Alternative DHS System Targeted

The consolidated appropriations measure would cut off funding for the DHS alternative personnel system—formerly and still most commonly known as MaxHR—"until any pending litigation concerning such activities is resolved, and any legal claim or appeal by either party has been fully resolved." Most of the program has been blocked by a court injunction and the parties are due to report back to a federal judge early in 2008 on the status of the program. Because of the legal fight, only the performance evaluation aspect has been applied, and even that only to about 11,000 managers. The bill specifies that all DHS employees receive the same raise applying to GS employees generally in 2008, meaning that the department could not use that evaluation system as the basis for pay-for-performance for them.