
10.7 Waiver of rights.
Subpart B--Government Requirements
10.11 Contracting agency requirements.
10.12 Department of Labor requirements.
Subpart C--Contractor Requirements
10.21 Contract clause.
10.22 Rate of pay.
10.23 Deductions.
10.24 Overtime payments.
10.25 Frequency of pay.
10.26 Records to be kept by contractors.
10.27 Anti-kickback.
10.28 Tipped employees.
Subpart D--Enforcement
10.41 Complaints.
10.42 Wage and Hour Division conciliation.
10.43 Wage and Hour Division investigation.
10.44 Remedies and sanctions.
Subpart E--Administrative Proceedings
10.51 Disputes concerning contractor compliance.
10.52 Debarment proceedings.
10.53 Referral to Chief Administrative Law Judge; amendment of 
pleadings
10.54 Consent findings and order.
10.55 Proceedings of the Administrative Law Judge.
10.56 Petition for review.
10.57 Administrative Review Board proceedings.
10.58 Administrator ruling.
Appendix A to Part 10

    Authority:  4 U.S.C. 301; section 4, E.O. 13658, 79 FR 9851; 
Secretary's Order 5-2010, 75 FR 55352.

Subpart A--General


Sec.  10.1  Purpose and scope.

    (a) Purpose. This part contains the Department of Labor's rules 
relating to the administration of Executive Order 13658 (Executive 
Order or the Order), ``Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors,'' 
and implements the enforcement provisions of the Executive Order. The 
Executive Order assigns responsibility for investigating potential 
violations of and obtaining compliance with the Executive Order to the 
Department of Labor. The Executive Order states that the Federal 
Government's procurement interests in economy and efficiency are 
promoted when the Federal Government contracts with sources that 
adequately compensate their workers. There is evidence that raising the 
pay of low-wage workers can increase their morale and productivity and 
the quality of their work, lower turnover and its accompanying costs, 
and reduce supervisory costs. The Executive Order thus states that cost 
savings and quality improvements in the work performed by parties who 
contract with the Federal Government will lead to improved economy and 
efficiency in Government procurement. Executive Order 13658 therefore 
generally requires that the hourly minimum wage paid by contractors to 
workers performing on covered contracts with the Federal Government 
shall be at least:
    (1) $10.10 per hour, beginning January 1, 2015; and
    (2) An amount determined by the Secretary of Labor, beginning 
January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter.
    (b) Policy. Executive Order 13658 sets forth a general position of 
the Federal Government that increasing the hourly minimum wage paid by 
Federal contractors to $10.10 will increase efficiency and cost savings 
for the Federal Government. The Executive Order therefore establishes a 
minimum wage requirement for Federal contractors and subcontractors. 
The Order provides that executive departments and agencies shall, to 
the extent permitted by law, ensure that new covered contracts, 
contract-like instruments, and solicitations (collectively referred to 
as ``contracts'') include a clause, which the contractor and any 
subcontractors shall incorporate into lower-tier subcontracts, 
specifying, as a condition of payment, that the minimum wage to be paid 
to workers, including workers whose wages are calculated pursuant to 
special certificates issued under 29 U.S.C. 214(c), in the performance 
of the contract or any subcontract thereunder, shall be at least:
    (1) $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015; and
    (2) Beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an amount 
determined by the Secretary pursuant to the Order. Nothing in Executive 
Order 13658 or this part shall excuse noncompliance with any applicable 
Federal or State prevailing wage law, or any applicable law or 
municipal ordinance establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum 
wage established under the Order.
    (c) Scope. Neither Executive Order 13658 nor this part creates any 
rights under the Contract Disputes Act or any private right of action. 
The Executive Order provides that disputes regarding whether a 
contractor has paid the minimum wages prescribed by the Order, to the 
extent permitted by law, shall be disposed of only as provided by the 
Secretary in regulations issued under the Order. However, nothing in 
the Order or this part is intended to limit or preclude a civil action 
under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3730, or criminal prosecution 
under 18 U.S.C. 1001. The Order similarly does not preclude judicial 
review of final decisions by the Secretary in accordance with the 
Administrative Procedure Act.


Sec.  10.2  Definitions.

    For purposes of this part:
    Administrative Review Board or Board means the Administrative 
Review Board, U.S. Department of Labor.
    Administrator means the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division 
and includes any official of the Wage and Hour Division authorized to 
perform any of the functions of the Administrator under this part.
    Agency head means the Secretary, Attorney General, Administrator, 
Governor, Chairperson, or other chief official of an executive agency, 
unless otherwise indicated, including any deputy or assistant chief 
official of an executive agency or any persons authorized to act on 
behalf of the agency head.
    Concessions contract or contract for concessions means a contract 
under which the Federal Government grants a right to use Federal 
property, including land or facilities, for furnishing services.

[[Page 34611]]

The term concessions contract includes but is not limited to a contract 
the principal purpose of which is to furnish food, lodging, automobile 
fuel, souvenirs, newspaper stands, and/or recreational equipment, 
regardless of whether the services are of direct benefit to the 
Government, its personnel, or the general public.
    Contract or contract-like instrument means an agreement between two 
or more parties creating obligations that are enforceable or otherwise 
recognizable at law. This definition includes, but is not limited to, a 
mutually binding legal relationship obligating one party to furnish 
services (including construction) and another party to pay for them. 
The term contract includes all contracts and any subcontracts of any 
tier thereunder, whether negotiated or advertised, including any 
procurement actions, lease agreements, cooperative agreements, provider 
agreements, intergovernmental service agreements, service agreements, 
licenses, permits, or any other type of agreement, regardless of 
nomenclature, type, or particular form, and whether entered into 
verbally or in writing. The term contract shall be interpreted broadly 
as to include, but not be limited to, any contract that may be 
consistent with the definition provided in the FAR or applicable 
Federal statutes. This definition includes, but is not limited to, any 
contract that may be covered under any Federal procurement statute. 
Contracts may be the result of competitive bidding or awarded to a 
single source under applicable authority to do so. In addition to 
bilateral instruments, contracts include, but are not limited to, 
awards and notices of awards; job orders or task letters issued under 
basic ordering agreements; letter contracts; orders, such as purchase 
orders, under which the contract becomes effective by written 
acceptance or performance; and bilateral contract modifications. The 
term contract includes contracts covered by the Service Contract Act, 
contracts covered by the Davis-Bacon Act, and concessions contracts not 
otherwise subject to the Service Contract Act. The term contract does 
not include grants; contracts and agreements with and grants to Indian 
Tribes under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 
(Public Law 93-638), as amended; or any contracts or contract-like 
instruments expressly excluded by Sec.  10.4.
    Contracting officer means a person with the authority to enter 
into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related 
determinations and findings. This term includes certain authorized 
representatives of the contracting officer acting within the limits of 
their authority as delegated by the contracting officer.
    Contractor means any individual or other legal entity that:
    (1) Directly or indirectly (e.g., through an affiliate), submits 
offers for or is awarded, or reasonably may be expected to submit 
offers for or be awarded, a Government contract or a subcontract under 
a Government contract; or
    (2) Conducts business, or reasonably may be expected to conduct 
business, with the Government as an agent or representative of another 
contractor. The term contractor refers to both a prime contractor and 
all of its first or lower-tier subcontractors on a contract with the 
Federal Government. The term contractor includes lessors and lessees, 
as well as employers of workers performing on covered Federal contracts 
whose wages are calculated pursuant to special certificates issued 
under 29 U.S.C. 214(c). The term employer is used interchangeably with 
the terms contractor and subcontractor in various sections of this 
part. The U.S. Government, its agencies, and instrumentalities are not 
contractors, subcontractors, employers, or joint employers for purposes 
of compliance with the provisions of the Executive Order.
    Davis-Bacon Act means the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, as amended, 40 
U.S.C. 3141 et seq., and its implementing regulations.
    Executive departments and agencies means executive departments, 
military departments, or any independent establishments within the 
meaning of 5 U.S.C. 101, 102, and 104(1), respectively, and any wholly 
owned Government corporation within the meaning of 31 U.S.C. 9101.
    Executive Order minimum wage means, for purposes of Executive Order 
13658, a wage that is at least:
    (1) $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015; and
    (2) Beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an amount 
determined by the Secretary pursuant to section 2 of the Executive 
Order.
    Fair Labor Standards Act means the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq., and its implementing 
regulations.
    Federal Government means an agency or instrumentality of the United 
States that enters into a contract pursuant to authority derived from 
the Constitution or the laws of the United States. For purposes of the 
Executive Order and this part, this definition does not include the 
District of Columbia or any Territory or possession of the United 
States.
    Independent agencies means independent regulatory agencies within 
the meaning of 44 U.S.C. 3502(5).
    New contract means a contract that results from a solicitation 
issued on or after January 1, 2015, or a contract that is awarded 
outside the solicitation process on or after January 1, 2015. This term 
includes both new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts.
    Office of Administrative Law Judges means the Office of 
Administrative Law Judges, U.S. Department of Labor.
    Option means a unilateral right in a contract by which, for a 
specified time, the Government may elect to purchase additional 
supplies or services called for by the contract, or may elect to extend 
the term of the contract.
    Procurement contract for construction means a procurement contract 
for the construction, alteration, or repair (including painting and 
decorating) of public buildings or public works and which requires or 
involves the employment of mechanics or laborers, and any subcontract 
of any tier thereunder. The term procurement contract for construction 
includes any contract subject to the provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act, 
as amended, and its implementing regulations.
    Procurement contract for services means a procurement contract the 
principal purpose of which is to furnish services in the United States 
through the use of service employees, and any subcontract of any tier 
thereunder. The term procurement contract for services includes any 
contract subject to the provisions of the Service Contract Act, as 
amended, and its implementing regulations.
    Service Contract Act means the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act 
of 1965, as amended, 41 U.S.C. 6701 et seq., and its implementing 
regulations.
    Solicitation means any request to submit offers or quotations to 
the Federal Government.
    Tipped employee means any employee engaged in an occupation in 
which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a 
month in tips. For purposes of the Executive Order, a worker performing 
on a contract covered by the Executive Order who meets this definition 
is a tipped employee.
    United States means the United States and all executive 
departments, independent establishments, administrative agencies, and 
instrumentalities of the United States, including corporations of which 
all or substantially all of the stock is owned by the United States, by 
the foregoing

