The strength of our economy depends on a level playing field for American businesses.  Giving Federal Prison Industries (FPI) an advantage over private businesses in bidding for federal contracts is unfair to both law abiding American workers and their employers.  Often FPI products are of a lesser value and a higher cost to the taxpayer.  The Federal government needs to be a better steward of the taxpayers' dollars.

For this reason, I cosponsored the Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2003, which passed the House of Representatives in early November of last year.  The bill has since been referred to the Senate.  This legislation would increase competition between FPI and private contractors, encouraging economic growth through the responsible use of taxpayer dollars and increasing job opportunities.  In addition, this reform requires FPI to provide rehabilitative work opportunities that will help prepare inmate laborers for work when they complete their sentence.  

This legislation improves the Federal Prison Industry system for everyone involved: the private contractors, the inmate laborers, and the American taxpayer.