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2022 SESSION
22104664DBe it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 2.2-4321.3 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 2.2-4321.3. Payment of prevailing wage for work performed on public works contracts; penalty.
A. As used in this section:
"Locality" means any county, city, or town, school division, or other political subdivision.
"Prevailing wage rate" means the rate, amount, or level of wages, salaries, benefits, and other remuneration prevailing for the corresponding classes of mechanics, laborers, or workers employed for the same work in the same trade or occupation in the locality in which the public facility or immovable property that is the subject of public works is located, as determined by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry on the basis of applicable prevailing wage rate determinations made by the U.S. Secretary of Labor under the provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act, 40 U.S.C. § 276 et seq., as amended.
"Public works" means the operation, erection,
construction, alteration, improvement, maintenance, or repair of any public
facility or immovable property owned, used, or leased by a state agency or
locality, including transportation infrastructure projects.
"State agency" means any authority, board, department, instrumentality, institution, agency, or other unit of state government. "State agency" does not include any county, city, or town.
B. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, each state agency, when procuring services or letting contracts for public works paid for in whole or in part by state funds, or when overseeing or administering such contracts for public works, shall ensure that its bid specifications or other public contracts applicable to the public works require bidders, offerors, contractors, and subcontractors to pay wages, salaries, benefits, and other remuneration to any mechanic, laborer, or worker employed, retained, or otherwise hired to perform services in connection with the public contract for public works at the prevailing wage rate. Each public contract for public works by a state agency shall contain a provision requiring that the remuneration to any individual performing the work of any mechanic, laborer, or worker on the work contracted to be done under the public contract shall be at a rate equal to the prevailing wage rate.
C. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any
locality may adopt an ordinance requiring that, when letting contracts for
public works paid for in whole or in part by funds of the locality, or when
overseeing or administering a public contract, its bid specifications, project
agreements, or other public contracts applicable to the public works shall
require bidders, offerors, contractors, and subcontractors to pay wages,
salaries, benefits, and other remuneration to any mechanic, laborer, or worker
employed, retained, or otherwise hired to perform services in connection with
the public contract at the prevailing wage rate. Each public contract of a
locality that has adopted an ordinance described in this section shall contain
a provision requiring that the remuneration to any individual performing the
work of any mechanic, laborer, or worker on the work contracted to be done
under the public contract shall be at a rate equal to the prevailing wage rate
no locality shall establish provisions related to procurement of goods,
professional services, or construction that would require a wage floor or any
other employee benefit or compensation above what is otherwise required by
state or federal law to be provided by a contractor to one or more of the
contractor's employees as part of a contract with the locality. For
purposes of this subsection, "professional services" means the same
as that term is defined in § 2.2-4301. The provisions of this subsection shall
not (i) affect contracts between a locality and another party that were
executed prior to January 1, 2023, or the renewal or future rebids of services
thereof or (ii) prohibit a locality from entering into contracts for economic
development incentives in which the company receiving the incentives is
required to maintain a certain stated wage level for its employees.
D. Any contractor or subcontractor who employs any mechanic,
laborer, or worker to perform work contracted to be done under the public
contract for public works for or on behalf of a state agency or for or on
behalf of a locality that has adopted an ordinance described in subsection C or
at a rate that is less than the prevailing wage rate (i) shall be liable to
such individuals for the payment of all wages due, plus interest at an annual
rate of eight percent accruing from the date the wages were due;,
and (ii) shall be disqualified from bidding on public contracts with any public
body until the contractor or subcontractor has made full restitution of the
amount described in clause (i) owed to such individuals. A contractor or
subcontractor who willfully violates this section is guilty of a Class 1
misdemeanor.
E. Any interested party, which shall include a bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor, shall have standing to challenge any bid specification, project agreement, or other public contract for public works that violates the provisions of this section. Such interested party shall be entitled to injunctive relief to prevent any violation of this section. Any interested party bringing a successful action under this section shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney fees and costs from the responsible party.
F. A representative of a state agency or a representative
of a locality that has adopted an ordinance described in subsection C may
contact the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, at least 10 but not more than
20 days prior to the date bids for such a public contract for public works will
be advertised or solicited, to ascertain the proper prevailing wage rate for
work to be performed under the public contract.
G. Upon the award of any public contract subject to the provisions of this section, the contractor to whom such contract is awarded shall certify, under oath, to the Commissioner of Labor and Industry the pay scale for each craft or trade employed on the project to be used by such contractor and any of the contractor's subcontractors for work to be performed under such public contract. This certification shall, for each craft or trade employed on the project, specify the total hourly amount to be paid to employees, including wages and applicable fringe benefits, provide an itemization of the amount paid in wages and each applicable benefit, and list the names and addresses of any third party fund, plan or program to which benefit payments will be made on behalf of employees.
H. Each employer subject to the provisions of this section shall keep, maintain, and preserve (i) records relating to the wages paid to and hours worked by each individual performing the work of any mechanic, laborer, or worker and (ii) a schedule of the occupation or work classification at which each individual performing the work of any mechanic, laborer, or worker on the public works project is employed during each work day and week. The employer shall preserve these records for a minimum of six years and make such records available to the Department of Labor and Industry within 10 days of a request and shall certify that records reflect the actual hours worked and the amount paid to its workers for whatever time period they request.
I. Contractors and subcontractors performing public works for
a state agency or for a locality that has adopted an ordinance described in
subsection C shall post the general prevailing wage rate for each craft and
classification involved, as determined by the Commissioner of Labor and
Industry, including the effective date of any changes thereof, in prominent and
easily accessible places at the site of the work or at any such places as are
used by the contractor or subcontractors to pay workers their wages. Within 10
days of such posting, a contractor or subcontractor shall certify to the
Commissioner of Labor and Industry its compliance with this subsection.
J. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any public contract for public works of $250,000 or less.