Report finds September 11th Bidders Registry was ineffective

By Kenneth Lovett
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, September 21st 2008, 5:55 PM

A law designed to boost New York clothing companies after 9/11 was largely a failure - and did little to guarantee that clothing bought with taxpayer cash wasn't made in out-of-state sweatshops, a new report shows.

The September 11th Bidders Registry required state agencies to give preference to apparel manufacturers hurt by the 2001 attacks. It was also seen as a way to ensure that taxpayer-funded entities weren't buying apparel and textiles from sweatshops.

But a state Labor Department report found most of the state business went to firms with factories outside the state and country.

New York companies must follow strict labor laws, but "out-of-state bidders must simply attest that their apparel was made in compliance with the law, and New York State has no way to verify [it]," the report found.

"While the report agrees that these provisions are laudable, the Department of Labor found that they fell short of their original intent," Labor Commissioner Patricia Smith wrote in a letter to Gov. Paterson.

Smith said the state should develop better ways to ensure clothing the state buys is made under "sweat-free" conditions.

The registry law expired this month. Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer vetoed a bill to extend it and ordered the Labor Department to study whether it was effective.

Last Updated:09/22/2008
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