BRINGING HOME THE (DAVIS) BACON

Some good news that's lost in the shuffle right now:

The Bush administration will reinstate rules requiring that companies awarded federal contracts for Hurricane Katrina pay prevailing wages, usually an amount close to the pay scales in local union contracts.

Representative Peter King of New York was among congressmen critical of the administration's decision to waive the requirement and who met today with White House chief of staff Andrew Card. He said Card told them the wage requirement would be reinstated November eighth.

In the immediate aftermath of Katrina, President Bush suspended provisions of the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act, which sets wages for employees on federal contracts to ensure they are not underpaid.

It looks like Bush didn't have a choice anyway, as a vote in the House to reinstate the rules was likely to pass, with dozens of Republicans voting for it.

UPDATE: Congressman George Miller (D-CA), who was a force behind the effort to restore Davis-Bacon to the Gulf Coast, has more over at TPM Cafe.