[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 763-764]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF A BILL TO ENSURE THAT THE METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON 
    AIRPORTS AUTHORITY COMPLIES WITH FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 29, 2013

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to require 
the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) to adopt the 
Federal Acquisition Regulations, which govern all aspects of the 
acquisition process for virtually every federal executive branch 
agency, and to adopt the federal anti-nepotism rules. Significant 
failures in MWAA's contracting and hiring policies and practices point 
to a need for substantial reform in MWAA's acquisition and hiring 
processes. Despite being created by Congress, leasing federally owned 
land, and benefiting from significant federal taxpayer funds, MWAA is 
not subject to federal procurement or anti-nepotism laws. This omission 
has left MWAA without ample guidance for its board members and 
employees. Many of the problems that have drawn criticism of MWAA could 
be eliminated if the Federal Acquisition Regulations and federal anti-
nepotism regulations were made applicable to MWAA.
  MWAA is an independent public body created by Congress under the 
Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986 (Airports Act). MWAA, with 
1,400 employees, leases Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and 
Washington Dulles International Airport from the Federal Government. In 
addition to managing the airports, MWAA is responsible for the Dulles 
Corridor Metrorail Project, which has an estimated cost of $5.8 
billion, including $977 million in federal funds.
  A recent Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General report, 
``MWAA's Weak Policies and Procedures Have Led to Questionable 
Procurement Practices, Mismanagement, and a Lack of Overall 
Accountability'' (Report Number: AV-2013-006), or IG Report, found that 
``MWAA's contracting policies and practices are insufficient to ensure 
compliance with the Airports Act and the lease agreement between DOT 
and MWAA.'' For example, the Airports Act and lease agreement require 
MWAA to award contracts over $200,000 competitively to the maximum 
extent practicable. However, the IG Report found that

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MWAA recently awarded two-thirds of its contracts exceeding $200,000 
with limited competition. The IG Report also noted that MWAA awarded 
many contracts with no formal solicitation, and that MWAA's Contracting 
Manual does not require public notification of sole-source contracts 
over $200,000.
  A January 15, 2013, Washington Post article reported that at least 10 
percent of MWAA employees have family members working there, including 
spouses, and children. The IG report also noted that MWAA lacks 
``sufficient controls to detect and prevent nepotism.'' It is clear 
that changes are imperative and overdue.
  The lack of transparency and competition on MWAA's contracts and 
hiring are inconsistent with continuing ownership of the airports by 
the Federal Government, MWAA's creation by Congress, and the 
significant federal taxpayer dollars MWAA receives. The IG Report's 
conclusion that current procurement procedures and hiring policies are 
inadequate requires a response that definitively fixes these issues. It 
makes no sense for MWAA to attempt to reinvent a new set of procurement 
procedures and ignore the very thorough and tested Federal Acquisition 
Regulations, which provide legal guidelines for every aspect of 
procurement and maximize fairness and transparency of the federal anti-
nepotism regulations.
  I urge my colleagues to support the bill.