Meadows Applauds Passage of Stop Government Abuse Act

Statement

Representative Mark Meadows (NC-11) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 2879, the Stop Government Abuse Act of 2013.

This legislation limits bonuses for federal employees during sequestration, provides for investigative leave requirements for members of the Senior Executive Service, and allows individuals to have the right to record in-person and telephonic interactions with executive agency employees. H.R. 2879 combines Meadows' H.R. 1541, the Common Sense in Compensation Act, with H.R. 2579, the Government Employee Accountability Act, and H.R. 2711, the Citizen Empowerment Act.

"This week, my colleagues and I passed a number of bills to restrain our runaway federal government," Meadows said. "I am proud that the House voted today to pass the Stop Government Abuse Act, which addresses a number of problems within federal agencies -- from outrageous bonus pay to the lack of strong statutes for disciplinary leave.

"My bill, which became part of this legislation, brings common sense to the policies governing federal employee bonuses while still providing agencies flexibility to recognize outstanding performance. In fiscal year 2011, 75 percent of Senior Executive Service employees throughout the federal government received bonuses at an average of nearly $11,000 per person. These enormous bonuses, often not based on merit, exemplify Washington's spending problem. It is time for the government to stop furloughing workers who depend on a paycheck from week-to-week while awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses to senior employees."

The Stop Government Abuse Act passed the House in a bipartisan vote of 239-176.

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