Council extends comment period on blacklisting repeal

Contractors, labor groups, and other interested parties have a little more time to give Uncle Sam their two-cents worth on a rule that sets ethics standards for government contractors. On Monday, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council extended the comment period on a rule that would revoke the controversial regulation. The Council moved the deadline for comments back to July 6 and announced a public meeting on the proposed revocation on June 18. The business community has argued the Clinton-era regulation would lead to a "blacklist" of companies banned from government contracts, even if the companies had resolved concerns over labor, environmental and other issues. The regulation went into effect one day before President Clinton left office. Since then, the Bush administration has been taking steps to reverse it. The meeting will be held at NASA's Washington headquarters and is scheduled to last four hours, from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., last week urged opponents of the contractor ethics rule to attend the meeting and to submit comments. Parties wishing to make a presentation at the meeting should submit a copy by June 4 to: General Services Administration Acquisition Policy Division (MVP) 1800 F Street, NW., Room 4035 ATTN: Ralph DeStefano Washington, DC 20405 Presentations may be submitted via email to:
farcase.2001-014@gsa.gov

Written comments should be sent to:

General Services Administration,
FAR Secretariat (MVP), 1800 F Street, N.W., Room 4035,
ATTN: Laurie Duarte, Washington, D.C. 20405
Parties may also email comments to: farcase.2001-014@gsa.gov