Breaking News: House Voting Today on Contractor Database Legislation

At long last, the House is voting today on H.R. 3033 (the "Contractor and Federal Spending Accountability Act"), a bill introduced by Rep. Maloney (D-NY) that would essentially formalize POGO's Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, with centralized information on federal contractors who have broken the law and violated federal regs. The bill comes at a crucial time, as government contracting spending has ballooned to $440 billion a year, with few safeguards in place to prevent irresponsible contractors from receiving future taxpayer dollars.

POGO supports the efforts of Rep. Maloney and her colleagues to improve accountability in the federal contracting system. Not surprisingly, the bill has come under attack by contractors and their allies. But we're not quite sure what contractors are so afraid of. The bill wouldn't stop them from receiving contracts; it would just help procurement officials learn more about their corporate culture. If anything, it would help separate the good contractors from the bad and the ugly.