U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) voted today in favor of the Accountability in Contracting Act (H.R.1362) which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 347 to 73.  The House Armed Services Committee, of which Larsen is a member, approved the bill on Wednesday and sent it to the floor for a vote. Larsen issued the following statement today:

“From the war in Iraq to post-Katrina reconstruction, no-bid contracts awarded by the current administration have wasted billions of taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, the last Congress overlooked these problems instead of providing needed oversight. The new Congress is committed to confronting and repairing this administration’s legacy of waste, fraud and abuse.”

“The Accountability in Contracting Act is an important step toward restoring accountability.  It instructs federal agencies to minimize the use of no-bid contracts, limits the duration of no-bid contracts awarded in emergencies, promotes the use of fixed-price contracts, requires public disclosure of the rationale for awarding no-bid contracts and requires agencies to report to Congress on contract overcharges.”

“These commonsense measures restore long-overdue Congressional oversight to government contracts and help ensure that taxpayer dollars are awarded in a fair, open manner. We owe it to our constituents to make sure their money is spent responsibly.”

“This legislation is one of five bipartisan bills the House passed this week to help make our government more open and transparent. This Congress is serious about fulfilling our constitutional duty to provide oversight, and we are committed to making government accountable to the American people.”

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