Van Hollen Hails Major Victory for Federal Employees

Press Release

Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) released the following statement today hailing the U.S. Senate's approval of the Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, and Housing and Urban Development 2006 spending bill. The legislation includes a provision that scores a major victory for federal employees by helping to level the playing field in their fight against unfair contracting out procedures. Under the Senate-passed provisions, federal employees are permitted to submit their own best bids, and contractors are required to demonstrate a savings of at least 10% or $10 million. These provisions are the same already used by the Department of Defense and will now be government-wide.

"This is a huge victory for federal employees and is the culmination of a battle Senator Mikulski and I have led for the last three years. The language included in this legislation is the first step in ensuring that we have an even playing field when the federal government decides to hold a competition to contract out federal jobs and services to private contractors.

"It has been a longstanding policy of the federal government to allow for public-private competition for those services that could appropriately be performed in the private sector. However, the Bush Administration's continued opposition to changes that would make the contracting out process more fair for federal employees and ensure more cost-effective governance shows a lack of concern for federal employees and American taxpayers.

"Federal employees are more than willing to submit to a competitive process, but they shouldn't be asked to do it with one hand tied behind their backs. I will continue fighting to ensure that this language prevails in Conference and is signed into law by the President."

In May 2003, the Bush Administration issued new guidelines for these public/private competitions (OMB Circular A-76). For three consecutive years, Rep. Van Hollen has offered floor amendments to overturn the Bush Administration's efforts to aggressively contract out millions of jobs through the so-called "A-76" process. Even in the face of veto threats from the White House, the Van Hollen legislation passed the House with bipartisan majorities in 2005, 2004, and 2003.

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