[[Page 34612]]

departments, establishments, agencies, instrumentalities, and including 
nonappropriated fund instrumentalities. When used in a geographic 
sense, the United States means the 50 States and the District of 
Columbia.
    Wage and Hour Division means the Wage and Hour Division, U.S. 
Department of Labor.
    Wage determination includes any determination of minimum hourly 
wage rates or fringe benefits made by the Secretary of Labor pursuant 
to the provisions of the Service Contract Act or the Davis-Bacon Act. 
This term includes the original determination and any subsequent 
determinations modifying, superseding, correcting, or otherwise 
changing the provisions of the original determination.
    Worker means any person engaged in the performance of a contract 
covered by the Executive Order, and whose wages under such contract are 
governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Service Contract Act, or 
the Davis-Bacon Act, other than individuals employed in a bona fide 
executive, administrative, or professional capacity, as those terms are 
defined in 29 CFR part 541, regardless of the contractual relationship 
alleged to exist between the individual and the employer. The term 
worker includes workers performing on or in connection with a covered 
contract whose wages are calculated pursuant to special certificates 
issued under 29 U.S.C. 214(c) and any person working on or in 
connection with a covered contract and individually registered in a 
bona fide apprenticeship or training program registered with the U.S. 
Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, Office of 
Apprenticeship, or with a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the 
Office of Apprenticeship.


Sec.  10.3  Coverage.

    (a) This part applies to any contract with the Federal Government, 
unless excluded by Sec.  10.4, that results from a solicitation issued 
on or after January 1, 2015 or that is awarded outside the solicitation 
process on or after January 1, 2015, provided that:
    (1) (i) It is a procurement contract for construction covered by 
the Davis-Bacon Act;
    (ii) It is a contract for services covered by the Service Contract 
Act;
    (iii) It is a contract for concessions, including any concessions 
contract excluded from coverage under the Service Contract Act by 
Department of Labor regulations at 29 CFR 4.133(b); or
    (iv) It is a contract entered into with the Federal Government in 
connection with Federal property or lands and related to offering 
services for Federal employees, their dependents, or the general 
public; and
    (2) The wages of workers under such contract are governed by the 
Fair Labor Standards Act, the Service Contract Act, or the Davis-Bacon 
Act.
    (b) For contracts covered by the Service Contract Act or the Davis-
Bacon Act, this part applies to prime contracts only at the thresholds 
specified in those statutes. For procurement contracts where workers' 
wages are governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act, this part applies 
when the prime contract exceeds the micro-purchase threshold, as 
defined in 41 U.S.C. 1902(a).
    (c) This part only applies to contracts with the Federal Government 
requiring performance in whole or in part within the United States.


Sec.  10.4  Exclusions.

    (a) Grants. The requirements of this part do not apply to grants 
within the meaning of the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act, 
as amended, 31 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.
    (b) Contracts and agreements with and grants to Indian Tribes. This 
part does not apply to contracts and agreements with and grants to 
Indian Tribes under the Indian Self-Determination and Education 
Assistance Act, as amended, 25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.
    (c) Procurement contracts for construction that are excluded from 
coverage of the Davis-Bacon Act. Procurement contracts for construction 
that are not covered by the Davis-Bacon Act are not subject to this 
part.
    (d) Contracts for services that are exempted from coverage under 
the Service Contract Act. Service contracts, except for those expressly 
covered by Sec.  10.3(a)(1)(ii) through (iv), that are exempt from 
coverage of the Service Contract Act pursuant to its statutory language 
or implementing regulations are not subject to this part.
    (e) Employees who are exempt from the minimum wage requirements of 
the Fair Labor Standards Act under 29 U.S.C. 213(a) and 214(a)-(b). 
Except for workers who are otherwise covered by the Davis-Bacon Act or 
the Service Contract Act, this part does not apply to employees who are 
not entitled to the minimum wage set forth at 29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1) of 
the Fair Labor Standards Act pursuant to 29 U.S.C. 213(a) and 214(a)-
(b). Pursuant to this exclusion, individuals that are not subject to 
the requirements of this part include but are not limited to:
    (1) Learners, apprentices, or messengers. This part does not apply 
to learners, apprentices, or messengers whose wages are calculated 
pursuant to special certificates issued under 29 U.S.C. 214(a).
    (2) Students. This part does not apply to student workers whose 
wages are calculated pursuant to special certificates issued under 29 
U.S.C. 214(b).
    (3) Individuals employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, 
or professional capacity. This part does not apply to workers who are 
employed by Federal contractors in a bona fide executive, 
administrative, or professional capacity, as those terms are defined 
and delimited in 29 CFR part 541.


Sec.  10.5  Executive Order 13658 minimum wage for Federal contractors 
and subcontractors.

