House Report Language
110TH CONGRESS
Report
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session
110-187
--DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2008
Mr. DICKS, from the
Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following
R E P O R T
together with Additional
Views
[To accompany H.R. 2643]
The Committee on Appropriations submits the following report in
explanation of the accompanying bill making appropriations for the Department
of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Related Agencies for
the fiscal year ending
ADMINISTRATIVE
PROVISIONS,
The Committee is concerned about the huge costs of agency
business process centralization and therefore directs that detailed reports
remain a part of the budget justification and that all expenses be carefully
evaluated and explained, and transparent to the public at large…
The Committee notes that the Forest Service has done a poor job
of implementing its competitive sourcing program. Section 414 in Title IV
general provisions includes bill language providing a one-year moratorium for
the Forest Service on this matter. The Committee notes that its investigations
staff previously found widespread management lapses which required legislative
action. P.L. 109-54 Sec. 422(d) requires the Forest Service to report, `in
accordance with full cost accounting principles, all costs attributable to
developing, implementing, supporting, managing, monitoring, and reporting on
competitive sourcing, including personnel, consultant, travel, and training
costs associated with program management.' This has not been implemented. The
Committee understands that alleged savings are not substantiated. The Forest
Service has inadequately considered the potential impact on its ability to
provide emergency wildfire staffing when engaging in competitive sourcing which
could dramatically alter the Federal workforce.
TITLE
IV--GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 414 continues a provision which provides guidance on
competitive sourcing activities and clarifies annual reporting requirements to
specify the reporting of the full costs associated with sourcing studies and
related activities. The provision continues the funding cap of $3,450,000 for
the Department of the Interior and also establishes a moratorium for one-year
regarding Forest Service competitive sourcing activities. Forest Service
competitive sourcing is discussed in more detail under the Forest Service,
Administrative Provisions heading.
* * *
36-168
110TH CONGRESS
Report
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session
110-187
--DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATION BILL, 2008
Mr. DICKS of
Washington, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following
SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT
[To accompany H.R. 2643]
The Committee on Appropriations submits the following additional
report in explanation of H.R. 2643, making appropriations for the Department of
the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Related Agencies for the
fiscal year ending
Contractors- The Executive Branch also engages
in another practice which steers or directs money to specific entities or
purposes through a process of contracting out various activities and services.
In many important work locations, the number of people working for contractors
exceeds the number of Federal employees in the same building or location. Many
of these, in fact, are non-competitive or sole-sourced. When added together,
the Executive Branch steers or directs far greater spending to specific
projects or corporations than is directed or earmarked by Congress. And the
practice of non-competitive contracting has exploded in the past five years.
For example, the Department of the Interior reported to the Committee that the
value of contracts awarded through processes that were `not fully and openly
competitive' increased from $26 million in 2000 to $167 million in 2005.