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Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act

USA119th CongressHR-1688| House 
| Updated: 2/27/2025
Robert Garcia

Robert Garcia

Democratic Representative

California

Cosponsors (5)
Greg Landsman (Democratic)Dave Min (Democratic)Mike Quigley (Democratic)Deborah K. Ross (Democratic)Lizzie Fletcher (Democratic)

Oversight and Government Reform Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
The Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act seeks to strengthen the Office of Special Counsel's (OSC) enforcement of Hatch Act provisions by increasing transparency and accountability. It defines "career" and "noncareer" employees, with a particular focus on allegations against the latter, who often hold politically appointed positions. The bill aims to ensure vigorous and consistent enforcement, irrespective of an individual's political affiliation or personal characteristics. The legislation requires the OSC to provide Congress with regular reports on complaints referred for disciplinary action, distinguishing between career and noncareer employees . Additionally, an annual report must detail covered allegations against noncareer and former noncareer employees, including the number of allegations received and investigated. A confidential addendum to this report will identify noncareer employees not investigated and describe the outcomes of allegations where processing ceased, and whether a complaint was presented to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and if civil penalties were collected. To further promote transparency, the bill mandates that the OSC publish detailed written explanations for decisions not to pursue complaints against noncareer employees found to have violated the Hatch Act, with some exceptions. It also requires the OSC to track and publicly display anonymized demographic statistics, such as race, sex, and disability status, for both career and noncareer employees who are subjects of Hatch Act allegations, covering the number of employees alleged, investigated, and those against whom complaints were presented to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
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Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 118-7835
Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act
Feb 27, 2025

Latest Companion Bill Action

S 119-806
Introduced in Senate
Feb 27, 2025
Introduced in House
Feb 27, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 118-7835
    Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act


  • February 27, 2025

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    S 119-806
    Introduced in Senate


  • February 27, 2025
    Introduced in House


  • February 27, 2025
    Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Government Operations and Politics

Related Bills

  • S 119-806: Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act
Census and government statisticsCongressional oversightFederal officialsGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionGovernment information and archivesOffice of Special CounselPersonnel records

Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act

USA119th CongressHR-1688| House 
| Updated: 2/27/2025
The Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act seeks to strengthen the Office of Special Counsel's (OSC) enforcement of Hatch Act provisions by increasing transparency and accountability. It defines "career" and "noncareer" employees, with a particular focus on allegations against the latter, who often hold politically appointed positions. The bill aims to ensure vigorous and consistent enforcement, irrespective of an individual's political affiliation or personal characteristics. The legislation requires the OSC to provide Congress with regular reports on complaints referred for disciplinary action, distinguishing between career and noncareer employees . Additionally, an annual report must detail covered allegations against noncareer and former noncareer employees, including the number of allegations received and investigated. A confidential addendum to this report will identify noncareer employees not investigated and describe the outcomes of allegations where processing ceased, and whether a complaint was presented to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and if civil penalties were collected. To further promote transparency, the bill mandates that the OSC publish detailed written explanations for decisions not to pursue complaints against noncareer employees found to have violated the Hatch Act, with some exceptions. It also requires the OSC to track and publicly display anonymized demographic statistics, such as race, sex, and disability status, for both career and noncareer employees who are subjects of Hatch Act allegations, covering the number of employees alleged, investigated, and those against whom complaints were presented to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 118-7835
Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act
Feb 27, 2025

Latest Companion Bill Action

S 119-806
Introduced in Senate
Feb 27, 2025
Introduced in House
Feb 27, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 118-7835
    Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act


  • February 27, 2025

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    S 119-806
    Introduced in Senate


  • February 27, 2025
    Introduced in House


  • February 27, 2025
    Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Robert Garcia

Robert Garcia

Democratic Representative

California

Cosponsors (5)
Greg Landsman (Democratic)Dave Min (Democratic)Mike Quigley (Democratic)Deborah K. Ross (Democratic)Lizzie Fletcher (Democratic)

Oversight and Government Reform Committee

Government Operations and Politics

Related Bills

  • S 119-806: Hatch Act Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Act
  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
Census and government statisticsCongressional oversightFederal officialsGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionGovernment information and archivesOffice of Special CounselPersonnel records