Repeal of Obsolete Dhs Contracting Requirements

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3499) to amend the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to repeal certain obsolete requirements, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: S. 3499

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. REPEAL OF OBSOLETE DHS CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS.

The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-295; 120 Stat. 1394) is amended by striking section 692 (6 U.S.C. 792).

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Ms. NORTON. 3499.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will repeal a section of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to conform the act with government-wide Federal acquisition regulation changes to subcontracting limits.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2009 directed the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to institute a government-wide limitation on excessive subcontracting. This change put the Department of Homeland Security-specific requirements established by the Post- Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act in conflict with government- wide rules. This bill simply repeals the Department of Homeland Security's obsolete requirement.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois.

I also rise in support of S. 3499, which amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. This bill repeals outdated Department of Homeland Security contracting requirements that set a limit of 65 percent for subcontracting costs.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2009 established a subcontracting cost limit at 70 percent. Unfortunately, these conflicting limits have just created confusion for contractors in emergency response and recovery efforts since then.

Repealing this obsolete provision will make subcontracting cost limits consistent with the rest of the Federal contracting regime.

Mr. Speaker, I remind you that these are not issues that are going to make the 24-hour news cycle, but it is fixing broken pieces of the bureaucracy right here in this institution that can actually help communities recover faster.

If we don't address issues that aren't newsworthy according to the media experts, then we waste taxpayer dollars, we don't help communities recover, and we don't make government work for the people. I am proud to stand here and say I am a conservative when it comes to fixing government bureaucracy, and this is one of those fixes that we are putting forth today, in conjunction with the other side, in conjunction with the Senate.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, again, this fixes the Federal bureaucracy that was broken back post-Katrina. I was a congressional staffer in 2005 when we all watched in horror what happened to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast because of that tragic storm.

Provisions that were put in place post-Katrina in 2006, during the Bush presidency and into the Obama administration in 2009, long before I ever got here to the House floor, we are now fixing the inconsistencies, making government work for the people, and making government work for every single American who is going to be affected by a future disaster. That is everywhere. That is Montana, that is Illinois, and that is D.C. Every single place in the United States and our territories will be impacted positively by this consistent change to the bureaucracy through the procurement process that needed to be done years ago and is going to be done today because of the leadership of our Senate sponsors and also the leaders on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and my colleague, Ms. Norton.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

S. 3499 is a simple example of good governance with bipartisan support. I support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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