Lawmaker question if contracting reform deal can be reached
Source: SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press (CT), February 23, 2006, 1:39 AM EST
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Democratic legislators on Wednesday questioned whether it's possible to pass a package of reforms to the state's contracting system that Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell will sign this year. A bill that would have established a new board to oversee all state contracting was considered a key piece of reform legislation in the wake of the corruption scandal that sent former Gov. John G. Rowland to prison. But Rell vetoed two versions of the bill last year because they also would have regulated the outsourcing of state work. ..... Democrats and state unions say privatization standards, such as rules for wages paid to private employees and whether deals make financial sense, are necessary because there are no regulations now when a state agency hires an outside contractor to perform state work.