    (a) General. Pursuant to Executive Order 13658, the minimum hourly 
wage rate required to be paid to workers performing on covered 
contracts with the Federal Government is at least:
    (1) $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015; and
    (2) Beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an amount 
determined by the Secretary pursuant to section 2 of Executive Order 
13658. In accordance with section 2 of the Order, the Secretary will 
determine the applicable minimum wage rate to be paid to workers on 
covered contracts on an annual basis beginning at least 90 days before 
any new minimum wage is to take effect.
    (b) Method for determining the applicable Executive Order minimum 
wage for workers. The minimum wage to be paid to workers, including 
workers whose wages are calculated pursuant to special certificates 
issued under 29 U.S.C. 214(c), in the performance of a covered contract 
shall be at least:
    (1) $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015; and
    (2) An amount determined by the Secretary, beginning January 1, 
2016, and annually thereafter. The applicable minimum wage determined 
for each calendar year by the Secretary shall be:
    (i) Not less than the amount in effect on the date of such 
determination;
    (ii) Increased from such amount by the annual percentage increase 
in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers 
(United States city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted), or 
its successor publication, as determined by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics; and
    (iii) Rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05. In calculating the 
annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for purposes of 
this section, the Secretary shall compare such

[[Page 34613]]

Consumer Price Index for the most recent year available with the 
Consumer Price Index for the preceding year.
    (c) Relation to other laws. Nothing in the Executive Order or this 
part shall excuse noncompliance with any applicable Federal or State 
prevailing wage law, or any applicable law or municipal ordinance 
establishing a minimum wage higher than the minimum wage established 
under the Executive Order and this part.


Sec.  10.6  Antiretaliation.

    It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge or in any other 
manner discriminate against any worker because such worker has filed 
any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding 
under or related to Executive Order 13658 or this part, or has 
testified or is about to testify in any such proceeding.


Sec.  10.7  Waiver of rights.

    Workers cannot waive, nor may contractors induce workers to waive, 
their rights under Executive Order 13658 or this part.

Subpart B--Government Requirements


Sec.  10.11  Contracting agency requirements.

    (a) Contract clause. For all contracts subject to Executive Order 
13658, except for procurement contracts subject to the Federal 
Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the contracting agency shall include the 
Executive Order minimum wage contract clause set forth in appendix A of 
this part in all covered contracts and solicitations for such 
contracts, as described in Sec.  10.3. The required contract clause 
directs, as a condition of payment, that all workers performing on 
covered contracts must be paid the applicable, currently effective 
minimum wage under Executive Order 13658 and Sec.  10.5. For 
procurement contracts subject to the FAR, contracting agencies shall 
use the clause set forth in the FAR developed to implement this rule. 
Such clause shall accomplish the same purposes as the clause set forth 
in appendix A and shall be consistent with the requirements set forth 
in this rule.
    (b) Failure to include the contract clause. Where the Department or 
the contracting agency discovers or determines, whether before or 
subsequent to a contract award, that a contracting agency made an 
erroneous determination that Executive Order 13658 or this part did not 
apply to a particular contract and/or failed to include the applicable 
contract clause in a contract to which the Executive Order applies, the 
contracting agency, on its own initiative or within 15 calendar days of 
notification by an authorized representative of the Department of 
Labor, shall incorporate the contract clause in the contract 
retroactive to commencement of performance under the contract through 
the exercise of any and all authority that may be needed.
    (c) Withholding. A contracting officer shall upon his or her own 
action or upon written request of an authorized representative of the 
Department of Labor withhold or cause to be withheld from the prime 
contractor under the covered contract or any other Federal contract 
with the same prime contractor, so much of the accrued payments or 
advances as may be considered necessary to pay workers the full amount 
of wages required by the Executive Order. In the event of failure to 
pay any covered workers all or part of the wages due under Executive 
Order 13658, the agency may, after authorization or by direction of the 
Department of Labor and written notification to the contractor, take 
action to cause suspension of any further payment or advance of funds 
until such violations have ceased. Additionally, any failure to comply 
with the requirements of Executive Order 13658 may be grounds for 
termination of the right to proceed with the contract work. In such 
event, the contracting agency may enter into other contracts or 
arrangements for completion of the work, charging the contractor in 
default with any additional cost.
    (d) Actions on complaints. (1) Reporting. (i) Reporting time frame. 
The contracting agency shall forward all information listed in 
paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section to the Branch of Government 
Contracts Enforcement, Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of 
Labor, Washington, DC 20210 within 14 calendar days of receipt of a 
complaint alleging contractor noncompliance with the Executive Order or 
this part or within 14 calendar days of being contacted by the Wage and 
Hour Division regarding any such complaint.
    (ii) Report contents. The contracting agency shall forward to the 
Branch of Government Contracts Enforcement, Wage and Hour Division, 
U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20210 any:
    (A) Complaint of contractor noncompliance with Executive Order 
13658 or this part;
    (B) Available statements by the worker, contractor, or any other 
person regarding the alleged violation;
    (C) Evidence that the Executive Order minimum wage contract clause 
was included in the contract;
    (D) Information concerning known settlement negotiations between 
the parties, if applicable; and
    (E) Any other relevant facts known to the contracting agency or 
other information requested by the Wage and Hour Division.
    (2) [Reserved]


Sec.  10.12  Department of Labor requirements.

    (a) In general. The Executive Order minimum wage applicable from 
January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015 is $10.10 per hour. The 
Secretary will determine the applicable minimum wage rate to be paid to 
workers on covered contracts on an annual basis, beginning January 1, 
2016.
    (b) Method for determining the applicable Executive Order minimum 
wage. The Secretary will determine the applicable minimum wage under 
the Executive Order, beginning January 1, 2016, by using the 
methodology set forth in Sec.  10.5(b).
    (c) Notice. (1) The Administrator will notify the public of the 
applicable minimum wage rate to be paid to workers on covered contracts 
on an annual basis at least 90 days before any new minimum wage is to 
take effect.
    (2) Method of notification. (i) Federal Register. The Administrator 
shall publish a notice in the Federal Register stating the applicable 
minimum wage rate to be paid to workers on covered contracts on an 
annual basis at least 90 days before any new minimum wage is to take 
effect.
    (ii) Wage Determinations OnLine Web site. The Administrator shall 
publish and maintain on Wage Determinations OnLine (WDOL), at https://www.wdol.gov, or any successor site, the applicable minimum wage rate 
to be paid to workers on covered contracts.
    (iii) Other means as appropriate. The Administrator may publish the 
applicable minimum wage rate to be paid to workers on covered contracts 
on an annual basis at least 90 days before any such new minimum wage is 
to take effect in any other media that the Administrator deems 
appropriate.
    (d) Notification to a contractor of the withholding of funds. If 
the Administrator requests that a contracting agency withhold funds 
from a contractor pursuant to Sec.  10.11(c), the Administrator, or 
contracting agency, shall notify the affected prime contractor of the 
Administrator's withholding request to the contracting agency.

Subpart C--Contractor Requirements


Sec.  10.21  Contract Clause.

    (a) Contract Clause. The contractor, as a condition of payment, 
shall abide by

[[Page 34614]]

the terms of the applicable Executive Order minimum wage contract 
clause referred to in Sec.  10.11(a).
    (b) The contractor and any subcontractors shall include in any 
covered subcontracts the Executive Order minimum wage contract clause 
referred to in Sec.  10.11(a) and shall require, as a condition of 
payment, that the subcontractor include the minimum wage contract 
clause in any lower-tier subcontracts. The prime contractor and any 
upper-tier contractor shall be responsible for the compliance by any 
subcontractor or lower-tier subcontractor with the Executive Order 
minimum wage requirements, whether or not the contract clause was 
included in the subcontract.


