Senate OKs plan to open storm bids
Wednesday, May 3, 2006
By Jeff Zeleny - Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON -- The Senate agreed Tuesday to require all federal contracts for Hurricane Katrina reconstruction that exceed $500,000 to be competitively bid.
In a unanimous vote, the Senate passed an amendment designed to prevent a repeat of what took place in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane last year, when FEMA awarded four $100 million no-bid contracts to four companies.
"Eight months after Katrina, there's no longer any emergency that justifies a no-bid contract that might have been entered into the days after Katrina," said Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who sponsored the amendment.
The full bill is expected to pass the Senate on Wednesday.