RESTRICTION ON USE OF GOVERNMENT VEHICLES FOR HOME-TO-WORK TRANSPORTATION: H.R. 3614

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CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0
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RIPPUB
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K
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8
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December 27, 2016
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December 2, 2011
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8
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Publication Date: 
November 12, 1985
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MEMO
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 OLL85- 3571 12 November 1985 STAT MEMORANDUM FOR: DCI DCCI EX Cl? DDI/EA DDO/SA CCA/EG DDS&T/EA C/L&PU/OGC Deputy Chief, Legislation Division Office of. Legislative Liaison STAT SUBJECT: Restriction on Use of Government Vehicles for Home-To-Work Transportation: H.R. 3614 1. Attached for your review and comment is a copy of H.P. 3614 which would limit the use of government vehicles for "official use". Under this bill, which was recently passed by the House, only the DCI would have unrestriced use of a government vehicle (section (b) (5) . 2. Perhaps the most troublesome aspect of this bill is found in Section 2(e) on page 6. If enacted into law, this prcvision would reduce the Agencey's.flexibility in permitting the use of government vehicles between home and.work in the continential United States, even where such transportation is necessary or incident to the performance of duties. 3. Exceptions are made to these restrictions, but only for 15-day intervals and with the certification of need by the agency head (section Cb) (7) . Certain other exceptions are made for danger or emergency (section (d). 3. Last June we commented on a similar draft bill tc OMMP. A memorandum on that draft bill is included herewith. 4. The instant bill, H.R. 3614, has not been taken up by the Senate. In the event that H.P. 3614 does become active in the Senate, please give us your comments by November 25, 1985. . Attachments as stated Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 Government operations - 2 Home-to-Work Trips Restricted: Limits Officials' Use of Government Cars /B~II The House Government Opera tion- Committee Oct 2" approved a hill (HR 3I14, that would limit the nunllo-r of toi lo.c! tede?recl emit! ve-e- uh- an en-lole(: t,? Iran-In rlat 1 tram home t- w rk The bill. approved by voice Vote. sltecifie- 62 eft lcial who, would be able its get a car at taxpayer expense, compared with the 12e no%\ receiving them. Also. the hill spell- out price dune= agenc\ head- must filly to designate other official- as eligible for government vehicle "It you're in the executive branch and not named in this bill.- said Jack Brook-. D-Texa-. committee chair- man. ''you d(,n't get home-to-offlct? tranQp(,rtati-r. unle?~- the procedures outlined in thi= bill are followed " Brook- and Frank Horton. 13- N.Y.. ranking minority member of the committee. noted that many private companies provide their highest em- ployees with vehicles. "We should do no less with regard to our top execu- tives." said Horton. But the bill came under fire from other members. who objected that it failed to include the legislative or judi- cial branches. "It's a kind of Ian) exercise in hypocrisy to say that abuse is only for one branch when we know abuse is in the other two branches as well.'='Rob- ert S. Walker. R-Pa., charged. He said later he was unaware of any instances of abuse but believed the bill should not single out the executive branch. Brooks and Horton said that the other branches came under the juris- diction of other committees and that complicating the legislative path by referring the bill to other panels could kill it. Brooks warned. "If there is any hue and cry about this legislation. this one can goo down. too. Door-to-Door The laws governing who is enti- tled to home-to-office transportation have been honored more in the breach than in practice. A 1946 law restricted such transportation to the president. the heads of executive agencies. medi- cal and field officers. and diplomatic and consular officials. Later laws added additional employees. -By Robert Rothman Still, the number of people using government cars exceeded those who were listed in law. A survey by the (;t?ncra! Accounting Office IG.AOI in .lone' Iound that 12!- employee- were rec'e'iving g.,vernment transportation to woork. and determined that of thus(. 19 were not entitled to it. According to Brooks. each car cost the taxpayers between $1.1(KI and $9.b(NI a year to operate: thus. provid. ing the 12t? officials transportation could cost up to $1.2 million a year. The Reagan administration asked ('ongres- to clarify the law and spell out who should receive transportation. Under the bill approved by the c?on,mittee. the 62 federal employees designated as entitled to home-to-of. fice transportation would include the president and vice president. six offi- cials in the Executive Office of the President. 