The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform seemed poised to move beyond its reputation as a rancorous, partisan pit at its opening meeting of the 114th Congress on Tuesday.  That lasted about five minutes.  Despite chummy words between the panel’s top Republican and Democrat, the ghost of the chairman past seemed to hover, unseen but not unfelt, in the Rayburn House Office Building committee room.  The pleasantries quickly fell away as debate began on a controversial committee rule proposed by the new chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). It would allow him unilateral authority to issue subpoenas. Federal employees often were the target of subpoenas issued by the immediate past chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who was vilified by Democrats for a perceived abuse of subpoenas.  Maryland Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the panel, set the tone in an opening statement in which he declared that Issa’s tenure was “filled with acrimony, partisanship, and sometimes vulgar displays. They were a stain on this Committee’s integrity and an embarrassment to the House of Representatives.”  Issa’s office responded by saying the comment was “disappointing, but typical” for Cummings.  Republicans also did not defend him and largely remained quiet during the rules debate, knowing they had the votes to support Chaffetz no matter what Democrats said. The rules proposed by Chaffetz were approved on a partisan vote, just as an amendment by Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), to require that subpoenas have a committee vote or the concurrence of the ranking minority member, was defeated. Even if Democrats had won that vote, Republicans would maintain control of the committee’s subpoena power because they are in the majority.  Despite the partisan tussle over rules, this first meeting managed a good bipartisan start for one group of feds in particular — newly hired disabled veterans. On a voice vote, the committee unanimously approved the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act. It would allow most new federal employees with at least a 30 percent disability rating related to military service 104 hours of paid sick leave. That’s 13 work days. Generally, employees initially have no sick leave and earn hours as they work. Additional legislation is planned for the 15 percent of employees not covered.  Read more in the Federal Diary.  Joe Davidson writes the Federal Diary, a column about the federal workplace that celebrated its 80th birthday in November 2012.
House panel approves veterans sick-leave bill but can't escape its partisan ways as business continues with the House Oversight Committee.