Legislation Banning Feds From Watching Porn at Work Takes Another Step Forward

Legislation that would prohibit federal employees from watching pornography while at work has taken another step forward in the road to becoming law.

A bill introduced in the House that would ban federal employees from watching porn while on the job has gone one step further towards becoming law.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved the bill Wednesday, introduced earlier this year by Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC).

“It’s unfortunate that this bill is even necessary,” said Meadows. “We held no less than seven hearings directly related to this topic in a previous Congress.”

A recent investigation by the News4 I-Team, a local news station in Washington, DC, would seem to confirm some of Meadows’ concerns. Their report revealed that almost 100 federal employees across numerous federal agencies either admitted to or were caught viewing pornography at work over the past five years. In some cases, it was even criminal in nature since it involved child pornography.

Critics are quick to point out that it was only about 100 employees involved out of over 2 million who work for the federal government and that agencies already punish offenders for the practice.

Meadows, however, says it’s unacceptable at any level and said that there is no standard procedure in place for discipline. “The federal government does not have a zero tolerance policy for this kind of misbehavior across their agencies,” Meadows said at the hearing. He also added that the penalties for watching porn vary across agencies, hence he feels the bill is needed to standardize disciplinary action.

“This one is a no brainer,” said Meadows. “Watching pornography at work should be strictly prohibited and grounds for removal.”

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.