Panel agrees to give GAO more workforce flexibility

The House Government Reform Committee on Thursday approved legislation to give the General Accounting Office more management flexibility over its personnel.

The committee approved the bill (H.R. 2751)-which is based on a proposal by GAO Comptroller General David Walker to make his agency a management model for the federal government-by voice vote. GAO is an independent legislative agency that examines management in executive agencies.

"This legislation builds on the management flexibilities already granted to the GAO," said Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., who cosponsored the measure and chairs the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization, adding it allows GAO "to reward employees for good work."

The measure would make permanent the agency's three-year-old congressional authority to offer early retirement and buyout incentives to its employees. The watchdog agency would no longer receive the government-wide January pay raises. Instead, the comptroller general would set annual pay raise levels, tying raises more closely to performance.

The measure would also give GAO the authority to increase certain benefits for employees with less than three years of federal government experience in order to attract experts from the private sector. And it would create an exchange employee program with the private sector, expand the agency's ability to pay employee relocation expenses and change its name to the Government Accountability Office.

Rep.Henry Waxman, D-Calif., highlighted two concerns with the bill. The lawmaker said he wanted GAO employees to know Congress "will be vigilant in monitoring" the agency's annual pay raise levels to ensure women and minorities are not excluded from pay increases. He also said Walker assured him that every GAO employee would at least receive a cost of living adjustment every year.

Waxman also said he discussed the exchange program with Walker to make sure private sector employees are subject to federal ethics laws and would not have access to trade secrets.

Several agencies, including NASA and the Defense Department, are seeking personnel flexibility as Congress and the Bush administration discuss ways to reform the civil service, create a pay-for-performance environment and make hiring easier at federal agencies.

Waxman said Walker "made a strong case" for the bill and said the agency was the appropriate place to experiment with civil service reforms.

Before passing the bill, the panel approved by voice vote a substitute amendment to address Waxman's concerns and expand the comptroller general's ability to offer increased leave to mid-career employees who are new to the agency.

The Senate passed similar legislation by voice vote last month.