Sec.  10.22  Rate of pay.

    (a) General. The contractor must pay each worker performing on or 
in connection with a covered contract no less than the applicable 
Executive Order minimum wage for all time worked on or in connection 
with the covered contract. In determining whether a worker is 
performing within the scope of a covered contract, all workers who, on 
or after the date of award, are engaged in working on or in connection 
with the contract, either in performing the specific services called 
for by its terms or in performing other duties necessary to the 
performance of the contract, are this subject to the Executive Order 
and this part unless a specific exemption is applicable. Nothing in the 
Executive Order or these regulations shall excuse noncompliance with 
any applicable Federal or State prevailing wage law, or any applicable 
law or municipal ordinance establishing a minimum wage higher than the 
minimum wage established under Executive Order 13658.
    (b) Workers who receive fringe benefits. The contractor may not 
discharge any part of its minimum wage obligation under the Executive 
Order by furnishing fringe benefits or, with respect to workers whose 
wages are governed by the Service Contract Act, the cash equivalent 
thereof.
    (c) Tipped employees. The contractor may satisfy the wage payment 
obligation to a tipped employee under the Executive Order through a 
combination of an hourly cash wage and a credit based on tips received 
by such employee pursuant to the provisions in Sec.  10.28.


Sec.  10.23  Deductions.

    The contractor may make deductions that reduce a worker's wages 
below the Executive Order minimum wage rate only if such deduction 
qualifies as a:
    (a) Deduction required by Federal, State, or local law, such as 
Federal or State withholding of income taxes;
    (b) Deduction for payments made to third parties pursuant to court 
order;
    (c) Deduction directed by a voluntary assignment of the worker or 
his or her authorized representative; or
    (d) Deduction for the reasonable cost or fair value, as determined 
by the Administrator, of furnishing such worker with ``board, lodging, 
or other facilities,'' as defined in 29 U.S.C. 203(m) and part 531 of 
this title.


Sec.  10.24  Overtime payments.

    (a) General. The Fair Labor Standards Act and the Contract Work 
Hours and Safety Standards Act require overtime payment of not less 
than one and one-half times the regular rate of pay or basic rate of 
pay for all hours worked over 40 hours in a workweek to covered 
workers. The regular rate of pay is generally determined by dividing 
the worker's total earnings in any workweek by the total number of 
hours actually worked by the worker in that workweek for which such 
compensation was paid.
    (b) Tipped employees. When overtime is worked by tipped employees 
who are entitled to overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act 
and/or the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, the employees' 
regular rate of pay includes both the cash wages paid by the employer 
(see Sec. Sec.  10.22(a) and 10.28(a)(1)) and the amount of any tip 
credit taken (see Sec.  10.28(a)(2)). (See part 778 of this title for a 
detailed discussion of overtime compensation under the Fair Labor 
Standards Act.) Any tips received by the employee in excess of the tip 
credit are not included in the regular rate.


Sec.  10.25  Frequency of pay.

    Wage payments to workers shall be made no later than one pay period 
following the end of the regular pay period in which such wages were 
earned or accrued. A pay period under Executive Order 13658 may not be 
of any duration longer than semi-monthly.


Sec.  10.26  Records to be kept by contractors.

    (a) The contractor and each subcontractor performing work subject 
to Executive Order 13658 shall make and maintain, for three years 
records containing the information specified in paragraphs (a)(1) 
through (4) of this section for each worker and shall make them 
available for inspection and transcription by authorized 
representatives of the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of 
Labor:
    (1) Name, address, and social security number of each worker;
    (2) The rate or rates of wages paid;
    (3) The number of daily and weekly hours worked by each worker; and
    (4) Any deductions made.
    (b) The contractor shall permit authorized representatives of the 
Wage and Hour Division to conduct interviews with employees at the 
worksite during normal working hours.
    (c) Nothing in this part limits or otherwise modifies the 
contractor's recordkeeping obligations, if any, under the Davis-Bacon 
Act, the Service Contract Act, or the Fair Labor Standards Act, or 
their implementing regulations.


Sec.  10.27  Anti-kickback.

    All wages paid to workers performing on covered contracts must be 
paid free and clear and without subsequent deduction (except as set 
forth in Sec.  10.23), rebate, or kickback on any account. Kickbacks 
directly or indirectly to the employer or to another person for the 
employer's benefit for the whole or part of the wage are prohibited.


Sec.  10.28  Tipped employees.

    (a) Payment of wages to tipped employees. With respect to workers 
who are tipped employees as defined in Sec.  10.2 and this section, the 
amount of wages paid to such employee by the employee's employer shall 
be equal to:
    (1) An hourly cash wage of at least:
    (i) $4.90 an hour beginning on January 1, 2015;
    (ii) For each succeeding 1-year period until the hourly cash wage 
equals 70 percent of the wage in effect under section 2 of the 
Executive Order, the hourly cash wage applicable in the prior year, 
increased by the lesser of $0.95 or the amount necessary for the hourly 
cash wage to equal 70 percent of the wage in effect under section 2 of 
the Executive Order;
    (iii) For each subsequent year, 70 percent of the wage in effect 
under section 2 of the Executive Order for such year rounded to the 
nearest multiple of $0.05; and
    (2) An additional amount on account of the tips received by such 
employee (tip credit) which amount is equal to the difference between 
the hourly cash wage in paragraph (a)(1) of this section and the wage 
in effect under section 2 of the Executive Order. Where tipped 
employees do not receive a sufficient amount of tips in the workweek to 
equal the amount of the tip credit, the employer must increase the cash 
wage paid for the workweek under paragraph (a)(1) of this section so 
that the amount of the cash wage paid and the tips received by the 
employee equal the minimum wage under section 2 of the Executive Order.

[[Page 34615]]

