President Obama has signed S-300, the Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2012, designed to implement stronger program integrity policies on purchase and travel charge card programs.
The measure was sponsored by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and approved by the Senate in July 2011. The House passed it this summer and sent it back to the Senate, where it was approved just before the current recess.
“By putting some common-sense controls into the law, we can make certain the federal bureaucracy improves the way it responsibly manages the use of these cards,” said Grassley.
The bill would require all federal agencies to establish certain safeguards and internal controls for government charge card programs, and to establish penalties for violations, including dismissal.
It would also increase oversight by providing that each agency inspector general periodically conduct risk assessments and audits to identify fraud and improper use of government charge cards, as well as require credit checks for card holders and add restrictions or limits if a card holder has bad credit.
Records would be maintained for each cardholder, periodic reviews would be implemented to determine if cards are still needed, and the bill would also provide for training for cardholders and managers.
