Providing For a Severance Payment For Employees Of Leadership Offices And Committees Of The House

PROVIDING FOR A SEVERANCE PAYMENT FOR EMPLOYEES OF LEADERSHIP OFFICES AND COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE -- (House of Representatives - December 08, 2006)

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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, this is one of those dark-of-the-night type pieces of legislation, and I am going to oppose it not because I haven't had to personally lay off three committee staff as I went from the majority to the minority on my subcommittee, but in fact because it is not well thought out. It has not gone through the legislative process it should, and it is not a precedent we want to set haphazardly.

The United States Congress is often accused of not even paying into Social Security when in fact for decades we have been part of it. The American people have a lack of confidence that we are run in a uniform and predictable way, and this is just another example of exactly that.

We don't provide moving expenses, we don't provide per diem or reimbursements that other branches of government do; and yet, on a selective basis, without a cost assessment, we are being asked to throw in something.

As a Member of the majority, the party that is in fact going to be laying these people off, I appreciate the sympathy of the minority in this effort, and I am not without some appreciation for what they are offering, but if they are going to do this, let us do it in a thoughtful, legislative fashion and let us absolutely make sure that it is something that will pass the test of the American people as a uniform policy for government employees of this body.

So I ask that this bill be defeated and a thoughtful and proper bill be brought back to the floor.

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