Contracting Out Air Traffic Control
TRAC Act
NATCA supports the Truthfulness,
Responsibility and Accountability in Contracting Out Act (H.R.
721/S. 1152) that would simply correct several
longstanding problems and inequities in the contracting out
process. Specifically, the legislation would temporarily
suspend new federal service contracting until agencies:
establish reliable reporting systems to track costs and
savings from contracting out; prevent contracting without
public-private competitions; and subject contractor work to
public-private competition.
Bush Administration - Outsourcing
Even after the tragic events of September 11, the
Administration remains firm in its commitment to contract over
400,000 federal jobs to the private sector and to mandate A-76
competitions for half of the positions listed on the FAIR
inventories. The Office of Management and Budget has
directed federal agencies to open up at least five percent of
commercial jobs to contractor competition in FY02 and ten
percent in FY03, with the goal of eventually reaching 50
percent of commercial jobs. NATCA opposes the Bush
Administration’s competitive outsourcing initiative that
sets arbitrary quotas for federal agencies and provides
incentives to meet those quotas.
The OMB will rely on accurate FAIR Act lists provided by
agencies that identify jobs that are commercial in
nature. In addition, agencies are being required to
submit lists of inherently governmental jobs. OMB
intends to scrutinize these lists, which are due on June 30,
to ensure that jobs are properly classified.
DOT INSPECTOR GENERAL
While no individual member of Congress is advocating
expansion of the Federal Contract Tower program and there is
no pending legislation, this has not deterred the DOT
Inspector General Ken Mead from pushing the issue. On
March 13, 2002, in testimony before the House Transportation
Subcommittee, Mead stated that:
"We also identified
that FAA could save over $57 million annually by expanding the
contract tower program to 71 visual flight rule towers still
operated by FAA. Clearly, these action are controversial
among certain groups, however; given the current fiscal issues
facing FAA, the agency needs to objectively consider these and
other cost saving measures from a business
perspective."
The Inspector General also noted
that the Congress, the FAA, the airports and the users have
all endorsed this program as safe and effective.
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