Workforce bills slow to move through Congress

The new Democratic chairs of the Senate and House federal workforce subcommittees wrote ambitious legislation addressing everything from telework to reforms in the Merit Systems Protection Board this year, but those bills remain in committee as Congress struggles to pass budget legislation.

"It has been a difficult year to move legislation forward with a slim majority of two in this political climate," said Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs federal workforce subcommittee. "Nonetheless, I think that we've made real progress on improving agency management this year through establishing a chief management officer at the Department of Homeland Security and soon at the Department of Defense."

"Our expectation was not that all of these initiatives would pass, but that we would continue to gain support for federal employee issues and that the tenor of the discourse … would change for the better," said Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union. "We have seen more hearings on issues of concern to federal employees and more bills introduced that would correct inequities and improve the ability of the government to attract and retain a high-quality workforce. There is still much to be done; however, we believe federal employee issues and concerns achieved greater support from both sides of the aisle."

Akaka won the addition of an amendment to the 2008 Defense Authorization bill that would allow some federal annuitants to come back to work in government without losing their annuity payments, but that legislation is still pending.

Akaka also praised efforts to use the Defense authorization legislation to modify the department's new civilian personnel system.

"We have begun the process of restoring integrity and accountability in the personnel system at DoD by reinstating collective bargaining and an independent appeals system," he said.

Akaka and Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., also introduced bills that would promote diversity in the Senior Executive Service, to re-establish a labor-management partnership council created under President Clinton and dissolved by President Bush, and to reauthorize the Merit Systems Protection Board, adding language to clarify that federal employees are not subject to discrimination based on sexual orientation and placing allegations of misconduct against the special counsel or deputy special counsel under the jurisdiction of the Integrity Committee that investigates similar allegations against inspectors general. Those bills all are awaiting committee hearings.

Akaka said the hearings around those issues had been important.

"This session, we've had meaningful oversight hearings on the Government Accountability Office personnel system, the Office of Special Counsel and the Merit Systems Protection Board, and we will continue working on issues related to those agencies next year," he said.

Akaka laid out an ambitious agenda for the coming legislative year.

"Next year," he said, "we are going to take an in-depth look at acquisition and procurement reform; presidential transition planning in federal agencies and departments; managing the human capital crisis in the federal workforce; and reform of the national security workforce, including Title V reforms proposed by the director of national intelligence."