[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1617-E1618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            HEFLEY AMENDMENT

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                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, last night I voted against the Hefley 
Amendment. As Ranking member of the Subcommittee on Civil Service, I 
strongly opposed the Hefley amendment because I believe that no 
employee, federal or otherwise, should be subjected to employment 
discrimination.
  Executive Order 13087, signed by President Clinton on May 28th, 
creates no new rights, it merely codifies existing non-discrimination 
policies already in force in every Federal department and agency 
throughout the executive branch. The Executive Order simply says that 
supervisors in the Federal government may not consider race, religion, 
gender or sexual orientation, in hiring, firing or promotion decisions. 
It states a fair and reasonable policy with which no true believer in 
our nation's founding principle of equal justice under law could 
disagree.
  The Hefley Amendment would prohibit the expenditure of funds to 
implement the Executive Order. By doing so, it sends the wrong

[[Page E1618]]

message. It signals that it is permissible to discriminate based on 
sexual orientation. I find this particularly inappropriate for the 
Federal government which should be doing everything possible to 
discourage all forms of discrimination.
  Last fall, at my request, the Subcommittee on Civil Service held a 
series of hearings on employment discrimination in the Federal 
workplace. During these hearings, the current evidence of 
discriminatory conduct in the Federal workplace was overwhelming. I 
asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to look into this matter, and 
in a report issued last month GAO found that the number of Federal 
employee discrimination complaints has risen sharply over the past few 
years. Clearly, more must be done to stamp out discrimination. What the 
Helfey amendment does is promote it.

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