[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 128 (Monday, July 29, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5136-S5137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NOMINATION OF JOSEPH V. CUFFARI

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, viewing the awful conditions at DHS 
detention facilities in Texas crystalized my belief that continued 
tough, independent oversight and accountability from Congress and 
Homeland Security inspector general is imperative to change the 
deplorable treatment of migrants. That is why I pushed Mr. Cuffari to 
make two critical commitments.
  First, the Inspector General's Office must continue frequent and 
unannounced inspections of CBP and ICE immigration detention 
facilities, and second, he must strongly rebuff any attempts by the 
Acting DHS Secretary, Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, 
Acting Commissioner of CBP. or the White House to limit the inspector 
general's independence or ability to follow the facts of investigations 
wherever they lead.
  The horrid treatment of children and families is the direct result of 
President Trump's policies, and we Democrats are committed to holding 
the Trump administration accountable. If confirmed, I fully expect Mr. 
Cuffari to live up to the personal commitments he made to me.
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, in accordance with rule 23 of the Rules of 
Procedure of the Committee on Rules and Administration and pursuant to 
the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act, on July 25, 
2019, the committee adopted the U.S. Senate Congressional 
Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act Regulations.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that this material be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

    U.S. Senate Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act 
                              Regulations


 adopted by the committee on rules and administration on july 25, 2019

        1.0 Reporting by the Office.
        1.1 Annual Report Required. The Office shall prepare and 
     submit to Congress, and publish on the public website of the 
     Office, an annual report regarding covered payments.
        1.2 Contents of Report. With regard to any employing 
     office for which a covered payment was made in the reporting 
     period, the report shall include--
        1.2.1 except as otherwise provided in section 1.3, the 
     amount of any covered payment made in the previous calendar 
     year;
        1.2.2 except as otherwise provided in section 1.3, the 
     reimbursable portion of any covered payment made in the 
     previous calendar year, if any;
        1.2.3 information on the employing office;
        1.2.4 each provision of part A of title II of the 
     Congressional Accountability Act that was the subject of a 
     claim resulting in any covered payment; and
        1.2.5 in the case of a reimbursable portion of any covered 
     payment, an acknowledgement of whether the Senator or former 
     Senator has made no reimbursement, partial reimbursement or 
     complete reimbursement in compliance with the requirement of 
     section 415(d) of the Act to reimburse the account.
        1.3 Reporting Periods and Dates. The reporting under this 
     section--
        1.3.1 for 2019, shall be submitted by the 270th day after 
     the date of enactment of the Congressional Accountability Act 
     of 1995 Reform Act and shall include any covered payments 
     made in calendar year 2019 as of date of the report;
        1.3.2 for 2020, shall be submitted by January 31, 2020, 
     and shall reflect covered payments made in calendar year 2019 
     and not previously reported; and
        1.3.3 for each subsequent year, shall be submitted by 
     January 31 of that year and shall reflect covered payments 
     made in the previous calendar year.
        2.0 Reimbursement by Senators of Amounts Paid as 
     Settlements and Awards.
        2.1 Initial Notice. Within 5 business days of a covered 
     payment that includes a reimbursable portion of any covered 
     payment, the Office shall provide written notice to the 
     Committee on Rules and Administration and the Senator or 
     former Senator who has an obligation under section 415(d) of 
     the Act to reimburse the account for the reimbursable portion 
     of any covered payment of the date the covered payment was 
     made and the amount of the reimbursable portion of any 
     covered payment.
        2.2 Agreement to Reimburse.
        2.2.1 Within 30 days of a covered payment, the Senator 
     shall submit a written agreement to the Office specifying the 
     manner in which the Senator will reimburse the account for 
     the reimbursable portion of any covered payment.
        2.2.2 The agreement to reimburse shall designate--
        2.2.2.A amounts payable through payments directly from the 
     Senator, withholding from the Senator's compensation and 
     transfers from the Senator's Thrift Savings Fund; and
        2.2.2.B the timing of those payments, consistent with the 
     Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and subsection 2.2.3 
     of these regulations.
       2.2.3 All payments under the agreement to reimburse must be 
     made within 270 days of the covered payment.
        2.3 Notice of Agreement. Within 2 business days of 
     submission of the agreement to reimburse, the Office shall 
     provide a copy of the

[[Page S5137]]

     agreement to reimburse to the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration and, if the agreement specifies withholding, 
     the Senate Disbursing Office.
        2.4 Failure to Enter into Agreement to Reimburse.
        2.4.1 Should a Senator fail to enter into an agreement to 
     reimburse within 30 days of the covered payment, the Office 
     shall notify the Committee on Rules and Administration and 
     the Senate Disbursing Office within 2 business days.
        2.4.2 After receiving notice pursuant to subsection 2.4.1, 
     the Committee on Rules and Administration, the Senate 
     Disbursing Office and the Office shall determine a 
     reimbursement schedule for the Senator within 60 days of the 
     covered payment.
        2.4.3 The Office shall provide a copy of the reimbursement 
     schedule to the Senator within 2 business days.
        2.5 Changes to Reimbursement Agreement. Nothing in these 
     regulations shall prohibit a Senator from making additional 
     reimbursement payments. If the Office receives additional 
     reimbursement payments from a Senator, the Office shall 
     adjust the agreement to reimburse and provide notice pursuant 
     to section 2.3.
        2.6 Garnishment or Other Collection of Wages. Pursuant to 
     section 415(d)(4) of the Act, at the expiration of the 270-
     day period which begins on the date of the covered payment, 
     the Office shall transfer any remaining reimbursable amounts 
     to the Secretary of the Treasury for garnishment or other 
     collection of wages as permitted by the Act.
        2.7 Final Disposition of Reimbursement. The Office shall 
     provide the Committee on Rules and Administration with a copy 
     of the certification that reimbursement is complete pursuant 
     to the Act, or a copy of the transfer to the Secretary of 
     Treasury under section 2.6.
        3.0 Definitions.
       For the purposes of these Regulations, the following terms 
     shall have the meaning specified--
        3.1 Account. The term ``account'' refers to the account 
     described in section 415(a) of the Act.
        3.2 Act. The term ``Act'' refers to the Congressional 
     Accountability Act of 1995.
        3.3 Covered Payment. The term ``covered payment'' refers 
     to a payment from the account that was the result of claims 
     alleging a violation of part A of title II of the Act.
        3.4 Employing Office. The term ``employing office'' refers 
     to any Senate office described in subparagraphs (A) through 
     (C) of section 101(a)(9) of the Act.
        3.5 Information on the Employing Office. The term 
     ``information on the employing office'' refers to, in the 
     case of an award or in the case of a settlement where 
     reimbursement is required under section 416(d)(3)(C) of the 
     Act, the name of the employing office. In the case of a 
     settlement where reimbursement is not required under section 
     416(d)(3)(C) of the Act, ``information on the employing 
     office'' refers to the employing office as described in 
     subparagraphs (A) though (C) of section 101(a)(9) of the Act.
        3.6 Office. The term ``Office'' refers to the Office of 
     Congressional Workplace Rights.
        3.7 Reimbursable Portion of any Covered Payment. The term 
     ``reimbursable portion of any covered payment'' refers to the 
     portion of a covered payment for which a Senator is required 
     to reimburse the account pursuant to section 415(d)(1) of the 
     Act.

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