On the Hill, a Burst of Workplace-Related Legislation
By a 261 to 166 vote, the Republican controlled House of Representatives yesterday approved an amendment to prohibit the use of arbitrary quotas, goals and targets for outsourcing public services to private contractors, to the 2003 Treasury Department, Postal Service and government operations spending bill which later passed 308 to 121. With a similar amendment likely to be approved in the Senate, the House votes may well bring an end to President Bush?s ?competitive sourcing? initiative---a system many lawmakers feel encourages agencies to cut federal jobs without regard to savings or service levels in order to meet quotas set by the Bush administration. The larger spending bill to which the amendment was made also includes a 4.1 percent pay increase for federal employees that lawmakers feel reflects the increased dangers they face in the war on terrorism, and that the president opposes in favor of an increase of only 2.6 percent (see WIT for June 27, 2002).