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Hoyer Praises A-76 Fix for Federal Employees

Leading Federal Employee Advocate Says Provision Levels Playing Field for Federal Employees

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny Hoyer applauded House passage of an important provision to restore fairness for federal employees to the flawed OMB Circular A-76 privatization process.  The provision was included in the fiscal year 2006 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development Conference Report that the House passed today.

“I commend the House of Representatives for withstanding pressure from the White House and including in the conference report the reform provision that will correct fundamental flaws in the current OMB Circular A-76 privatization process and guarantee a level playing field for federal employees competing to keep their jobs.

“Simply put, the provision will eliminate waste and save taxpayer money by requiring that all agencies must subject functions that are performed by 10 or more federal employees to public-private competitions before such work can be given to outside contractors.  
“As part of such public-private competitions, federal employees will always be able to submit their best bids, and contractors will be required to at least promise savings sufficient to cover the costs of conducting privatization reviews.   

“At last it appears that Congress is willing to flex its legislative muscle to defend the rights of federal employees.  Provisions to correct flaws in the A-76 privatization process were dropped from legislation the past two years because of White House objections, even though both houses supported them. 

“Today’s victory is part of a broader campaign to defend federal employees from an administration that has gone to war with its employees by trying to strip them of their collective bargaining rights, gut their civil service protections against politics and favoritism, and contract out their jobs with a process that is manifestly unfair to federal employees and taxpayers alike.”

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