Federal Manager's Daily Report

Congress has sent to the White House a bill (S-1691) containing several revisions to the way DHS manages its cybersecurity personnel, including a provision designed to make the department competitive in hiring and keeping such employees with DoD.

The provisions are part of a bill that primarily affects administratively uncontrollable overtime pay for Border Patrol agents.

The bill authorizes DHS to establish excepted service positions relating to cybersecurity, including those at senior levels, and allows the department to set their pay at rates that DoD pays for comparable positions, along with similar additional compensation, incentives, and allowances.

DHS also would have to produce annual reports on its hiring processes for such positions, plans to recruit and retain employees, number of hires, training for supervisors in the use of the new personnel policies, and identify areas of critical skills needs.

Further, OPM would have to provide the department with guidance on identifying and addressing such needs and GAO would monitor and report on the implementation of DHS cybersecurity workforce measures.