Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 12896: Amending the Civil Service Rules Concerning Political Activity

President: Bill Clinton

Revoked an obsolete Civil Service Rule after Congress rewrote federal-employee political-activity law; current Hatch Act statutes and regulations now supply the rules.

Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 12896 still in effect? No. Executive Order 12896 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 12896 do?

EO 12896 removed section 4.1 of Civil Service Rule IV after the Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1993 replaced the older statutory framework. The executive order was a conforming step, not a general repeal of restrictions on partisan activity. Current title 5 and 5 C.F.R. part 734 distinguish less-restricted and further-restricted employees and continue to prohibit specified activity on duty, in federal workplaces and through official authority.

Administration position: The reform expanded some off-duty political participation while preserving important safeguards against misuse of office. The order itself only removed the superseded Civil Service Rule.
Signed and effectiveFebruary 3, 1994
Rule removedCivil Service Rule IV § 4.1
TriggerHatch Act Reform Amendments of 1993

Before and after

Before the order

Section 4.1 restated restrictions derived from the earlier Hatch Act framework.

After the order

The revised statute and implementing regulations, rather than the revoked rule, governed employee political activity.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Office of Personnel ManagementRemove Civil Service Rule IV § 4.1February 3, 1994
Federal employees and agenciesFollow the revised statutory and regulatory restrictionsContinuing

What happened next

The Hatch Act Reform Amendments became law.

EO 12896 revoked the obsolete civil-service rule.

Title 5 and current Hatch Act guidance continued to govern federal employees.