Another Civil Service Reform Push Ahead

With Republicans set to be in control of both houses of Congress and the White House next year, a renewed push is planned for certain civil service reforms that fell by the wayside in the 2001-2002 Congress. While advocates of reform, led by Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, managed to get certain provisions into law-in particular, buyout and early retirement authority and certain hiring and training reforms-several provisions they had been seeking were dropped in order to gain passage in the 2002 climate. But with Republican control of the Senate, and with expected new leadership in the House Government Reform Committee that likely will focus more heavily on civil service matters, Capitol Hill aides say it might be possible to revive some of those provisions. That might include, for example, expanded authority for agencies to conduct “demonstration project” tests of alternative personnel systems. That could pave the way for entire agencies to break out of standard civil service rules in hiring, performance evaluation, pay-setting and other areas.