At the Federal Practice Group our attorneys are often called upon by news agencies to share their expertise in various legal matters. Our own Attorney Monica Molnar went a step further, however, and recently wrote an outstanding article for Federal News Radio.
Attorney Molnar, who is a Senior Associate with the Federal Practice Group, discusses a hot topic in both Congress and the media – the fact that employees who are under investigation or are facing discipline are typically placed on extremely lengthy periods of administrative leave.
Congress’ “knee jerk reaction” has been to demand that agencies stop or reduce this leave, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is currently considering legislation which would cap administrative leave at 14 days per year. The Senate is considering a similar measure with a 5-day cap, but would seek to create a type of “investigatory leave” which is limited to 120 days.
FOCUS ON THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM
Attorney Molnar argues that imposing deadlines on investigations and discipline would be a far better approach. Agencies do not currently have any enforceable deadlines for finishing these investigations, which is why many employees have been placed on leave for months at a time.
This is not only unfair to employees trapped in limbo, but also to taxpayers. In the article, Attorney Molnar cites a report which found that $3.1 billion was spent on administrative leave from 2011 to 2013.
To read Attorney Molnar’s excellent article, please visit the Federal News Radio website.
