Legislation (HR-2856) reintroduced in the House would allow federal employees to record certain conversations with a member of the public only after notifying the individual in advance.
Also, the agency would have to make availablea transcript of any recorded calls to the person at the individual’s expense and employees generally would have notify individual citizens during a phone call between the two, or during in-person interviews, that the individual has the right to record the interaction.Currently there are certain limits on the public’s right to record conversations with federal employees of agencies including the IRS.
“We have seen too many examples of our nation’s bureaucracy making life harder for Americans and their families,” said sponsor Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kansas. “The Citizen Empowerment Act will ensure all Americans are aware of their rights and give individuals a tool to protect themselves or their business.”
The measure would apply to conversations relating to a possible or alleged violation of any federal statute or regulation that could result in the imposition of a fine, forfeiture of property, civil monetary penalty, or criminal penalty. There would be limited exceptions, including conversations involving classified information.
A similar bill introduced in the prior Congress became part of a broader measure that passed the House but did not advance farther.
