Companies such as Blackwater and Halliburton that contract to provide services to our troops in war zones ought to be accountable under U.S. law. If they violate human rights, kill innocent civilians, or overcharge taxpayers, they should be prosecuted and punished.

That is not the case today. Under current law, only companies that contract with the Defense Department are under U.S. court jurisdiction, while the more than 1,000 private contractors working for the State Department in Iraq are not. As a result, Blackwater employees accused of killing Iraqi civilians may never be brought to justice.

In October, my House colleagues and I voted to close this loophole. We passed the Holding Security Contractors in War Zones Accountable Act (H.R. 2740). This bill would ensure that all private contractors in overseas war zones are accountable for criminal behavior.

Similarly, there is currently no federal statute targeted at preventing contracting fraud during times of war. This is despite a recent report that identified more than $10 billion in unsupported costs relating to Iraq reconstruction and troop support contracts. Halliburton is responsible for more than $2.5 billion of these suspect billings.

That’s why I voted for and the House recently passed the War Profiteering Prevention Act (H.R. 400). This bill makes war profiteering a felony, subject to up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to twice the illegal profits.

These bills are both pending in the Senate.

I hope to hear your thoughts about military contracting and other subjects at my town meetings on Saturday, November 3rd and Saturday, December 1st.

Pete