Congress has approved 2012 appropriations for the departments of Commerce, Justice and Agriculture, NASA and the Food and Drug Administration. Final passage could make funds available for some new projects. Other appropriations bills are stalled in the congressional pipeline, raising the prospect of a series of short-term funding bills for the rest of fiscal 2012—in other words, business as usual on Capitol Hill.

President Obama signed the repeal of the contractor withholding rule into law on Nov. 21. Both houses of Congress passed the legislation unanimously.

The bill directs the Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget to study ways to reduce the overdue taxes owed by federal contractors.

GTSI Corp. continues to suffer from its temporary suspension from contracting more than a year ago. The company reported revenue for its latest quarter was down nearly 60% from a year earlier.

GTSI’s new CEO, Sterling Phillips, said the three-week suspension resulted in an 86% turnover in the company’s government sales staff, Washington Technology reported. He said he is still trying to rebuild the sales organization.

The company was suspended over allegations that it used small businesses as fronts to pass through work on set-aside contracts. To escape the suspension in October 2010, GTSI agreed to independent oversight of its operations and to stop serving as a subcontractor to small firms.

The Senate has voted to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research Program for eight years. The amendment to the 2012 Defense Authorization bill was adopted Nov. 29, but the full bill was still awaiting a vote.

The Senate and House have been unable to agree on a reauthorization for more than three years. The major sticking poiont has been whether SBIR funds should go to companies controlled by large venture-capital investors.

“We are closer than we’ve ever been on achieving a long-term reauthorization,” said Senate Small Business Committee Chair Mary Landrieu. After the Senate approves the defense bill, it must go to a conference with the House to write final language.

Contractors won 16% of their bid protests to the Government Accountability Office in fiscal 2011, according to GAO’s annual report. The figure is in line with results for previous years.

The number of bid protests increased for the fifth straight year, to more than 2,400. All but 400 were resolved before a decision was reached.

GAO said the increasing number reflected its new authority to hear protests over task and delivery orders in excess of $10 million.