Ron Wyden: “we rise today to discuss the call of a bipartisan coalition for some badly needed sunshine in the process of awarding…”

“we rise today to discuss the call of a bipartisan coalition for some badly needed sunshine in the process of awarding Iraqi reconstruction contracts. I particularly commend several of my colleagues for joining me in the bipartisan legislation, the Sunshine in Iraqi Reconstruction Contracting Act introduced April 10. First, Senator Clinton and I are especially grateful to the chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Collins of Maine. Not only is she an excellent chair of the committee that will take up this legislation, she is also an expert on procurement law, a real authority on the very issue we have addressed in our legislation. Our legislation has a simple aim. It says if a Federal agency awards an Iraqi reconstruction contract without the benefit of open and competitive bidding, that agency must publicly justify their decision to do so.”