Sepulveda introduces legislation to incentivize safety, training and compensation for workers authors Alejandro Ramirez Metro Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda on Tuesday evening plans to introduce a bill that, if passed, would raise standards for the city's awarding construction contracts, emphasizing workplace safety and fair payment and compensation. The proposed legislation seeks to incentivize contractors who show an investment in training employees, providing health benefits and maintaining clean workplace safety records. Companies meeting such standards will receive higher marks when Metro’s procurement board begins scoring bidders for construction contracts. Other factors, like participating in apprenticeship programs, would also be considered. At the same time, companies that incurred federal or state violations within the past three years will have a more difficult time securing such work — raising the bar for what the city calls a “responsible bidder” for Metro contracts.