Panel approves political appointee training bill

Noting that the executive branch often undergoes a bumpy adjustment period when a new president takes over the White House, a House Government Reform subcommittee approved a bipartisan bill Tuesday that would provide a formal orientation process for the president-elect's top appointees.

The legislation [H.R. 3137], which the Government Management, Information and Technology Subcommittee approved by a unanimous voice vote, would amend the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 to help key administration officials quickly familiarize themselves with their new responsibilities and surroundings.

Subcommittee Chairman Steve Horn, R-Calif., said the bill would help appointees avoid the types of "missteps and outright mistakes" that new presidential teams have made over the years.

"Sometimes, the errors tumble out in misstatements or ill-advised recommendations," Horn said. "Other times, they have resulted in ethical lapses by appointees, regardless of party, regardless of ideology. And sometimes they didn't realize they were unaware of the ethical standards now required by federal law."

The 1963 law provides federal funds to ensure a smooth transition between incoming and outgoing presidents. The law is designed to help incoming presidents settle into their new role, while helping outgoing presidents and vice presidents make the transition into private life.

Horn's legislation, which has four co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle, would authorize the use of those transition funds for a formal orientation process for incoming Cabinet members and other senior appointees. Horn said the bill would encourage the orientations to take place during a period that would begin with the general election, and end 30 days after the new president's inauguration.

"By establishing this time frame for top appointee orientations, the bill would increase the likelihood that a greater number of lower-level appointees might also receive White House orientations earlier in the new administration," Horn said.

Before approving the bill, the subcommittee adopted, by unanimous consent, a technical amendment by Horn that added a final paragraph to the text. The paragraph clarified that the new orientation activities would be conducted "primarily for individuals the president-elect intends to nominate as department heads or appoint to key positions in the executive office of the president."