Vendors seek help from Hill

      Advocates for small business federal contractors are urging them to call lawmakers on Capitol Hill to support measures to assist them in recovering from the government shutdown.

      One of the bills in the works that is garnering support is the Fair Compensation for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act, which reportedly has more than a dozen co-sponsors to date in the House and Senate, nearly all Democrats. It would provide back pay of up to $600 per paycheck for contractor employees, mostly janitors, cafeteria workers and security guards.

      However, some advocates say the bill is too narrow and additional measures should be added. “We believe the bill should be expanded,” Shirley Bailey, president of the HUBZone Contractors National Council, recently wrote to Sen. Ben Cardin, D-MD. In the letter, she urged Cardin and other senators to help vendors affected by the shutdown obtain expedited payments on outstanding invoices, as well as reimbursements for shutdown expenses.

      The Professional Services Council also has stepped up its advocacy for small firms affected by the shutdown. The council has asked the Internal Revenue Service to refrain from taxing employees who made gifts of their leave time to fellow employees during the shutdown.

More Information: Senator Van Hollen statement:
https://bit.ly/2S9yjrP
Professional Services Council letter to IRS:
https://bit.ly/2G9EZj8

Contractors still reeling from shutdown

Vendors seek help from Hill

Bold ideas, big reactions

Velazquez bills pass House

Filing a post-shutdown REA?

Column: Your Capability Statement

Washington Insider: