DHS Plan Draws Fire

Several members of the House and Senate subcommittees that oversee federal employment programs have objected to portions of the planned Department of Homeland Security personnel system, focusing in particular on the plan to reduce union and employee appeal rights. At a joint hearing, Democratic members of the panels were especially critical of plans to limit the situations in which bargaining would be allowed, to limit employee recourse to the Merit Systems Protection Board in favor of an in-house panel, and to lower the burden of proof the agency must bear in taking certain personnel actions. However, Republican members also expressed concern about the plan as well, emphasizing the training that will be needed to carry out the planned pay-for-performance system. Officials from DHS and the Office of Personnel Management defended the provisions as necessary to carry out the department’s mission, although they emphasized that the rules are still in the proposal stage and that changes could be made during the comment and review period that is now under way.