The following press release was written by the U.S. Congress:
Washington, D.C. (June 15, 2022)—Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, issued the following statement after the Committee voted favorably to approve the Honest Census Communications Act, as well as several other good government bills:
“Today, Oversight Committee Democrats took a critical step to rein in deceptive communications intended to delay or prevent an individual’s participation in a U.S. Census. In recent years, we’ve seen politically motivated efforts to exclude or intimidate people from being counted. Anything less than a full and complete count has serious implications for the way in which the federal government targets resources and allocates political representation. I am proud of the work the Committee has done to protect the integrity of the Census by getting the Honest Census Communications Act one step closer to a vote on the House floor.”
Prohibiting Deceptive Practices Relating to the Census
The Committee favorably reported the Honest Census Communications Act, a bill introduced by Rep. Anna Eshoo, with an amendment offered by Chairwoman Maloney. The bill would prohibit efforts to intentionally relay communications about a census that are materially false and intended to prevent or delay a person’s participation. The bill would establish civil penalties for such conduct in alignment with the False Claims Act.
Maximizing the Use of Technology in the Federal Government
The Committee approved the Telework Metrics and Cost Savings Act, a bill introduced by Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, to update current telework law for the federal workforce to improve work-life flexibility for employees and create reporting requirements that measure the cost savings to the federal government associated with telework. The bill would broaden the current statutory definition of telework to include periodic or full-time telework arrangements and remote work and also provides for annual review and policy improvements by the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The Committee also approved the District of Columbia Electronic Transmittal of Legislation Act, a bill introduced by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, which would permit the District of Columbia to transmit legislation to Congress in electronic form.
Additionally, the Committee passed several postal naming measures for Postal Service facilities across the country.