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Social media makes it easier than ever to violate the Hatch Act, the law that bans feds from using their positions to influence political campaigns.
'Tis the season. Election season that is. And that means it's time to brush up on the Hatch Act. The 1939 law prohibits certain federal employees from engaging in some forms of political activity. But does it apply to you? In this week's Legal Loop, Debra Roth, a partner at the law firm Shaw, Bransford and Roth, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with some tips for how to stay out of trouble at work during election season.
Under the Hatch Act, federal employees face a number of restrictions when it comes to their political activity on and off the job. The law was originally designed to protect feds from political coercion.
Trust is a critical factor in the relationship between federal managers and employees. Without it, whistleblowers are retaliated against; minor Hatch Act violations receive severe punishments; and unsuitable employees are given security clearances. In our special report, Trust Redefined: Reconnecting Government and Its Employees, Federal News Radio explores what a lack of trust has created in government and what it will take to restore it.
A customer service representative at the IRS who repeatedly greeted taxpayers calling a help-line with a chant urging President Barack Obama's re-election in 2012 could now be facing significant disciplinary action, according to the Office of Special Counsel. It's one of three cases of improper political activity at the agency recently uncovered by OSC. Meanwhile, three career officials at Customs and Border Protection are under fire by OSC for allegedly manipulating the hiring process to install job candidates favored by political leadership into career appointments.
House and Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is accusing the White House of violating the Hatch Act. He is demanding that the Obama administration turn over documents related to the re-opening of its Office of Political Outreach and Strategy during an election year. In this week's legal loop, Joshua Rose, senior associate at the law firm Tully Rinckey, spoke with the Federal Drive about the do's and don'ts of the Hatch Act.
OPM issued the final rule today to implement the Hatch Act Modernization Act that lets federal employees run for local office as an independent.
On Friday, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill updating the Hatch Act, the law that restricts the political activities of federal employees.
It's election day, and millions of federal and postal workers, like their neighbors, will go to the polls. the difference is that because of the Hatch (no politics) Act, there are things government employees cannot say, do or wear — at least at the office. Some think that's unfair, while others are comfy under the Hatch Act blanket, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
The Office of Special Counsel found the HHS Secretary's remarks in February at a gala violated the law prohibiting federal employees from engaging in partisan actions. Kathleen Sebelius contends she didn't break the law.
State and local investigations make it difficult for investigators to probe possible Hatch Act violations by federal employees, said Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner. The Office of Special Counsel is asking Congress to remove OSC's duty of policing state and local issues, so it can focus on federal cases.
The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee moves the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations, the Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting and two other pieces of legislation to the floor for a full vote.
A group of lawmakers has proposed an update to the law governing federal employees' political activity that would exempt some state and local employees and allow for a range of penalties other than automatic suspension for minor violations.
The Office of the Special Counsel wants to see the law governing the political activity of federal employees updated. Carolyn Lerner, head of the OSC, told Federal News Radio the law is outdated and has led to unintended consequences. The act was created in 1939 when "typewriters were about the most advanced means of communication," Lerner said.