|
Spotlight on Oversight
|
"Government works best when it operates transparently and is subject to strict oversight. Following an era during which these principles were abandoned, it has become more important than ever for Congress to ensure that the federal government is operating effectively, efficiently and accountably. My work on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee has focused on ensuring that there is a cop on the beat and that taxpayer dollars are being spent as intended – a role that has grown all the more important in the wake of the financial collapse of 2008. As we rebuild our economy, I am working to ensure that recovery efforts are carried out in a transparent manner – free from fraud and wasteful spending."
Rep. Welch's Recent Work on Oversight
Welch cosponsors bill to protect employee privacy on social media sites
July 24, 2012
Rep. Peter Welch today cosponsored legislation to curb the growing practice of employers requiring prospective or current employees, as a condition of employment, to provide access to password-protected social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter.
The Password Protection Act of 2012 (H.R. 5684) would prohibit compelling or coercing employees to provide access to data stored in private accounts.
Read More
Bennington Banner: 'Vt. retailers point up ‘swipe fee’ deal’s flaws'
July 24, 2012
Small Vermont retailers are finding fault with a proposed settlement between Visa, MasterCard and several large banks and a group of retailers over credit card swipe fees.
Vermont Retail Association Executive Director Tasha Wallis said Vermont retailers, like larger retailers including Walmart and Target, are opposed to a $7.25 billion settlement in an antitrust case against the card companies and banks. A lawsuit was filed b...
Read More
CNN: 'Pressure mounting for Libor jail terms'
July 23, 2012
It's not just banks feeling the heat in the Libor interest-rate-fixing scandal. As public outrage grows, observers are pressuring law enforcement to ensure that the individuals involved end up behind bars.
Last month, British banking giant Barclays (BCS) admitted that its traders had colluded with those at other banks to manipulate the London Interbank Offered Rate, or Libor, a key benchmark for trillions of dollars worth of loans and derivatives worldwide.
In response, a gr...
Read More
New York Times: 'For UBS, a Record of Averting Prosecution'
July 20, 2012
As the Justice Department weighs the possibility of criminal charges in the unfolding Libor rate-setting scandal, it may want to consider the record of the Swiss banking giant UBS.
At UBS, a series of immunity, nonprosecution and deferred prosecution agreements in recent years — evidently the government's preferred approach to corporate crime — seems to have had scant, if any, deterrent effect. "It's depressing," Represen...
Read More
Rutland Herald: 'Welch: Prosecute Libor culprits'
July 16, 2012
Rep. Peter Welch is soliciting support from fellow House members for an investigation into the latest financial industry debacle — this one involving the alleged manipulation by banks of interest rates before and after the financial crisis of 2008.
Barclays, a British-based bank, has already reached a $450 million settlement with U.S. and British regulators over the bank’s manipulation of Libor — the London interbank...
Read More
|