Hatch Act

noun

1. either of two acts of Congress (1939, 1940), regulating expenditures, contributions, and procedures in political campaigns.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hatch Act¹

Named after Carl A. Hatch (1889–1963), U.S. lawyer and politician

Example Sentences

“We did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging,” said Molly Prescott, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland, which manages Portland International Airport, said in a statement.

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Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation called for Noem to be investigated for possibly breaking the Hatch Act by asking airports to play the video.

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“This message is not just false; it appears to violate the prohibitions contained in the Hatch Act.”

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All of these are straightforward violations of the 1939 Hatch Act, which bans federal employees from engaging in political activities, according to a recent complaint filed by the advocacy group Public Citizen.

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The Hatch Act has a few goals, per the United States Office of Special Counsel: “The law’s purposes are to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation.”

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When To Use

What is the Hatch Act?

The Hatch Act is a U.S. federal law that limits the ability of government employees on official duty to participate in political activity, such as running for office, promoting a political candidate, or raising money for a political party or campaign.The intent of the act is to keep “official government business” separate from “political activity,” which it defines as “activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group.” Specifically, it prohibits conducting political business while on official government duty, in government facilities, or while on or using government property. The goal of such rules is to limit the ability of the executive branch to affect elections by preventing its members from using government resources to directly finance or assist in a political campaign (which would of course give them an unfair advantage).The law applies to federal government employees working under the executive branch, including members of the president’s cabinet, staff, and any other full-time and part-time employees. It also applies to some employees on the state and local level (as well as in Washington, D.C.) whose salaries are federally funded or whose jobs are connected with federal programs. However, the president and vice president themselves are specifically exempt from the rules of the Hatch Act, unless the activity involves the use of federal money to aid political campaigns.The Hatch Act places even more restrictions on employees who work in law enforcement or intelligence agencies, such as the FBI or CIA. These employees are forbidden from engaging in nearly all political activities other than voting and donating to campaigns.