Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2263 - Federal Employees Awards for Cost Savings Disclosures and Meritorious Accomplishments

(House)
(Kasich (R) OH and Sikorski (D) MN)

The Administration opposes H.R. 2263 because a separate Inspector General (IG) awards program is unnecessary in light of the Government's existing incentive awards program. The existing program works well and is available for IG awards. Accordingly, there is no justification for authorizing and making permanent a separate IG awards program. A similar program that expired last year was rarely used.

H.R. 2263 is particularly objectionable because it would:

—   Authorize IGs to make awards to former employees and to certain non-Federal contractor employees. Such awards would undesirably depart from the current practice of limiting incentive awards to current Government employees.

—   provide excessive increases in the maximum amount for incentive awards. For example, non-Presidential incentive awards, currently capped at $25,000, would be increased to nearly $150,000 at current pay levels.

—   Impose detailed reporting requirements on the Office of Personnel Management and other Federal agencies that are needlessly prescriptive.