Oversight Committee Advances Legislation to Protect Taxpayer Dollars - United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

WASHINGTON – The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today approved three bills to reduce government spending and protect against address waste abuse of taxpayer dollars.

“Reforming government, whether through changes implemented by the administration or through legislation, is a critical goal of oversight,” said Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. “Downsizing the federal government, enhancing legal channels for federal employees to report waste and abuse, and improving transparency are all goals our oversight efforts have sought to advance.”

• H.R. 3029, Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act of 2011 – Approved by a vote of 23-14. This bill requires the White House Office of Management and Budget to implement a 10% reduction in the federal civilian workforce by September 30, 2014, to be accomplished by ensuring that agencies replace not more than one of every three retiring employees. The proposal, first included in the report of the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, is projected to save taxpayers $139 billion over ten years.

• H.R. 3289, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2011– Approved by a unanimous roll call vote of 35-0. The bill will strengthen and increase protections for federal employees who legally notify members of Congress or supervisors about abuse and mismanagement they discover on the job. The Committee accepted two amendments offered by Democratic members, one granting intelligence community employees whistleblower protections if they make a covered disclosure to an appropriate supervisor, and the other requiring the Government Accountability Office to investigate the effectiveness of whistleblower hotlines.

• H.R. 3262, the Government Results Transparency Act– Approved by a voice vote. The bill, introduced by Oversight Committee member Rep. Frank Guinta, R-NH, establishes consistent electronic standards for federal performance data so it can easily be downloaded, searched, and analyzed. H.R. 3262 also requires the spending and performance information for each Federal program to be publicly matched, so that taxpayers can determine their return on investment.

The Committee also approved:

• H.R. 3237, a bill to make technical corrections to the Scholarship for Opportunity and Results Act, which became law earlier this year reviving the successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.

• H.R. 2297, which removes impediments to a redevelopment of the District’s Southwest Waterfront.

As well as several post office naming bills:

o H.R. 298, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 500 East Whitestone Boulevard in Cedar Park, Texas, as the “Army Specialist Matthew Troy Morris Post Office Building.” Sponsored by Rep. John Carter (R-TX).

o H.R. 2079, To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10 Main Street in East Rockaway, New York, as the “John J. Cook Post Office.”Sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY).

o H.R. 2158, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14901 Adelfa Drive in La Mirada, California, as the “Wayne Grisham Post Office.”Sponsored by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA).

o H.R. 2415, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 11 Dock Street in Pittston, Pennsylvania, as the “Trooper Joshua D. Miller Post Office Building.” Sponsored by Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA).

o H.R. 2422, To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 45 Bay Street, Suite 2, in Staten Island, New York, as the “Sergeant Angel Mendez Post Office.” Sponsored by Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY).

o H.R. 2660, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 122 North Holderrieth Boulevard in Tomball, Texas, as the “Tomball Veterans Post Office.” Sponsored by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX).

o H.R. 2767, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 8 West Silver Street in Westfield, Massachusetts, as the “William T. Trant Post Office Building.” Sponsored by Rep. John Olver (D-MA).

o H.R. 3004, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 260 California Drive in Yountville, California, as the “Private First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz Post Office Building.” Sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA).

o H.R. 3220, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 170 Evergreen Square SW in Pine City, Minnesota, as the “Master Sergeant Daniel L. Fedder Post Office.” Sponsored by Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN).

o H.R. 3246, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 15455 Manchester Road in Ballwin, Missouri, as the “Specialist Peter J. Navarro Post Office Building.” Sponsored by Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO).