[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 132 (Wednesday, September 24, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S11903]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONTRACTING OUT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the 
amendment offered by the Senator from Nevada, Mr. Reid, to prohibit the 
use of fiscal year 2004 Interior funds to initiate public private 
competitions at the Department of the Interior, including the National 
Park Service. This amendment takes an important step to ensure that 
vital public services at Interior are not put at risk by the 
administration's aggressive plans to contract out Federal jobs.
  As the ranking member of the National Parks Subcommittee, I view the 
administration's outsourcing policies as especially harmful to the 
National Park Service. I am particularly concerned that the outsourcing 
of Park Service jobs could target biologists, anthropologists and 
archaeologists.
  During a Parks Subcommittee hearing this summer, Scot McElveen, the 
president of the Association of National Park Rangers testified that 
current outsourcing policies seriously threaten reliable, effective, 
and efficient service to the public.
  Mr. McElveen said the administration's outsourcing plan is 
incompatible with the Parks Service's decentralized workforce. 
Furthermore, he noted that it would only worsen National Parks' current 
staffing and budgetary shortfalls by diverting funds for operations and 
maintenance to contract out jobs.
  I agree with Mr. McElveen. I fail to see how outsourcing functions 
within the Parks Service will improve their mission to protect our 
national parks, historic sites, monuments, and other treasured places. 
Park Service employees have a strong sense of public service which 
cannot be replicated by the private sector.
  I believe this amendment takes the measures needed to ensure that 
contracting out at the Department of the Interior does not come at the 
expense of our National Parks.
  The Reid amendment is identical to language included in H.R. 2691, 
the House Interior Appropriations bill. I urge my colleagues to support 
this amendment.

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