Wilson: "We Need to Restore the American People's Trust in Their Government."

Press Release

Wilson: "We need to restore the American people's trust in their government."

Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02) released the following statement today regarding H.R. 1395, the Government Credit Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2007. This legislation introduced by Congressman Wilson would help put an end to the fraudulent use of government credit cards. A Senate companion bill, S. 789, introduced by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), has recently been cleared by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

"The American people entrust their government with trillions in tax dollars to pay for the everyday needs of the federal government. It is unfortunate that there have been more than a few documented cases of government employees misusing federal credit cards for dubious purchases. It is even more disappointing that the government seems to lack any substantial mechanism to combat this misuse and abuse of taxpayer dollars.

"My legislation and the companion bill that has gained support in the Senate send a strong message to the American people that we plan to be good stewards of their taxpayers' dollars. Reports that catalog abuse are helpful in defining the problem. But, we need everyday, internal safeguards as well as appropriate penalties so that we can put a stop to misuse of government funds. We need to restore the American people's trust in their government."

Reports on the scope of government credit card abuse have highlighted several cases of gross misuse. These included the rather expensive such as an $8,000 63-inch plasma television that was found unused, unwarranted air travel, and thousands of dollars spent on golf and tennis training at resorts. They have also highlighted the ridiculous such as a beer brewing kit.

Key Points of the Government Credit Card Abuse Prevention Act:

* Provides credit checks for travel card holders and issue restricted cards for those with poor or no credit to reduce the potential for misuse;
* Maintains a record of each cardholder, which would include single transaction limits and total credit limits so agencies can effectively manage their cardholders;
* Implements periodic personnel reviews to determine if a cardholder has a position that requires such a card; and,
* Outlines penalties for fraudulent use of travel and purchase cards including termination of employment and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.

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