Washington D.C. (December 12, 2024) | Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) issued the following statement after he reintroduced the Modern Employment Reform, Improvement, and Transformation (MERIT) Act (H.R. 10397) to hold inefficient, corrupt government bureaucrats accountable.
“The American people deserve a government they can be proud of, not one they fear and distrust. Unfortunately, most Americans are afraid of the federal government and its ability to wield power unjustly, and they are tired of funding the fraud, waste, and abuse that has been all too common within federal bureaucracies. Now is the time for reform, to return our government to one that works for the people, not for their self-interest or their political agendas,” said Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11).
“The reforming of the federal government must begin with a dedicated, efficient, and committed workforce, which is why the MERIT Act must be the first step in fixing our broken system. Our federal employment system should reward hard work and dedication, not protect bad behavior. But, protecting bad employees is what our current employment code does. I have been diligently working on this bill for several years; and, now is the time to start reforming our outdated civil service system. MERIT would create a more efficient and effective government that works for the people. It would restructure the federal employment code, by modeling employee dismissal with that of the private sector and lessening the time it takes to root out misconduct and poor performance.”
“I am encouraged that work that will be done by Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and the incoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will be complimentary of MERIT, and I look forward to working with them and my colleagues to get it passed in the U.S. House,” Rep. Loudermilk continued.
“Working as a career employee in the federal government has become synonymous with having a bulletproof get-out-of-jail-free card for misconduct or poor performance. It can take months, or even years, before someone is demoted, let alone fired,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13). “If we want to make our government more efficient for the people, a revision of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act is long overdue. Far too many corrupt government bureaucrats are not being held accountable, and Americans deserve a government that works for them, not against them.”
MERIT ACT Summary:
- Addressing misconduct and poor performance: The MERIT Act repeals the Chapter 43 special process for acting against poor performers and bad actors, which is unnecessarily time-consuming, and streamlines the Chapter 75 process for removal or suspension of employees and supervisors. The MERIT Act also permits agencies to remove a senior executive from the civil service for performance reasons, rather than merely demoting the individual to a non-Senior Executive Service (SES) position.
- Poor Performing Senior Executives: Current law incentivizes agencies to merely demote poor performing senior executives, the MERIT Act allows agencies to remove a senior executive from the civil service.
- Recoupment of bonuses and awards: The MERIT Act authorizes agencies to order repayment of bonuses and awards when performance or conduct issues are discovered and it is determined the bonus or award would not have been paid had these issues been known at the time.
- Felonious service: The MERIT Act affects the retirement benefits of employees who are removed based on a felony conviction based on actions taken in furtherance of official duties. The period of service during which the felonious activities occurred will be eliminated for purposes of any annuity computation.
Original co-sponsors include Reps. Rick Crawford (AR-1), French Hill (AR-2), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Greg Steube (FL-17), Buddy Carter (GA-1), Mike Collins (GA-10), Rick Allen (GA-12), Jim Baird (IN-4), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), and Dan Meuser (PA-9).
Click here for a one-page summary and here for the full bill text of the Modern Employment Reform, Improvement, and Transformation (MERIT) Act.
