{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr454-116/featured_bonuses-for-cost-cutters-act-of-2019-1549328670.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr454-116/featured_large_bonuses-for-cost-cutters-act-of-2019-1549328670.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr454-116.png"},"introduced_on":"2019-01-10","title_override":"Increasing Cash Bonuses for Federal Employees Who Identify Unnecessary Spending","summary_override":"

This bill would authorize the head of a federal agency to pay a cash award to any employee whose identification of unnecessary expenses resulted in cost savings for the agency. The maximum dollar amount of such an award would be increased from $10,000 to $20,000. Current law only allows Inspectors General (IG) to pay bonuses for federal workers who identify waste, fraud, or mismanagement of funds.

If the agency’s Chief Financial Officer determines that the potential unnecessary expenses identified by the employee meet applicable, the unnecessary funds would be transferred to the Treasury’s general fund to be used to reduce the deficit or federal debt (if there’s no current deficit). An agency head wouldn’t be able to retain more than 10 percent of amounts transferred to the general fund.

Certain federal employees would be ineligible for the cash awards, including:

An officer serving in a position at level I of the Executive Schedule;
The head of an agency;
An officer or employee of the Office of the Inspector General of an agency;
A commissioner, board member, or other voting member of an independent establishment.

","official_title":"To amend title 5, United States Code, to enhance the authority under which Federal agencies may pay cash awards to employees for making cost saving disclosures, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2019","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"The CBO estimates that enacting this bill wouldn’t increase spending or significantly reduce the federal budget.","impact":"Federal employees who identify unnecessary expenses; federal agencies; and the Treasury.","argument_for":"Federal agencies should make a concerted effort to find ways to save taxpayer money, and increasing cash bonuses for employees who identify unnecessary expenses will get them proactively involved in that effort.","argument_against":"There’s no reason to broaden the cash bonus program for federal employees who identify unnecessary costs — such awards are already available through agencies’ Office of the Inspector General on a smaller scale.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr454-116","bill_id":"hr454-116","formal_id":"H.R. 454","chamber":"house","congress":116,"last_action_at":"2019-01-10T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/454","plain_text_url":null,"shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr454-116.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/454/text","is_current_congress":true,"last_version_on":null,"related_bill_ids":null,"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":528,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Oversight and Reform","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSGO","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr454-116","details":"/api/bills/hr454-116/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr454-116","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr454-116/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr454-116/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":1,"slug":"hr454-116-bonuses-for-cost-cutters-act-of-2019","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":2768,"yea_vote_count":1474,"nay_vote_count":1291,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["government"],"issue_ids":["budgets","government","transparency"],"sponsor_id":422}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"budgets","name":"Budgets","slug":"budgets","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Budgets. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.","page_title":"Budgets Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/budgets/black_budgets-1429042067.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/budgets/grey_budgets-1429042067.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/budgets/white_budgets-1429042067.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"government","name":"Government","slug":"government","description":"Federal legislation related to the operations of the US Federal Government. Bills can encompass government administration, regulation of political parties, the US postal service, US territories and public contracts.","page_title":"US Government - Federal legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/black_government-1453508811.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/grey_government-1453508811.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/white_government-1453508811.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"transparency","name":"Transparency","slug":"transparency","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Transparency. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Transparency Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/transparency/black_transparency-1453508996.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/transparency/grey_transparency-1453508996.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/transparency/white_transparency-1453508996.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Michael","vote_count":375,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/LWgaQDm6/following","followers":"/api/users/LWgaQDm6/followers"},"about_me":"I'm an old soul, but still a work in progress, as my wife will testify. My Gramps taught me that a man is only as good as his word, to be tolerant of others, but not to the point that it harms you, your family, friends and country. My Nonie taught me about proper manners. Mom said, \"Life is like a Schlitz commercial - Go for the Gusto!\" Dad said always give a person a chance to redeme themselves and to never hit a woman. Therefore, I believe in God, but have trouble with organized religion. I am polite, but speak my mind. Raised as a Dem, but now am a constitutional conservative.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":220,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":5,"following_count":4,"position_count":159,"id":"LWgaQDm6","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"e18cd09c-a193-44bf-bbb4-7b2c506fee81","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"Federal employees get paid enough already. Rewards program is good enough, as it is. Why not provide same reward programs to legal US Citizens? That's a much better idea.","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/e18cd09c-a193-44bf-bbb4-7b2c506fee81"},"body":"Federal employees get paid enough already. Rewards program is good enough, as it is. Why not provide same reward programs to legal US Citizens? That's a much better idea.","stance":"nay","created_at":"2019-03-10T00:52:31.309Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/e18cd09c-a193-44bf-bbb4-7b2c506fee81.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr454-116","user_id":"LWgaQDm6","endorser_ids":[]}}

Like Causes?

Michael

Increasing Cash Bonuses for Federal Employees Who Identify Unnecessary Spending