Brown looks to require ethics probe on taxes owed by Congress, federal workers

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) this week put forward legislation that would require members of Congress and federal workers to disclose any delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, which would automatically trigger an ethics investigation into the reasons behind that delinquency.

Brown’s Congressional and Federal Employee Tax Accountability act, S. 2195, comes just weeks after it was reported that federal workers owe more than $1 billion in unpaid taxes.

{mosads}Under his bill, the Ethics in Government Act would be amended to require reports on any delinquent tax liability, after which the appropriate supervising ethics office would “immediately open an inquiry into the tax delinquency of that individual.”

The ethics office would have to determine the amount owed, the reason why it’s owed, whether there is a plan to repay it, and whether the delinquency “has reflected poorly on Congress or the employing agency.”

If the amount were not paid back, the wages of the member of Congress or federal worker would be garnished until the tax is repaid.