Board Chairman of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama (ABC) has issued his full support of recent legislation from U.S. Senator Katie Britt that would prevent the federal government from mandating project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal projects funded by taxpayers.
The bill, the Fair and Open Competition Act, would provide more opportunities to bid on government work, increase workforce competition, lower government construction costs, and save taxpayer dollars.
Tim Harrison, founder and president of Harrison Construction, said Britt’s (R-Montgomery) legislation is an appropriate follow-up to a recent move from the White House.
“President Trump’s executive order is a step in the right direction, but work remains to be done,” Harrison told Yellowhammer News.
“PLAs negatively impact merit-shop contractors, reduce competition, and increase cost. We are hopeful that the U.S. Senate will pass Senator Britt’s Fair and Open Competition Act (FOCA). Senator Britt’s legislation will mandate that federal contracts are awarded based on merit, and it will foster competition in the bidding process.”
In a recent statement, Britt addressed the issue of PLAs and explained her legislation’s purpose.
“Federal contracts should be awarded based on merit, not special interests. Project labor agreements are not only costly, but also discourage qualified contractors to compete, all at the expense of hardworking taxpayers and small businesses,” Britt said. “I’m proud to support legislation that will increase competition, drive down costs, and save taxpayer dollars to ensure federal projects are completed efficiently and effectively.”
Alabama is one of 24 states with state-level laws prohibiting government-mandated PLAs on state, state-assisted, and local construction projects, depending on the scope of their law.
Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
