I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3899
To require agencies to submit to Congress any contracts in amounts greater 
than $1,000,000 that are proposed to be awarded using noncompetitive 
procedures. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 4, 2004
Mr. BOSWELL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on 
Armed Services and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require agencies to submit to Congress any contracts 
in amounts greater than $1,000,000 that are proposed 
to be awarded using noncompetitive procedures.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Contract Account-
ability for Taxpayers Savings Act’’.
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS OF 
CONTRACTS PROPOSED TO BE AWARDED 
USING NONCOMPETITIVE PROCEDURES. 
(a) NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—Before the award 
of a contract in an amount greater than $1,000,000 using 
procedures other than competitive procedures, the head of 
an agency shall submit to Congress a written notification 
that includes a copy of the contract, the proposed date 
of award of the contract, and a detailed explanation and 
justification of the contract. 
(b) PERIOD FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL.—
The head of an agency may not award a contract described 
in subsection (a) before the expiration of 30 legislative 
days after the date of submission by the agency of the 
notification under subsection (a), except that the contract 
may be entered into immediately after one of the following 
occurs: 
(1) Either House of Congress considers a joint 
resolution described in section 3(a) with respect to 
the contract and fails to pass it. 
(2) The time period has expired for Congress to 
reconsider such a resolution after a presidential veto, 
and Congress did not override the veto during such 
period. 
(c) PROCEDURES OTHER THAN COMPETITIVE PRO-
CEDURES.—For purposes of this section, a contract is en-
tered into using procedures other than competitive proce-
dures if it is entered into—
(1) in the case of a defense contract, pursuant 
to the authority provided under section 2304(c) of 
title 10, United States Code; and 
(2) in the case of any contract other than a de-
fense contract, pursuant to the authority provided 
under section 303(c) of title III of the Federal Prop-
erty and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 
U.S.C. 253(c)). 
(d) LEGISLATIVE DAY.—In this Act, the term ‘‘legis-
lative day’’ means a day on which either House of Con-
gress is in session, except the term does not include any 
day a House is in session during the period beginning on 
the date a joint resolution described in section 3(a) is pre-
sented to the President and ending on the date the joint 
resolution becomes law or is vetoed. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 
OF DISAPPROVAL OF PROPOSED CONTRACTS. 
(a) TERMS OF RESOLUTION.—For purposes of this 
section, the term ‘‘joint resolution’’ means only a joint res-
olution which is introduced within the 5 legislative days 
beginning on the date on which the head of an agency 
submits a notification to Congress under section 2(a) 
and—
(1) which does not have a preamble; 
(2) the matter after the resolving clause of 
which is as follows: ‘‘That Congress disapproves the 
proposed contract as submitted by lll on 
lll, and such contract may not be awarded.’’ 
(the blank spaces being filled in with the appropriate 
agency head and date); and 
(3) the title of which is as follows: ‘‘Joint reso-
lution disapproving proposed contract submitted by 
lll on lll.’’ (the blank spaces being filled in 
with the appropriate agency head and date). 
(b) DISCHARGE.—If the committee to which a resolu-
tion described in subsection (a) is referred has not re-
ported such resolution (or an identical resolution) by the 
end of the period of 10 legislative days beginning on the 
date on which the agency submits the notification under 
section 2(a), such committee shall be, at the end of such 
period, discharged from further consideration of such reso-
lution, and such resolution shall be placed on the appro-
priate calendar of the House involved. 
(c) CONSIDERATION.—
(1) On or after the third day after the date on 
which a joint resolution is reported or discharged 
from committee pursuant to subsection (b), it is in 
order (even though a previous motion to the same
section 2(b), the President may award the contract using 
procedures other than competitive procedures pursuant to 
the authority provided in paragraphs (2) and (6) of sec-
tion 2304(c) of title 10, United States Code (in the case 
of a defense contract) or paragraphs (2) and (6) of section 
303(c) of title III of the Federal Property and Administra-
tive Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 253(c) (in the case 
of contracts other than defense contracts). 
(f) RULES OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE.—This sec-
tion is enacted by Congress—
(1) an exercise of the rulemaking power of the 
Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, 
and as such it is deemed a part of the rules of each 
House, respectively, but applicable only with respect 
to the procedure to be followed in that House in the 
case of a resolution described in subsection (a), and 
it supersedes other rules only to the extent that it 
is inconsistent with such rules; and 
(2) with full recognition of the constitutional 
right of either House to change the rules (so far as 
relating to the procedure of that House) at any time, 
in the same manner, and to the same extent as in 
the case of any other rule of that House.
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