Huizenga Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Increase Private Sector Competition For Government Contracts

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, MI-02, along with Reps. Carolyn Maloney, NY-14, Barney Frank, MA-04, and Jim Sensenbrenner, WI-05, announce legislation that will once again allow local job creators - especially manufacturers and service industries - to compete on equal footing for contracts with the federal government.

Under this bill, H.R. 3634, Unicor, a government-owned corporation that employs federal prisoners to manufacture goods or perform services to fulfill contracts with federal agencies and departments, would be required to submit a detailed analysis of the impact to the private sector before entering into new product markets and would not be able to sell products commercially or internationally; the only customer could be the federal government. It also prohibits agencies from contracting with Unicor in which inmates would have access to sensitive or classified information.

"This bill gives the taxpayer the greatest value for their hard-earned money by forcing federal agencies to bid for fair and reasonable prices and for products that best suit their needs. The bill preserves market access for these products or services to the hard-working men and women of our districts. This is simply one more easy, common sense way to preserve jobs and help restore economic security for America," Huizenga said.

"This legislation will protect the jobs of hard-working American taxpayers while providing valuable alternative rehabilitative opportunities to better prepare inmates for a successful return to society. It is a workable, bipartisan solution to the problem," Maloney said.

"It is time to allow for fair competition for U.S. manufacturers," Frank said.

"We should be looking to make government more efficient and cost-effective, and this bill does that. I support this legislation because it will save taxpayer money and open up the contracting process to competition by allowing businesses to bid for these contracts," Sensenbrenner said.

Some examples of the industries Unicor competes in include: clothing and textiles, electronics, vehicular components and fleet management, industrial products, office furniture, electronics recycling, and services such as call center and data and document conversion.

The bill has already gathered interest from a broad coalition of business groups and has a bipartisan list of supporters in Congress from all across America. Original co-sponsors include Reps. Donald Manzullo, IL-16, Edward Royce, CA-40, Patrick Tiberi, OH-12, and John Olver, MA-01.

Business groups supporting this legislation include:

· American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA)

· American Home Furnishings Alliance

· American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)

· American Subcontractors Association (ASA)

· American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA)

· Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)

· Associated General Contractors (AGC)

· Aerospace Industries Association (AIA)

· Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA)

· Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI)

· Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC)

· International Glove Association

· International Sign Association

· Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS)

· National Alliance for Fair Competition

· National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)

· National Association of Manufacturers and Representatives (NAMR)

· National Black Chamber of Commerce

· National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)

· National Emergency Equipment Dealers Association (NEEDA)

· North-American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD)

· Safety Equipment Association

· Small Business Legislative Council

· Steelcase Inc.

· TechAmerica

· Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA)

· The Coalition for Government Procurement (CGP)

· US Chamber of Commerce

· US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Source