GovernmentExecutive.com

The new intelligence reform bill takes significant steps to bolster the nation's homeland security workforce, according to congressional aides and a top public service advocacy organization.

After the bill initially stalled, lawmakers worked through their differences and agreed to one of the most significant reforms in the history of the U.S. intelligence community. The bill was passed by the House Tuesday and approved by the Senate on Wednesday.

In the legislation, Congress expands the FBI's ability to recruit and retain top intelligence analysts. The agency is directed to develop an intelligence career service, and the FBI director is given significant flexibility to establish analyst positions and determine rates of pay.

The newly established director of national intelligence, meanwhile, is granted the power to determine personnel policies and programs "to help the intelligence community collaborate jointly and improve integration," according to a Senate staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity. The director will be required to set financial incentives for some personnel in the intelligence community, at the intelligence agencies, and at the National Counterterrorism Center.

"These reforms signal much needed change in the way government works," said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service. "The bill takes strong steps toward strengthening our federal workforce."

One provision of the bill pushes the president to submit national security appointees for security clearance checks as soon as possible after the general election is decided.

"The idea behind this provision is to ensure the national security team has the appropriate level of clearances as soon as possible to begin their new positions upon confirmation," the Senate staff member said.

Lawmakers also sought to boost training and education for national security personnel. Toward this goal, the bill establishes the Intelligence Community Scholarship Program, which is intended to recruit and prepare students for civilian careers in intelligence agencies.

The Partnership for Public Service singled out Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the committee's ranking member, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., for their work to include personnel reform in the bill.

"I have always said that good people need better tools. Here come the tools to help good people succeed," said Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif.

While praising the legislation, Stier said it would not be enough to continue improving the homeland security workforce.

"We need to see a culture change of a different kind across the government, which has for too long left the work of recruiting, developing and retaining talented employees solely to the HR office," Stier said. "As this legislation is implemented, I hope it ushers in a new era of governmentwide commitment to getting and keeping the very best people from top to bottom. As the 9/11 Commission reported, more important than any structure we put in place to protect us from future attacks is the quality of the people on the front lines."

COMMENTS

• Getting "Top notch", I assume analytic talent, will take far better pay, a more professional atmosphere, the elevation of analysis to a position equal to that of other disciplines in intel organizations, and enhanced efforts to recruit and train individuals with skills. This is not happening in most places. GovExec.com reader Posted December 18, 2004 10:59 AM
• Congress lives in a state of denial. They want to recruit top notch intelligence personel. They need highly educated people with technical expertise. They will spend hours, weeks and months arguing about legislation to help the intelligence agencies bring in new people. But, they choose to ignore the very reason why qualified people don't want to become federal employees. Again and again federal workers have their rights stomped on by federal agencies. Promises made to incoming employees are not kept. Incoming professional workers often find themselves in the most unprofessional of workplace environments. They are often denied proper training. Worst of all, the most basic standards of workplace safety are often ignored and the federal workers compensation program is a corrupted mess. How can our congressional representatives be so out of touch as to believe that professionals outside of the government are unaware of what the professionals employed by the government are subjected to? Does Congress continue to reside in the Cold War era when there was no Internet? Do they think that any one federal worker can't communicate to thousands of other people? There is no honor left. There is no low in labor relations that will not be exceeded. The federal government even victimizes it's own injured workers. Who wants to work for that kind of an employer? Congress needs get their heads out of the sand. Robert M. Posted December 14, 2004 10:41 PM