Congress Leads by Example Act of 2017

Congress Leads by Example Act of 2017

This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to grant the Office of Compliance (OOC) subpoena authority under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) for inspections and investigations in offices covered by the CAA (Congressional offices and committees, the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services, the Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Office of the Attending Physician, and the OOC) and in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Library of Congress (LOC).

CAA-covered offices, the GAO, and the LOC are subject to OSH Act recordkeeping requirements and may not: (1) retaliate against employees for requesting OOC action or for instituting or testifying in any proceeding that arises from the application of the OSH Act to that office, (2) fire an employee because the employee's earnings have been garnished for any one debt, or (3) discriminate against an employee for being a debtor or bankrupt.

Whistle-blower protections are extended to employees of CAA-covered offices, the GAO, and the LOC.

CAA-covered offices must: (1) retain records necessary to administer certain rights and protections of employees under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; and (2) post conspicuously all notices describing employee rights and protections under federal law.

This bill amends the federal judicial code to extend protections for jurors' employment to CAA-covered offices, the GAO, the Government Publishing Office, and the LOC.