    (3) An employer may pay a higher cash wage than required by 
paragraph (a)(1) of this section and take a lower tip credit but may 
not pay a lower cash wage than required by paragraph (a)(1) of this 
section and take a greater tip credit. In order for the employer to 
claim a tip credit, the employer must demonstrate that the worker 
received at least the amount of the credit claimed in actual tips. If 
the worker received less than the claimed tip credit amount in tips 
during the workweek, the employer is required to pay the balance on the 
regular payday so that the worker receives the wage in effect under 
section 2 of the Executive Order with the defined combination of wages 
and tips.
    (4) If the wage required to be paid under the Service Contract Act, 
41 U.S.C. 6701 et seq., or any other applicable law or regulation is 
higher than the wage required by section 2 of the Executive Order, the 
employer shall pay additional cash wages equal to the difference 
between the wage in effect under section 2 of the Executive Order and 
the highest wage required to be paid.
    (b) Tipped employees. (1) In general, a covered worker employed in 
an occupation in which he or she receives tips is a ``tipped employee'' 
when he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month 
in tips. Only tips actually retained by the employee after any tip 
pooling may be counted in determining whether the person is a ``tipped 
employee'' and in applying the provisions of section 3 of the Executive 
Order. An employee may be a ``tipped employee'' regardless of whether 
the employee is employed full time or part time so long as the employee 
customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. An 
employee who does not receive more than $30 a month in tips customarily 
and regularly is not a tipped employee for purposes of the Executive 
Order and must receive the full minimum wage in section 2 of the 
Executive Order without any credit for tips received under the 
provisions of section 3.
    (2) Dual Jobs. In some situations an employee is employed in a 
tipped occupation and a non-tipped occupation (dual jobs), as for 
example, where a maintenance person in a hotel also works as a server. 
In such a situation if the employee customarily and regularly receives 
at least $30 a month in tips for the work as a server, the employee is 
a tipped employee only when working as a server. The tip credit can 
only be taken for the hours spent in the tipped occupation and no tip 
credit can be taken for the hours of employment in the non-tipped 
occupation. Such a situation is distinguishable from that of a tipped 
employee performing incidental duties that are related to the tipped 
occupation but that are not directed toward producing tips, for example 
when a server spends part of his or her time cleaning and setting 
tables, toasting bread, making coffee and occasionally washing dishes 
or glasses. Related duties may not comprise more than 20 percent of the 
hours worked in the tipped occupation in a workweek.
    (c) Characteristics of tips. A tip is a sum presented by a customer 
as a gift or gratuity in recognition of some service performed for the 
customer. It is to be distinguished from payment of a fixed charge, if 
any, made for the service. Whether a tip is to be given, and its 
amount, are matters determined solely by the customer. Tips are the 
property of the employee whether or not the employer has taken a tip 
credit. The employer is prohibited from using an employee's tips, 
whether or not it has taken a tip credit, for any reason other than as 
a credit against its minimum wage obligations under the Executive Order 
to the employee, or in furtherance of a valid tip pool. An employer and 
employee cannot agree to waive the worker's right to retain his or her 
tips. Customers may present cash tips directly to the employee or may 
designate a tip amount to be added to their bill when paying with a 
credit card or by other electronic means. Special gifts in forms other 
than money or its equivalent such as theater tickets, passes, or 
merchandise, are not counted as tips received by the employee for 
purposes of determining wages paid under the Executive Order.
    (d) Service charges. (1) A compulsory charge for service, such as 
15 percent of the amount of the bill, imposed on a customer by an 
employer's establishment, is not a tip and, even if distributed by the 
employer to its workers, cannot be counted as a tip for purposes of 
determining if the worker is a tipped employee. Similarly, where 
negotiations between a hotel and a customer for banquet facilities 
include amounts for distribution to workers of the hotel, the amounts 
so distributed are not tips.
    (2) As stated above, service charges and other similar sums are 
considered to be part of the employer's gross receipts and are not tips 
for the purposes of the Executive Order. Where such sums are 
distributed by the employer to its workers, however, they may be used 
in their entirety to satisfy the wage payment requirements of the 
Executive Order.
    (e) Tip pooling. Where tipped employees share tips through a tip 
pool, only the amounts retained by the tipped employees after any 
redistribution through a tip pool are considered tips in applying the 
provisions of FLSA section 3(t) and the wage payment provisions of 
section 3 of the Executive Order. There is no maximum contribution 
percentage on valid mandatory tip pools, which can only include tipped 
employees. However, an employer must notify its employees of any 
required tip pool contribution amount, may only take a tip credit for 
the amount of tips each employee ultimately receives, and may not 
retain any of the employees' tips for any other purpose.
    (f) Notice. An employer is not eligible to take the tip credit 
unless it has informed its tipped employees in advance of the 
employer's use of the tip credit. The employer must inform the tipped 
employee of the amount of the cash wage that is to be paid by the 
employer, which cannot be lower than the cash wage required by 
paragraph (a)(1) of this section; the additional amount by which the 
wages of the tipped employee will be considered increased on account of 
the tip credit claimed by the employer, which amount may not exceed the 
value of the tips actually received by the employee; that all tips 
received by the tipped employee must be retained by the employee except 
for a valid tip pooling arrangement limited to tipped employees; and 
that the tip credit shall not apply to any worker who has not been 
informed of these requirements in this section.

Subpart D--Enforcement


Sec.  10.41  Complaints.

    (a) Any worker, contractor, labor organization, trade organization, 
contracting agency, or other person or entity that believes a violation 
of the Executive Order or this part has occurred may file a complaint 
with any office of the Wage and Hour Division. No particular form of 
complaint is required. A complaint may be filed orally or in writing. 
If the complainant is unable to file the complaint in English, the Wage 
and Hour Division will accept the complaint in any language.
    (b) It is the policy of the Department of Labor to protect the 
identity of its confidential sources and to prevent an unwarranted 
invasion of personal privacy. Accordingly, the identity of any 
individual who makes a written or oral statement as a complaint or in 
the course of an investigation, as well as portions of the statement 
which would reveal the individual's identity, shall not be disclosed in 
any manner to

[[Page 34616]]

anyone other than Federal officials without the prior consent of the 
individual. Disclosure of such statements shall be governed by the 
provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, see 29 CFR 
part 70) and the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a).


Sec.  10.42  Wage and Hour Division conciliation.

    After receipt of a complaint, the Administrator may seek to resolve 
the matter through conciliation.


Sec.  10.43  Wage and Hour Division investigation.

    The Administrator may investigate possible violations of the 
Executive Order or this part either as the result of a complaint or at 
any time on his or her own initiative. As part of the investigation, 
the Administrator may conduct interviews with the relevant contractor, 
as well as the contractor's workers at the worksite during normal work 
hours; inspect the relevant contractor's records (including contract 
documents and payrolls, if applicable); make copies and transcriptions 
of such records; and require the production of any documentary or other 
evidence the Administrator deems necessary to determine whether a 
violation, including conduct warranting imposition of debarment, has 
occurred. Federal agencies and contractors shall cooperate with any 
authorized representative of the Department of Labor in the inspection 
of records, in interviews with workers, and in all aspects of 
investigations.


Sec.  10.44  Remedies and sanctions.

    (a) Unpaid wages. When the Administrator determines a contractor 
has failed to pay the applicable Executive Order minimum wage to 
workers, the Administrator will notify the contractor and the 
applicable contracting agency of the unpaid wage violation and request 
the contractor to remedy the violation. If the contractor does not 
remedy the violation of the Executive Order or this part, the 
Administrator shall direct the contractor to pay all unpaid wages to 
the affected workers in the investigative findings letter it issues 
pursuant to Sec.  10.51. The Administrator may additionally direct that 
payments due on the contract or any other contract between the 
contractor and the Government be withheld as necessary to pay unpaid 
wages. Upon the final order of the Secretary that unpaid wages are due, 
the Administrator may direct the relevant contracting agency to 
transfer the withheld funds to the Department of Labor for 
disbursement.
    (b) Antiretaliation. When the Administrator determines that any 
person has discharged or in any other manner retaliated against any 
worker because such worker filed any complaint or instituted or caused 
to be instituted any proceeding under or related to the Executive Order 
or this part, or because such worker testified or is about to testify 
in any such proceeding, the Administrator may provide for any relief to 
the worker as may be appropriate, including employment, reinstatement, 
promotion, and the payment of lost wages.
    (c) Debarment. Whenever a contractor is found by the Secretary of 
Labor to have disregarded its obligations under the Executive Order, or 
this part, such contractor and its responsible officers, and any firm, 
corporation, partnership, or association in which the contractor or 
responsible officers have an interest, shall be ineligible to be 
awarded any contract or subcontract subject to the Executive Order for 
a period of up to three years from the date of publication of the name 
of the contractor or responsible officer on the ineligible list. 
Neither an order for debarment of any contractor or its responsible 
officers from further Government contracts nor the inclusion of a 
contractor or its responsible officers on a published list of 
noncomplying contractors under this section shall be carried out 
without affording the contractor or responsible officers an opportunity 
for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.
    (d) Civil action to recover greater underpayments than those 
withheld. If the payments withheld under Sec.  10.11(c) are 
insufficient to reimburse all workers' lost wages, or if there are no 
payments to withhold, the Department, following a final order of the 
Secretary, may bring action against the contractor in any court of 
competent jurisdiction to recover the remaining amount of 
underpayments. The Department shall, to the extent possible, pay any 
sums it recovers in this manner directly to the underpaid workers. Any 
sum not paid to a worker because of inability to do so within three 
years shall be transferred into the Treasury of the United States as 
miscellaneous receipts.
    (e) Retroactive inclusion of contract clause. If a contracting 
agency fails to include the applicable contract clause in a contract to 
which the Executive Order applies, the contracting agency, on its own 
initiative or within 15 calendar days of notification by an authorized 
representative of the Department of Labor, shall incorporate the 
contract clause in the contract retroactive to commencement of 
performance under the contract through the exercise of any and all 
authority that may be needed.

