DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I believe our children and grandchildren deserve a better government than the one that we are passing on to them. Families are struggling due to a lagging economy. Government intrusion and senseless regulations on businesses are pushing jobs overseas. With the recent rash of scandals within our Federal Government, the American people are continually losing their faith in representatives of our government.

I know we can do better, and the American people expect to see change. I came to Congress to make a difference, to cut spending, to eliminate waste, and to hold Big Government bureaucrats accountable and make this Nation a place that is more free, safe, and full of opportunity.

This is what the American people expect from us, and now is the time for us to take bold and decisive action, and that is why I am standing here today.

The Department of Homeland Security has roughly 240,000 employees who work around the clock to protect the lives and liberties of Americans, and I am grateful for their dedicated service.

However, due to a lack of proper management and accountability, there are numbers of DHS employees who are staying at home and drawing a paycheck while being investigated for acts of misconduct.

In May of 2014, the former deputy inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security was accused of altering reports and delaying investigations. One of those investigations was the Secret Service prostitution scandal that occurred in 2012.

The Senate Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight delved into this case, which also led to further investigations. However, even though the former deputy inspector general was being investigated for gross misconduct, he was placed on administrative leave, receiving full pay and benefits for almost an entire year.

We all know that there are occasional incidents like this in any organization. However, if this was an isolated case, I would not be standing here today presenting this bill, but there are numerous cases like it.

The Government Accountability Office reported that from 2011 to 2013, the Department of Homeland Security provided its employees with over 1.5 million days of paid administrative leave, equating to over $380 million in taxpayer dollars. Most of this paid leave was granted to employees who were on administrative leave for reasons of misconduct.

Unfortunately, the Department has no agencywide standards or reporting policies regarding paid administrative leave for employees being investigated for misconduct. This lack of management and accountability allows employees with disciplinary issues, like the former deputy inspector general, to fall through the cracks.

This bill, H.R. 1633, the DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015, requires the Chief Human Capital Officer to implement an agencywide policy regarding those who are on paid administrative leave for more than 6 months being investigated for misconduct. In addition, it requires the Department to report to Congress the number of employees on administrative leave during investigation, as well as the associated costs.

Having a commonsense policy, as mandated by this bill, will potentially save the Department millions of dollars and provide for critical oversight and accountability.

The bill will also require the Chief Human Capital Officer to submit quarterly reports to the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees. These reports will allow more oversight by Congress and ensure DHS is no longer squandering hard-working taxpayer dollars.

DHS must do a better job of tracking employees under investigation for misconduct and, in a timely manner, take appropriate action to hold them accountable. Employees who tarnish the Department's reputation do not deserve paid vacations at taxpayer expense.

Americans are tired of government carelessly giving away their future through mismanagement and thoughtless spending habits.

I encourage my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 1633, a commonsense bill that will help prevent fraud, alleviate waste, and better safeguard taxpayer dollars.

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Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to support this strong, commonsense, and bipartisan piece of legislation.

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