Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1829, the Hoekstra-Frank-Collins-Maloney-Sensenbrenner-Conyers Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2003 will bring fundamental and necessary comprehensive reform to Federal Prison Industries, Incorporated. This is a Depression-era authorizing statute that permits it to operate in a manner that is detrimental to all participants in the Federal procurement process except Federal Prison Industries. Change is needed. Because of FPI's status as a mandatory source, noninmate workers and the firms that employ them are completely precluded from having the opportunity to even bid, to even bid, on almost $700 million in Federal contracting opportunities, contracting opportunities that are funded by the tax dollars of those workers and those firms. Workers are denied the job opportunities funded by these Federal contracts. That is why the bill is supported by a broad coalition of business groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and NFIB. That is why the bill is concurrently supported by organized labor led by the AFL-CIO with the vocal support of its affiliated unions whose members are most impacted.”