Committee Statements

The committee will now consider H.R. 2465, bipartisan legislation that begins an important effort to modernize and reform the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act.

The current debt limit debate is a stark reminder of the size and cost of the federal government. It is our responsibility as stewards of taxpayer resources to help guarantee  programs and agencies under our jurisdiction operate effectively and efficiently. Every dollar counts. We must work to ensure all the resources entrusted to us by America’s taxpayers are well spent. The nation simply cannot afford to leave government programs on autopilot for decades despite the changing needs and demands of our workplaces and economy.

That is why this legislation is so important. The Federal Workers’ Compensation Modernization and Improvement Act updates a federal program that has been around since World War I. This program provides federal workers who become injured or ill on the job the care and compensation they and their families need. 

While the size and cost of the program have grown in recent years, it has not been significantly updated in almost four decades. Reform of this program is long overdue. I am pleased we are taking an important step in a new direction today, and grateful for the work of my Democrat colleagues on this package of commonsense reforms to federal workers’ compensation. 

This effort will help modernize and improve an important program for federal workers and promote better use of taxpayer dollars. I hope this represents not only a first step in FECA reform, but a renewed effort to work together in pursuit of meaningful solutions that better serve those in need and U.S. taxpayers. 

I would like to thank my colleagues for their bipartisan efforts on this issue. 

 

# # #