NARROW AGENCY DEFINITIONS OF HATCH ACT CITED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73B00296R000400180008-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 20, 2000
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: May 3, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

Q/
THE EV fiR %*Kjkr Release 2001/03/02Dftlh
Chefederal Spotlight
Narrow AQe nc
+3"PU YOUNG
Some federal departments
and agencies are interpreting
the Hatch Act so narrowly that
they are encroaching on em-
ployes' rights to participate in
religious and charitable activi-
ties.
This has been disclos
u
ing current hearings be
R4bqrt JL. Neyhart, a
Z1egaept, career o
Oftibble
activities. -
The department in its offi-
cial handbook and under the
section "political activities,"
informs its employes:
"You may accept-
tion, or member of a board of
a public library or a religious
or charitable institution if
your administration or office
decides the holding of these
offices will not conflict or in-
terfere with the discharge of
yOur federal duties. However,
cgate in a
partisan political election to
such offices."
Neyhart pointed out that the
net effect of this statement is
to discourage employes from
religious and charitable activi-
ties.
In the first place, he noted,
.th ..paragraph had no business
activities" section of the hand-
.book.
By doing this, the Labor De-
partment instilled in the minds
or is employes the fear that
ale and religious 8ctivi-
tieSehow coin be a `vioIa-
tion Ojm the stake, he noted.
Labor generally is among
the most liberal of depart-
ments on Hatch Act interpre-
tations. So one can only won-
der what even more restric-
tive orders on rights of em-
ployes as citizens and mem-
bers of their communities and
ehurches are imposed by other
Neyhart, who formerly was
president of American Federa-
tion of Government Employes
and National Federation of
Federal Employes locals, had
other examples to give the
Senate committee on too strltt.
interpretation and emphasis
on the Hatcb Act that i*-
dates federal and postal em-
plT.
Federal Personnel Man-
ual, the official government
personnel policy document,
states that federal employes
have the right to vote. But in
the next sentence and in the
same paragraph it goes on to
warn employes of possible
criminal penalties should the
vote right be abused.
It reads: "An employe has
the right to vote as he pleases,
and to express this right free
from interference, solicitation,
or dictation by any fellow em-
ploye or superior officer. Fed-
eral officers and employes
are, of course, like other citi-
zens, subject to the various
criminal statutes prohibiting
such corrupt practices as pur-
chase or sale of votes, intimi-
dation or coercion of voters,
and promise in return for po-
litical action of benefits Made
possible by acts of Congress.
Some criminal statutes which
have particular applicability
to federal officers and em-
ployes are described in sub-
chapter 5."
Neyhart argued that the ef-
fect of all this is to discourage
government employes from
voting by frightening them in
;,mod to possible criminal behalf of government workers.
.., . * .,.
a&
91
penalties for abusing voting
rights.
Neyhart urged drastic
changes so that the law can be
interpreted in a more positive
way, to encourage employes to
vote, and if they want to, con-
tribute to political parties, ex-
press their opinions freely,
etc.
Another witness. James Ra-
demacher, president of the
National Association of Letter
Carriers, gave t e s t i in o n y
which echoed Neyhart's.
Rademacher said the Hatch
Act has a "chilling effect" on
letter carriers and their fami-
lies.
He said some letter carriers
even have been afraid to vote
because they do not under-
stand it.
0 t he r government union
leaders also joined in asking
for substantial changes. They
were extremely critical of the
negative way the act is inter-
preted by the Civil Service
Commission and the various
government departments and
agencies.
They feel that not only must
the law be rewritten to stress
positive rather than negative
aspects, but that more free-
dom of political activity should
Approved. For Release 2001/03/02 : CIA-RDP73B00296R000400-180008-1