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Return to Article: Lawmakers push bill to improve charge-card shopping

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  After spending 20 years in an agency that did control cards I was shocked to see what continues to happen at NOAA. It is no wonder the abuse continues year after year with no accountability if this is how it works at other agencies.

  GovExec.com reader Posted May 5, 2004 9:23 AM
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  I read this article with extreme interest. I was once an "Administrative Management Specialist" for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. One of my duties was purchasing and controlling the use of the "Government Credit Cards" for an office, which had locations nationwide.

  If the records for the office I was responsible for were checked for the time period I was there, they would find that just about every purchase was attached to my name. No matter who used the credit card number, they would give my name as the responsible person. Many times I felt that the purchases made would have been better suited to the procurement route rather than the credit card route, however, I was not allowed to make that decision. The majority of purchases on the credit card were done without my knowledge and I would find out the card was used when something would arrive in the office or the bill would arrive. Senators Collins and Feingold have offered a bill which would require training before the credit card is issued to someone or used. They need to look at government regulations, this training is already required. They speak about stronger controls on the people who are using the card (or whose name is attached to the authority to use the card). These are not necessarily the people making the frivolous purchases. The training needs to be aimed at upper management staff in an office that allows anyone to call a vendor and make a purchase. The person in charge of purchasing for an office has already been trained. Most of them have spent weeks in COTR training, small purchasing school, and procurement classes (all of which are a requirement for the position of Admin. Management Spec.).

  I also believe that a requirement for the issuing of a government purchasing card should be a credit check. If a person has a problem with their personal credit which stems from a spending problem then what makes anyone think they will not abuse the government credit as well. The people in this country laugh as they hear jokes about shopaholics and shop-till-you-drop. Shoppers' disease is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder and is not a laughing matter. It is a true illness recognized in the DSM, under "other disorders", by the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Mental Health Association.

  I firmly agree that there is a problem in the government with the use of the government credit cards. However, as usual, the Senate is addressing the wrong level of employees. The people who are balancing an office budget and trying to control purchasing, procurement, human resources, payroll, training, travel, and any other administrative task (including informal supervision of clerical staff) are already trained and already over worked. These people on average are at the GS-7 to GS-11 level and have to perform, though many times on a small scale, all these tasks by themselves without even the assistance of a clerk.

  Anonymous Posted May 2, 2004 2:16 PM