House to crack down on credit card abuse by federal workers

The House is expected to pass legislation this week that would require federal agencies to put new safeguards in place to prevent the abuse of government credit cards.

The Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act passed the Senate last year by unanimous consent, which makes it highly likely that the House will easily approve it under a suspension of House rules this week.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced the bill as a way to clamp down on wasteful spending by federal workers with authorization to use government cards. Grassley has said that while credit cards are a useful and efficient way to track spending, federal workers who abuse these cards should either "lose it or get fired."

The bill does require agencies to put in place protocols for terminating employees who misuse their cards, although the bulk of the bill focuses on requirements that agencies monitor card usage. For example, it requires agencies to keep close records of all transactions, ensure periodic summary reports and make payments to card companies on time to avoid late fees.

The bill, S. 300, also puts in place a similar set of rules for agencies that allow travel costs to be paid for with government credit cards. This section calls for the possible dismissal of workers who abuse their travel charge cards, and the establishment of procedures to monitor the use of these cards.

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