OCTOBER 25, 1999

Washington, DC – Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Fred Thompson (R-TN) announced today that the Committee will hold a joint hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on the Clinton Administration’s proposed changes to federal procurement regulations which would alter the "responsibility" criteria on which government contracts are awarded.

The Administration contends that the proposed changes merely clarify the existing rules. However, the proposal gives federal agencies extraordinary latitude in making award decisions without affording prospective contractors necessary or appropriate due process guarantees.

"Besides being bad policy, this is an attempt to legislate labor policy through regulation," said Thompson. "This blacklisting issue is an issue for Congress to consider and debate and is not appropriate as a change to procurement regulations."

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