Subpart E--Administrative Proceedings


Sec.  10.51  Disputes concerning contractor compliance.

    (a) This section sets forth the procedure for resolution of 
disputes of fact or law concerning a contractor's compliance with 
subpart C of this part. The procedures in this section may be initiated 
upon the Administrator's own motion or upon request of the contractor.
    (b)(1) In the event of a dispute described in paragraph (a) of this 
section in which it appears that relevant facts are at issue, the 
Administrator will notify the affected contractor(s) and the prime 
contractor (if different) of the investigative findings by certified 
mail to the last known address.
    (2) A contractor desiring a hearing concerning the Administrator's 
investigative findings letter shall request such a hearing by letter 
postmarked within 30 calendar days of the date of the Administrator's 
letter. The request shall set forth those findings which are in dispute 
with respect to the violations and/or debarment, as appropriate, and 
explain how the findings are in dispute, including by making reference 
to any affirmative defenses.
    (3) Upon receipt of a timely request for a hearing, the 
Administrator shall refer the case to the Chief Administrative Law 
Judge by Order of Reference, to which shall be attached a copy of the 
investigative findings letter from the Administrator and response 
thereto, for designation to an Administrative Law Judge to conduct such 
hearings as may be necessary to resolve the disputed matters. The 
hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth 
in 29 CFR part 6.
    (c)(1) In the event of a dispute described in paragraph (a) of this 
section in which it appears that there are no relevant facts at issue, 
and where there is not at that time reasonable cause to institute 
debarment proceedings under Sec.  10.52, the Administrator shall notify 
the contractor(s) of the investigation findings by certified mail to 
the last known address, and shall issue a ruling in the investigative 
findings letter on any issues of law known to be in dispute.
    (2)(i) If the contractor disagrees with the factual findings of the 
Administrator or believes that there are relevant facts in dispute, the 
contractor shall so advise the Administrator by letter postmarked

[[Page 34617]]

within 30 calendar days of the date of the Administrator's letter. In 
the response, the contractor shall explain in detail the facts alleged 
to be in dispute and attach any supporting documentation.
    (ii) Upon receipt of a response under paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this 
section alleging the existence of a factual dispute, the Administrator 
shall examine the information submitted. If the Administrator 
determines that there is a relevant issue of fact, the Administrator 
shall refer the case to the Chief Administrative Law Judge in 
accordance with paragraph (b)(3) of this section. If the Administrator 
determines that there is no relevant issue of fact, the Administrator 
shall so rule and advise the contractor accordingly.
    (3) If the contractor desires review of the ruling issued by the 
Administrator under paragraph (c)(1) or (c)(2)(ii) of this section, the 
contractor shall file a petition for review thereof with the 
Administrative Review Board postmarked within 30 calendar days of the 
date of the ruling, with a copy thereof to the Administrator. The 
petition for review shall be filed in accordance with the procedures 
set forth in 29 CFR part 7.
    (d) If a timely response to the Administrator's investigative 
findings letter is not made or a timely petition for review is not 
filed, the Administrator's investigative findings letter shall become 
the final order of the Secretary. If a timely response or petition for 
review is filed, the Administrator's letter shall be inoperative unless 
and until the decision is upheld by the Administrative Law Judge or the 
Administrative Review Board, or otherwise becomes a final order of the 
Secretary.


Sec.  10.52  Debarment proceedings.

    (a) Whenever any contractor is found by the Secretary of Labor to 
have disregarded its obligations to workers or subcontractors under 
Executive Order 13658 or this part, such contractor and its responsible 
officers, and any firm, corporation, partnership, or association in 
which such contractor or responsible officers have an interest, shall 
be ineligible for a period of up to 3 years to receive any contracts or 
subcontracts subject to Executive Order 13658 from the date of 
publication of the name or names of the contractor or persons on the 
ineligible list.
    (b)(1) Whenever the Administrator finds reasonable cause to believe 
that a contractor has committed a violation of Executive Order 13658 or 
this part which constitutes a disregard of its obligations to workers 
or subcontractors, the Administrator shall notify by certified mail to 
the last known address, the contractor and its responsible officers 
(and any firms, corporations, partnerships, or associations in which 
the contractor or responsible officers are known to have an interest), 
of the finding. The Administrator shall afford such contractor and any 
other parties notified an opportunity for a hearing as to whether 
debarment action should be taken under Executive Order 13658 or this 
part. The Administrator shall furnish to those notified a summary of 
the investigative findings. If the contractor or any other parties 
notified wish to request a hearing as to whether debarment action 
should be taken, such a request shall be made by letter to the 
Administrator postmarked within 30 calendar days of the date of the 
investigative findings letter from the Administrator, and shall set 
forth any findings which are in dispute and the reasons therefor, 
including any affirmative defenses to be raised. Upon receipt of such 
request for a hearing, the Administrator shall refer the case to the 
Chief Administrative Law Judge by Order of Reference, to which shall be 
attached a copy of the investigative findings letter from the 
Administrator and the response thereto, for designation of an 
Administrative Law Judge to conduct such hearings as may be necessary 
to determine the matters in dispute.
    (2) Hearings under this section shall be conducted in accordance 
with the procedures set forth in 29 CFR part 6. If no hearing is 
requested within 30 calendar days of the letter from the Administrator, 
the Administrator's findings shall become the final order of the 
Secretary.


Sec.  10.53  Referral to Chief Administrative Law Judge; amendment of 
pleadings.

    (a) Upon receipt of a timely request for a hearing under Sec.  
10.51 (where the Administrator has determined that relevant facts are 
in dispute) or Sec.  10.52 (debarment), the Administrator shall refer 
the case to the Chief Administrative Law Judge by Order of Reference, 
to which shall be attached a copy of the investigative findings letter 
from the Administrator and response thereto, for designation of an 
Administrative Law Judge to conduct such hearings as may be necessary 
to decide the disputed matters. A copy of the Order of Reference and 
attachments thereto shall be served upon the respondent. The 
investigative findings letter from the Administrator and response 
thereto shall be given the effect of a complaint and answer, 
respectively, for purposes of the administrative proceedings.
    (b) At any time prior to the closing of the hearing record, the 
complaint (investigative findings letter) or answer (response) may be 
amended with the permission of the Administrative Law Judge and upon 
such terms as he/she may approve. For proceedings pursuant to Sec.  
10.51, such an amendment may include a statement that debarment action 
is warranted under Sec.  10.52. Such amendments shall be allowed when 
justice and the presentation of the merits are served thereby, provided 
there is no prejudice to the objecting party's presentation on the 
merits. When issues not raised by the pleadings are reasonably within 
the scope of the original complaint and are tried by express or implied 
consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if 
they had been raised in the pleadings, and such amendments may be made 
as necessary to make them conform to the evidence. The presiding 
Administrative Law Judge may, upon reasonable notice and upon such 
terms as are just, permit supplemental pleadings setting forth 
transactions, occurrences or events which have happened since the date 
of the pleadings and which are relevant to any of the issues involved. 
A continuance in the hearing may be granted or the record left open to 
enable the new allegations to be addressed.


