Summary: Several bills before Congress would extend employee protection laws to Congress and other legislative branch agencies, such as the General Accounting Office. This testimony focuses on the most comprehensive bill, S. 2071, which would provide aggrieved employees the right to seek remedial action under a system analogous to the one now available to GAO employees. For GAO, the law's provisions have worked well. One essential part of GAO's system is an independent administrative body--the Personnel Appeals Board--that serves as an effective forum for personnel and equal employment oversight and for resolving disputes. This system avoids conflicts that would exist between GAO's legislative branch role and enforcement by executive branch agencies. To avoid similar conflicts, GAO recommends administration and enforcement of legislative branch employees protection measures by authorities in the legislative branch. GAO also recommends that Congress preserve existing enforcement mechanisms in the legislative branch that work effectively, such as GAO's Personnel Appeals Board and equal employment program. GAO believes that clear guidance, qualified decisionmakers, employee education, periodic self-evaluation, and independent oversight are key to successful employee protection programs.
