TOPICS
TOPICS
House votes to grant agencies hiring, pay flexibility
The House passed legislation Wednesday that would give agencies several new options for hiring and compensating employees.
Top federal personnel officials have long said that federal agencies need more flexibilities to recruit and retain quality employees. The bill provides a number of these authorities, including permission for agencies to pay bonuses of up to 100 percent of annual pay over four years. The measure also requires agencies to focus training programs around their strategic goals, create management succession programs, and provide training to assist managers in dealing with poor performers.
The Senate passed its version of the bill, known as the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act (S.129), in April. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, introduced the measure. The House gave its assent Wednesday on a voice vote.
The bill allows members of the Senior Executive Service who are hired away from the private sector to receive the same vacation benefits that are afforded to those who rise through the federal ranks. Some other workers hired from private firms also will receive credit for previous work experience when determining vacation time.
The bill also addresses a long-standing complaint of federal employees by providing compensatory time off for workers who must conduct business travel outside of normal working hours.
The bill met with bipartisan approval.
"The federal government's most important asset is our people, and we must be able to recruit, retain and reward them," said House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va. "This legislation not only enhances existing statutory authorities, but provides additional flexibilities that will assist in the management of human capital."
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the Government Reform Committee, said the measure "provides agencies with additional tools to recruit and retain employees. I am pleased that these flexibilities apply governmentwide, and are not limited to only some agencies."
The bill must go through a conference committee before it is sent to President Bush.
COMMENTS
- It isn't like they haven't been bleeding the taxpayers already. This is just another scam some politician decided upon. Try asking postmasters if they receive enought"free time" off. They have been stealing the system blind for years - long before the bill passed. The state of Ohio just put another idiot in office but no big deal. We all have. Ask the boys in Iraq if they would like an annual bonus, but better yet ask the parents of those killed over there. Our elected leaders try to portray their concern for the dead from there, but there only really concerned with their fat pay bonuses and their one day of free time. They been stealing it for years anyway. GovExec.com reader Posted January 23, 2005 12:13 PM
- Once upon a time, the good ole boys had to at least invent a reason for rewarding their fishing buddies. Now Congress is making it legal to reward up to a year's salary as a bonus to recruit and retain employees??? Go figure. Maybe "buddy A" can give "buddy B" a bonus if "buddy B" gives "buddy A" a bonus. Then, both buddies could be retained. GovExec.com reader Posted October 9, 2004 7:18 PM
- Too little, too late. If the person is bleeding to death from a massive cut you use a tourniquet to stop the bleeding- not a bandaid. As this government starts to bleed its employees quicker and quicker over the next five years I would suggest to Congress that they use a tourniquet. The bandaids over these last few years are not effective and most of the time they are even used when available. This patient called the US Government will soon need an immediate transfusion of new blood-- and as far as I can tell the blood bank is pretty empty. Of course, as I've said before, if the goal of this administration is to lose the patient-- than we don't need the touniquet and we certainly don't need a blood tranfusion. HR Specialist GovExec.com reader Posted October 8, 2004 1:39 PM