Sec.  10.54  Consent findings and order.

    (a) At any time prior to the receipt of evidence or, at the 
Administrative Law Judge's discretion prior to the issuance of the 
Administrative Law Judge's decision, the parties may enter into consent 
findings and an order disposing of the proceeding in whole or in part.
    (b) Any agreement containing consent findings and an order 
disposing of a proceeding in whole or in part shall also provide:
    (1) That the order shall have the same force and effect as an order 
made after full hearing;
    (2) That the entire record on which any order may be based shall 
consist solely of the Administrator's findings letter and the 
agreement;
    (3) A waiver of any further procedural steps before the 
Administrative Law Judge and the Administrative Review Board regarding 
those matters which are the subject of the agreement; and
    (4) A waiver of any right to challenge or contest the validity of 
the findings and order entered into in accordance with the agreement.
    (c) Within 30 calendar days after receipt of an agreement 
containing consent findings and an order disposing

[[Page 34618]]

of the disputed matter in whole, the Administrative Law Judge shall, if 
satisfied with its form and substance, accept such agreement by issuing 
a decision based upon the agreed findings and order. If such agreement 
disposes of only a part of the disputed matter, a hearing shall be 
conducted on the matters remaining in dispute.


Sec.  10.55  Proceedings of the Administrative Law Judge.

    (a) The Office of Administrative Law Judges has jurisdiction to 
hear and decide appeals concerning questions of law and fact from the 
Administrator's investigative findings letters issued under Sec. Sec.  
10.51 and 10.52. Any party may, when requesting an appeal or during the 
pendency of a proceeding on appeal, timely move an Administrative Law 
Judge to consolidate a proceeding initiated hereunder with a proceeding 
initiated under the Service Contract Act or the Davis-Bacon Act.
    (b) Proposed findings of fact, conclusions, and order. Within 20 
calendar days of filing of the transcript of the testimony or such 
additional time as the Administrative Law Judge may allow, each party 
may file with the Administrative Law Judge proposed findings of fact, 
conclusions of law, and a proposed order, together with a supporting 
brief expressing the reasons for such proposals. Each party shall serve 
such proposals and brief on all other parties.
    (c) Decision. (1) Within a reasonable period of time after the time 
allowed for filing of proposed findings of fact, conclusions of law, 
and order, or within 30 calendar days of receipt of an agreement 
containing consent findings and order disposing of the disputed matter 
in whole, the Administrative Law Judge shall issue a decision. The 
decision shall contain appropriate findings, conclusions, and an order, 
and be served upon all parties to the proceeding.
    (2) If the respondent is found to have violated Executive Order 
13658 or this part, and if the Administrator requested debarment, the 
Administrative Law Judge shall issue an order as to whether the 
respondent is to be subject to the ineligible list, including any 
findings that the contractor disregarded its obligations to workers or 
subcontractors under the Executive Order or this part.
    (d) Limit on Scope of Review. The Equal Access to Justice Act, as 
amended, does not apply to proceedings under this part. Accordingly, 
Administrative Law Judges shall have no authority to award attorney 
fees and/or other litigation expenses pursuant to the provisions of the 
Equal Access to Justice Act for any proceeding under this part.
    (e) Orders. If the Administrative Law Judge concludes a violation 
occurred, the final order shall mandate action to remedy the violation, 
including, but not limited to, monetary relief for unpaid wages. Where 
the Administrator has sought imposition of debarment, the 
Administrative Law Judge shall determine whether an order imposing 
debarment is appropriate.
    (f) Finality. The Administrative Law Judge's decision shall become 
the final order of the Secretary, unless a timely petition for review 
is filed with the Administrative Review Board.


Sec.  10.56  Petition for review.

    (a) Within 30 calendar days after the date of the decision of the 
Administrative Law Judge (or such additional time as is granted by the 
Administrative Review Board), any party aggrieved thereby who desires 
review thereof shall file a petition for review of the decision with 
supporting reasons. Such party shall transmit the petition in writing 
to the Administrative Review Board with a copy thereof to the Chief 
Administrative Law Judge. The petition shall refer to the specific 
findings of fact, conclusions of law, or order at issue. A petition 
concerning the decision on debarment shall also state the disregard of 
obligations to workers and/or subcontractors, or lack thereof, as 
appropriate. A party must serve the petition for review, and all 
briefs, on all parties and the Chief Administrative Law Judge. It must 
also timely serve copies of the petition and all briefs on the 
Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, and on the Associate Solicitor, 
Division of Fair Labor Standards, Office of the Solicitor, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20210.
    (b) Effect of filing. If a party files a timely petition for 
review, the Administrative Law Judge's decision shall be inoperative 
unless and until the Administrative Review Board issues an order 
affirming the letter or decision, or the letter or decision otherwise 
becomes a final order of the Secretary. If a petition for review 
concerns only the imposition of debarment, however, the remainder of 
the decision shall be effective immediately. No judicial review shall 
be available unless a timely petition for review to the Administrative 
Review Board is first filed.


Sec.  10.57  Administrative Review Board proceedings.

    (a) Authority. (1) General. The Administrative Review Board has 
jurisdiction to hear and decide in its discretion appeals concerning 
questions of law and fact from investigative findings letters of the 
Administrator issued under Sec.  10.51(c)(1) or (c)(2), Administrator's 
rulings issued under Sec.  10.58, and decisions of Administrative Law 
Judges issued under Sec.  10.55. In considering the matters within the 
scope of its jurisdiction, the Administrative Review Board shall act as 
the authorized representative of the Secretary and shall act fully and 
finally on behalf of the Secretary concerning such matters.
    (2) Limit on scope of review. (i) The Board shall not have 
jurisdiction to pass on the validity of any provision of this part. The 
Board is an appellate body and shall decide cases properly before it on 
the basis of substantial evidence contained in the entire record before 
it. The Board shall not receive new evidence into the record.
    (ii) The Equal Access to Justice Act, as amended, does not apply to 
proceedings under this part. Accordingly, the Administrative Review 
Board shall have no authority to award attorney fees and/or other 
litigation expenses pursuant to the provisions of the Equal Access to 
Justice Act for any proceeding under this part.
    (b) Decisions. The Board's final decision shall be issued within a 
reasonable period of time following receipt of the petition for review 
and shall be served upon all parties by mail to the last known address 
and on the Chief Administrative Law Judge (in cases involving an appeal 
from an Administrative Law Judge's decision).
    (c) Orders. If the Board concludes a violation occurred, the final 
order shall mandate action to remedy the violation, including, but not 
limited to, monetary relief for unpaid wages. Where the Administrator 
has sought imposition of debarment, the Board shall determine whether 
an order imposing debarment is appropriate.
    (d) Finality. The decision of the Administrative Review Board shall 
become the final order of the Secretary.


Sec.  10.58  Administrator ruling.

    (a) Questions regarding the application and interpretation of the 
rules contained in this part may be referred to the Administrator, who 
shall issue an appropriate ruling. Requests for such rulings should be 
addressed to the Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department 
of Labor, Washington, DC 20210.
    (b) Any interested party may appeal to the Administrative Review 
Board for review of a final ruling of the Administrator issued under 
paragraph (a) of this section. The petition for review shall be filed 
with the

[[Page 34619]]

Administrative Review Board within 30 calendar days of the date of the 
ruling.

