Civil Service Reform Push Under Way

The leading sponsor of civil service reform legislation, Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, is working to get his plan passed this year, possibly as an amendment to other legislation such as the upcoming bill to create a Homeland Security Department. One key element of that strategy is to make the proposal more palatable to federal unions. Union opposition to reform plans in the recent past-in particular over provisions such as pay for performance-has doomed those plans. Voinovich’s plan does not touch that issue, and several provisions unions found objectionable to his earlier draft have been dropped. For example, the revised measure: adds language stating that it is the sense of Congress that the proposed expanded buyout and early retirement authorities will be used for work force reshaping, not for downsizing; deleted an original proposal to allow phased retirements; deleted a provision that would have shortened the notice period for disciplinary actions from 30 days to 15; and would cut the notification time for employees affected by a demonstration project from the current 180 days to 90 days, not to 30 days as originally proposed.