Two Interior Department employees have been working for Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California) on the House Resources Committee for more than a year in apparent violation of Congressional rules, The Hill newspaper reports.
Jackson Coleman and Rick Deery are "detailees" to Pombo's committee and have been working on energy issues. Typically, executive branch detailees can be assigned to Congress for a year but both were granted extensions -- by Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and Interior Secretary Gale Norton -- to stay on.
During their time on the committee, Coleman and Deery have drafted controversial legislation, including one measure criticized as a massive giveaway of federal lands. But Pombo's spokesperson dismissed questions about the staffers' work.
Get the Story:DoI staffers stayed on with Pombo (The Hil 3/1) Relevant Links:
Rep. Richard Pombo - http://www.house.gov/pombo
House Resources Committee - http://resourcescommittee.house.gov Related Stories:
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