Business community pleased with repeal of blacklisting reg
The Bush administration has revoked a blacklisting regulation released under the Clinton administration that would have made violations of labor and environmental laws count in federal contract competitions. The regulation, which had gone into effect in January 2001 after the final rule was published in the final days of the Clinton administration, was strongly opposed by the business community.
"This regulation was nothing more than an attempt to implement a major change in labor law enforcement through federal procurement policy," said Kirk Pickerel, president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), which praised the decision. The Bush administration's action now restores the federal contracting procedure, returning safeguards for fair competition to the process, according to Pickerel.