DoD Changes Ahead-But How Extensive?

The other major piece of must-pass legislation currently before Congress is the annual Defense Department authorization bill (HR-1588) that this year includes major reforms in personnel practices at the executive branch’s largest employer. Conferees are mainly concerned with the extent of the revisions, since both the House and Senate versions would give the Pentagon major new flexibilities in hiring, rewarding, transferring and disciplining employees, among numerous other changes. The Senate version is not as broadly written, however, and contains several employee protections-such as a phase-in period for a pay-for-performance system and a guarantee of outside appeal rights-not in the House version. The Senate version also passed the committee level with bipartisan support, in contrast to the House version, which triggered sharp partisan disputes. However, the Senate version emerged from the Governmental Affairs Committee, not the Armed Services Committee, which is the panel in the conference. Also, the administration prefers the House version.