Appendix A to Part 10

    For all contracts subject to Executive Order 13658, except for 
procurement contracts subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation 
(FAR), the following clause shall be included by the contracting 
agency in every contract, contract-like instrument, and solicitation 
to which Executive Order 13658 applies:
    (a) Executive Order 13658. This contract is subject to Executive 
Order 13658, the regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor in 
this part pursuant to the Executive Order, and the following 
provisions.
    (b) Minimum Wages. (1) Each worker (as defined in Sec.  10.2) 
employed in the performance of this contract by the prime contractor 
or any subcontractor, regardless of any contractual relationship 
which may be alleged to exist between the contractor and worker, 
shall be paid not less than the applicable minimum wage under 
Executive Order 13658.
    (2) The minimum wage required to be paid to each worker 
performing work on or in connection with this contract between 
January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015 shall be $10.10 per hour 
through December 31, 2015. The minimum wage shall be adjusted each 
time the Secretary of Labor's annual determination of the applicable 
minimum wage under section 2(a)(ii) of Executive Order 13658 results 
in a higher minimum wage. Adjustments to the Executive Order minimum 
wage under section 2(a)(ii) of Executive Order 13658 will be 
effective for all workers subject to the Executive Order beginning 
January 1 of the following year. The Secretary of Labor will publish 
annual determinations in the Federal Register no later than 90 days 
before such new wage is to take effect. The Secretary will also 
publish the applicable minimum wage on www.wdol.gov (or any 
successor Web site). The applicable published minimum wage is 
incorporated by reference into this contract.
    (3) The contractor shall pay unconditionally to each worker all 
wages due free and clear and without subsequent deduction (except as 
otherwise provided by Sec.  10.23), rebate, or kickback on any 
account. Such payments shall be made no later than one pay period 
following the end of the regular pay period in which such wages were 
earned or accrued. A pay period under this Executive Order may not 
be of any duration longer than semi-monthly.
    (4) In the event of any violation of the minimum wage obligation 
of this clause, the contractor and any subcontractor(s) responsible 
therefore shall be liable for the unpaid wages.
    (c) Withholding. The agency head shall upon its own action or 
upon written request of an authorized representative of the 
Department of Labor withhold or cause to be withheld from the prime 
contractor under this or any other Federal contract with the same 
prime contractor, so much of the accrued payments or advances as may 
be considered necessary to pay workers the full amount of wages 
required by Executive Order 13658.
    (d) Contract Suspension/Contract Termination/Contractor 
Debarment. In the event of a failure to pay any worker all or part 
of the wages due under Executive Order 13658 or this part, or a 
failure to comply with any other term or condition of Executive 
Order 13658 or this part, the contracting agency may on its own 
action or after authorization or by direction of the Department of 
Labor and written notification to the contractor, take action to 
cause suspension of any further payment, advance or guarantee of 
funds until such violations have ceased. Additionally, any failure 
to comply with the requirements of this clause may be grounds for 
termination of the right to proceed with the contract work. In such 
event, the Government may enter into other contracts or arrangements 
for completion of the work, charging the contractor in default with 
any additional cost. A breach of the contract clause may be grounds 
for debarment as a contractor and subcontractor as provided in Sec.  
10.52.
    (e) The contractor may not discharge any part of its minimum 
wage obligation under Executive Order 13658 by furnishing fringe 
benefits or, with respect to workers whose wages are governed by the 
Service Contract Act, the cash equivalent thereof.
    (f) Nothing herein shall relieve the contractor of any other 
obligation under Federal, State or local law, or under contract, for 
the payment of a higher wage to any worker.
    (g) Payroll Records. (1) The contractor shall make and maintain 
for 3 years records containing the information specified in 
paragraphs (g)(1) (i) through (iv) of this section for each worker 
and shall make the records available for inspection and 
transcription by authorized representatives of the Wage and Hour 
Division of the U.S. Department of Labor:
    (i) Name, address, and social security number.
    (ii) The rate or rates of wages paid.
    (iii) The number of daily and weekly hours worked by each 
worker.
    (iv) Any deductions made.
    (2) The contractor shall also make available a copy of the 
contract, as applicable, for inspection or transcription by 
authorized representatives of the Wage and Hour Division.
    (3) Failure to make and maintain or to make available such 
records for inspection and transcription shall be a violation of 
this part and this contract, and in the case of failure to produce 
such records, the contracting officer, upon direction of an 
authorized representative of the Department of Labor, or under its 
own action, shall take such action as may be necessary to cause 
suspension of any further payment or advance of funds until such 
time as the violations are discontinued.
    (4) The contractor shall permit authorized representatives of 
the Wage and Hour Division to conduct investigations, including 
interviewing workers at the worksite during normal working hours.
    (5) Nothing in this clause limits or otherwise modifies the 
contractor's payroll and recordkeeping obligations, if any, under 
the Davis-Bacon Act, as amended, and its implementing regulations; 
the Service Contract Act, as amended, and its implementing 
regulations; the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended, and its 
implementing regulations; or any other applicable law.
    (h) The contractor (as defined in Sec.  10.2) shall insert this 
clause in all of its subcontracts and shall require its 
subcontractors to include this clause in any lower-tier 
subcontracts. The prime contractor shall be responsible for the 
compliance by any subcontractor or lower-tier subcontractor with 
this contract clause.
    (i) Certification of Eligibility. (1) By entering into this 
contract, the contractor (and officials thereof) certifies that 
neither it (nor he or she) nor any person or firm who has an 
interest in the contractor's firm is a person or firm ineligible to 
be awarded Government contracts by virtue of the sanctions imposed 
pursuant to section 5 of the Service Contract Act, section 3(a) of 
the Davis-Bacon Act, or 29 CFR 5.12(a)(1).
    (2) No part of this contract shall be subcontracted to any 
person or firm whose name appears on the list of persons or firms 
ineligible to receive Federal contracts.
    (3) The penalty for making false statements is prescribed in the 
U.S. Criminal Code, 18 U.S.C. 1001.
    (j) Tipped employees. In paying wages to a tipped employee as 
defined in section 3(t) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. 
203(t), the contractor may take a partial credit against the wage 
payment obligation (tip credit) to the extent permitted under 
section 3(a) of Executive Order 13658. In order to take such a tip 
credit, the employee must receive an amount of tips at least equal 
to the amount of the credit taken; where the tipped employee does 
not receive sufficient tips to equal the amount of the tip credit 
the contractor must increase the cash wage paid for the workweek so 
that the amount of cash wage paid and the tips received by the 
employee equal the applicable minimum wage under Executive Order 
13658. To utilize this proviso:
    (1) The employer must inform the tipped employee in advance of 
the use of the tip credit;
    (2) The employer must inform the tipped employee of the amount 
of cash wage that will be paid and the additional amount by which 
the employee's wages will be considered increased on account of the 
tip credit;
    (3) The employees must be allowed to retain all tips 
(individually or through a pooling arrangement and regardless of 
whether the employer elects to take a credit for tips received); and
    (4) The employer must be able to show by records that the tipped 
employee receives at least the applicable Executive Order minimum 
wage through the combination of direct wages and tip credit.
    (k) Antiretaliation. It shall be unlawful for any person to 
discharge or in any other manner discriminate against any worker 
because such worker has filed any complaint or instituted or caused 
to be instituted any proceeding under or related to Executive Order 
13658 or this part, or has testified or is about to testify in any 
such proceeding.

[[Page 34620]]

    (l) Disputes concerning labor standards. Disputes related to the 
application of Executive Order 13658 to this contract shall not be 
subject to the general disputes clause of the contract. Such 
disputes shall be resolved in accordance with the procedures of the 
Department of Labor set forth in this part. Disputes within the 
meaning of this clause include disputes between the contractor (or 
any of its subcontractors) and the contracting agency, the U.S. 
Department of Labor, or the workers or their representatives.

[FR Doc. 2014-14130 Filed 6-13-14; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4510-27-P