
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 22, 1993                   TAG: 9309220100
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

HATCH ACT REVISION PASSES

Relaxing a law that has been in effect for more than 50 years, the House on Tuesday gave final congressional approval to a bill that would allow most federal employees to take part in partisan politics on their own time. The vote was 339-85.

With some exceptions, federal employees would be permitted to hold office in a political party, be a delegate to a party nominating convention or take an active role in running a political campaign.

Even under the revisions to the 1939 Hatch Act, however, federal employees would not be permitted to run for office in partisan elections or raise political funds from the public. Politics on the job - such as wearing a political button - also would be barred.

In addition, about 85,000 employees of "sensitive" agencies such as the FBI, Secret Service, CIA and criminal investigation units still would be barred from active political roles.

The measure was sent to President Clinton, who has promised to sign it, climaxing a 20-year campaign by advocates who said it would end "second-class citizenship" for almost all the 3 million people who work for the U.S. government. Federal employee unions strongly backed the bill.

Among Virginia's House delegation, all Democrats backed the measure, and all Republicans except Thomas Bliley opposed it. Bliley, of Richmond, voted yes. - Los Angeles Times

by CNB