AIA joins fight: Enough EOs

An anticipated presidential executive order (EO) requiring federal contractors to offer up to 56 hours of annual paid sick leave, four major contractor groups – including the Aerospace Industries Association - wrote Aug. 11 to the White House asking for an easing off of EOs “for the foreseeable future.” With the WH issuing more contractor-specific orders, the “rapid growth in compliance requirements is becoming untenable,” said the letter, written to Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett. “The impacts, inefficiencies, and in many cases, unintended consequences are such that the interests of the American taxpayer are being significantly and negatively impacted.” The letter was signed by presidents of AIA, National Defense Industrial Association, Professional Services Council and the IT Alliance for Public Sector. Since 2009, the president has issued 12 contractor-focused executive orders that have led to 16 new regulations that have “added thousands of pages of new requirements to an already complex federal acquisition system …” The “net effect” has significantly increased the costs of doing business with the government by including “substantial investments in time and systems during a period of extreme budget pressure with very little benefit for the government.” There are hundreds of thousands of contractors nationwide. The Labor Department could not confirm such an EO was coming, but told Government Executive that the department will “continue to explore ways to expand access to paid leave” if Congress does not take action. (Source: Defense One 08/11/15)