Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 3681 - Democracy Day

(House)
(Wyden (D) Oregon and 88 others)

While sharing the concerns of the sponsors of H.R. 3681 about the decline in recent years of participation in national general elections, the Administration opposes enactment of the bill. If H.R. 3681 were presented to the President, the Secretary of Labor and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management would recommend a veto.

The enactment of H.R. 3681 could trigger pressure to turn Democracy Day into a paid Federal holiday, at expense to the taxpayers of over $300 million per holiday. In addition, enactment of legislation of this kind could set an undesirable precedent, leading to the proliferation of similar "quasiholidays" for other, equally worthy causes. Moreover, establishing Democracy Day as a legal public holiday could implicate collective bargaining or other work agreements with State and local governments or private employers. This inequitable creation of a new paid holiday even for some non- Federal employees would increase costs to the Nation.