10 employees of executive agencies. principal diplomatic and consular employees abroad. the U.S. representative to the United Nations. the deputy secretary of defense, under secretaries of defense. the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. the secretar- ies of the armed services. the director of the CIA. the director of the FBI and the chairman of the board of gover- nors of the Federal Reserve System. The bill does not stipulate w?he' would he' entitled to chauffeur-. ('ahinet member- could he desig- nated by the president from among the 10 agency employees. Fade.ral-ex- ec?utives in the highest pay levels were included in the bill, and they could designate their deputies.if-he execu- tive found it appropriate. If an agency head decides that an emergency exists, he or she can assign, a vehicle to another employee for 15 day:,. provided the determination is serot in writing to Congress. Brooks said the bill would restrict the number of employees using gov- ernment vehicles to those who need it to conduct official business. He said he w-as once asked about his interest in a job in the Johnson administration but said he would take it only if he could get a limousine with a gooseneck lamp in the back. so that he could read while traveling to work. "Now," he said. "I think for most people we're just going to give them the gooseneck lamp." I GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS NOTES Con pensation for Hostages Approved The use Foreign Affairs Committee Oct. 29 approved a bill that would gf abroad. after bro benefits to government employees held hostage ening the bill to include military personnel. HR 2851. which House Post Office and Ci ady has been reported (H Rept 99-20 put hostages' pay in inter -bearing accounts. and wo educational benefits to their fa workers. currenth. about $-4 per day' wide per die (Weekly R The bill would grant compensatio hostage in Iran from November 1979 to Ja noting that concern over a spouse and The panel by voice vote adopted a include military personnel. 'Flexitime' Extensign-f`leared er their hour r work four 10-hour days was cleared Oct. 25 by th sta gg The bill (H 3605) would extend the 'flexitime' program through De House-passe ermanent extension (HR 1534) is being blocked in the Sena the thre f controversial amendments. (Weekly Report p. 2185) Part I) by the e agency heads tc grant medical and payments to victims of allowance for government 52 Americans who were held fits to the families of hostages. cerbates a hostage's ordea'.. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 ., J vv 99TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION . R. 3614 To restrict the use of government vehicles for transportation of officers and employees of the Federal Government. between their residences and places of employment, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 24, 1985 Mr. BROOKS (for himself, Mr. HORTON, Mr. SAXTON, and Mr. DIOGUARDI) in- troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Govern- ment Operations A BILL To restrict the use of government vehicles for transportation of officers and employees of the Federal Government between their residences and places of employment, and for other- purposes. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 That section 1344 of title 31, United States Code, is amend- 4 ed to read as follows: 5 1344. Passenger carrier use 6 "(a)(1) Funds available to an executive agency, by ap- 7 propriation or otherwise, may be expended by the executive 8 agency for the maintenance, operation, or repair of any pas- I Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 ,wr 10 11 12 13 14 15 2 senger carrier only to the extent that such carrier is used to provide transportation for official purposes. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, transporting any individual other than those listed in subsections (b) and (c) between such indi- vidual's residence and such individual's place of employment is not transportation for an official purpose. "(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), transportation be- tween the residence of an officer or employee and various locations that is required for the performance of field work is transportation for an official purpose, when approved in writ- ing by the head of the agency. "(b) A passenger carrier may be used to transport be- tween residence and place of employment the following offi- cers and employees of executive agencies: "(1)(A) the President and the Vice President; 16 "(B) no more than 6 officers or employees in the 17 Executive Office of the President, as designated by the 18 President; 19 "(C) no more than 10 additional officers or em- 20 ployees of executive agencies, as designated by the 21 President; 22 "(2)(A) officers compensated at Level I of the Ex- 23 ecutive Schedule pursuant to section 5312 of title 5, 24 United States Code; and Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 3 1 "(B) a single principal deputy to an officer de- 2 scribed in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, when a 3 determination is made by such officer that such trans- 4 portation is appropriate; 5 "(3) principal diplomatic and consular officials 6 abroad, and the United States Ambassador to the 7 United Nations; 8 "(4) the Deputy Secretary of Defense and Under 9 Secretaries of Defense, the Secretary of the Air Force, 10 the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, 11 the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Commandant of the 12 Coast Guard; 13 "(5) the Director of the Central Intelligence 14 Agency and the Director of the Federal Bureau of 15 Investigation; 16 "(6) the Chairman of the Board of Governors of 17 the Federal Reserve System; 18 "Man officer or employee with regard to whom 19 the head of an executive agency makes a determina- 20 tion, which shall be effective for no longer than 15 cal- 21 endar days, that highly unusual circumstances present 22 a clear and present danger, that an emergency exists, 23 or that other similarly compelling operational consider- 24 ations make such transportation essential to the con- 25 duct of official business. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 T. Declass fied in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 4 1 "(c) A passenger carrier may be used to transport be- 2 tween residence and place of employment any person for 3 whom protection is specifically authorized pursuant to section 4 3056(a) of title 18, United States Code or for whom trans- 5 portation is authorized pursuant to section 28 of the Foreign 6 Service Act (22-U.S.C. 2700). "(d)(1) Any determination made under paragraph (7) of 8 subsection (b) shall be in writing and shall include the name 9 and title of the officer or employee affected, the reason for 10 such determination, and the duration of the authorization for 11 such officer or employee to use a passenger carrier for trans- 12 portation between residence and place of employment. 13 "(2) If a clear and present danger, an emergency, or a 14 similarly compelling consideration described in subsection 15 (b)(7) extends or may extend for a period in excess of 15 16 calendar days, the head of the executive agency shall deter- 17 mine whether authorization under subsection (b)(7) shall be 18 extended beyond 15 calendar days up to a period of 90 addi- 19 tional calendar days. Determinations made under this para- 20 graph may be reviewed by the head of such agency, and, 21 where appropriate, subsequent determinations may be made 22 whether such danger, emergency, or consideration continues 23 to exist and whether an additional extension, not to exceed 24 90 calendar days, may be authorized. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 - , Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 5 1 "(3) The authority to make designations under para- 2 graphs (1)(13) and (l)(C) and to make determinations pursuant 3 to paragraphs (2)(B) and (7) of subsection (b) and paragraph 4 (2) of this subsection may not be delegated, except that, with 5 respect to the Executive Office of the President, the Presi- 6 dent may delegate his authority under such paragraph (7) to 7 an officer in such Executive Office. No determination under 8 this section may be made solely or principally for the comfort 9 or convenience of the officer or employee. 10 "(4) Notification of each designation or determination 11 made under paragraphs (1)(B), (1)(C), (2)(B), and (7) of sub- 12 section (b) and paragraph (2) of this subsection, including the 13 name and title of the officer or employee affected, the reason 14 for any such determination under such paragraph (7), and the 15 expected duration of the authorization, shall be transmitted 16 promptly to the Committee on Government Operations of the 17 House of Representatives and the Committee on Governmen- 18 tal Affairs of the Senate. 19 "(e) As used in this section- 20 "(1) the term `passenger carrier' means a passen- 21 ger motor vehicle, aircraft, boat, ship, or other similar 22 means of transportation that is owned or leased by the 23 United States Government; and 24 "(2) the term `executive agency' has the meaning 25 given by section 103 of this title and includes any ex- Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0 b u 6 1 ecut' d i corporation, Government-controlled corporation, or 3 other establishment in the executive branch of the 4 Gov e d pendent re g'ulatorv agency, or any nonappropriated 7 fund instrumentality. ". 8 SEC. 2. (a) Title 10, United States Code, is amended- 9 (1) by striking out section 2637 thereof; and 10 (2) in the table of contents of chapter 157 thereof 11 by striking out the item pertaining to section 2637. 12 (b) Section 636(a)(5) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 13 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2396(a)(5)) is amended by striking out 14 "(without regard to the limitations contained in section 5 of 15 Public Law 63-127, as amended (31 U.S.C. 638&(c)(2)) and 16 section 201 of Public Law 85-468 ) (31 U.S.C. 638c))". 17 (c) Section 48 of the Arms Control and Disarmament 18 Act (22 U.S.C. 2588) is amended by striking out "without 19 regard to the limitations contained in section 78(c) of title 5 20 of the United States Code". 21 (d) Section 303 of the State Department Basic Authori- 22 ties Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2678) is amended by striking out 23 subsection (b). 24 (e) Section 8(a)(1) of the Central Intelligence Agency 25 Act of 1949 (50 U.S.C. 403j(a)(1)) is amended by striking out TV epartment, military department, Government rnment (including the Executive Office of the eLna the 6mithsonian Institution), any inde- Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP89B00297R000300600008-0