Hice Introduces H.R. 1658 the Federal Employee Accountability Act

Press Release

Yesterday, Congressman Jody Hice (GA-10) introduced the Federal Employee Accountability Act, in order to address the misuse of "official time," by federal employees. "Official time" is the practice by which federal employees are paid by taxpayers to perform duties not related to the mission of their agency and instead perform union-related activities. This practice, which began under the Carter Administration, is directly responsible for the federal government spending $157 million and 3.4 million man hours per year on activities that are often political in nature.

The Federal Employee Accountability Act would ensure that no federal government employee could use official time to engage in collective bargaining, or participate in arbitration on behalf of a union against their employer. Hice released the following statement in response to the introduction of the measure:

"After examining the practices of over sixty government agencies, my office has found an astounding amount of government waste. By eliminating the "official time' practice, we will return over a billion dollars to hardworking American taxpayers, and shed this shady, wasteful practice that only benefits unions.

At a time when the need for veterans' healthcare is at an all-time high, and resources at an all-time low, there shouldn't be over 200 employees of the VA solely dedicated to promoting union activities, not when our veterans are waiting in line to be helped, and at the very least, not on my watch."

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