At TxDOT, Concerns About Revolving Door Provision
A provision, tucked in a bill awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott's signature, aimed at reducing conflicts of interest in state contracting is drawing concerns among state employees, particularly at the Texas Department of Transportation.
Senate Bill 20, a sweeping contracting reform bill from Senate Finance Chairwoman Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, would bar state employees who work on procuring or negotiating a contract with a private vendor from working for that vendor for two years after leaving the agency. The so-called revolving door provision was part of a broad suite of contracting reforms that lawmakers approved this session to address fears about conflicts of interest at state agencies that negotiate billions of dollars in new contracts each year.
While the provision did not spark much public debate while working its way through the Senate and House, some agency employees and groups privately raised concerns that it could make state employment less attractive, particularly for employees who routinely work on multiple contracts and could find themselves barred from a job at dozens of companies in the industry in which they have the most experience.
“I have already heard that some in the department are concerned about this provision and the impact it could have on their future employability,” TxDOT Executive Director Joe Weber wrote in an email to TxDOT staff Tuesday morning. “I want you to know that we have already begun to look at changes in our procedures that will fully comply with this important bill, while reducing the number of our employees from participation that may jeopardize post-TxDOT employment.”
Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/
