DHS Personnel System Issue Pending

Both the House and Senate versions of the DHS funding bill restrict the amount of money that would be available for the new DHS personnel system, MaxHR. The House version would provide $29.7 million for continued development of the system, the same as the current fiscal year, while the Senate would provide $35 million. In both cases, the measure cites the ongoing litigation as the reason for not providing the $42 million requested by the White House—a federal district court last year placed an injunction on certain portions of the system dealing with labor relations and employee appeals rights, and an appellate court has affirmed that ruling. The Bush administration opposes reduced funding for MaxHR and meanwhile faces a decision on whether to appeal to the Supreme Court, try to implement the system within the confines of the injunction, or go back to the drawing board.