Greater Flexibility Sought for Proposed Security Department

The Bush administration’s proposal to create a Homeland Security department includes a request for “significant flexibility” over personnel policies including “hiring processes, compensation systems and practices, and performance management to recruit, retain, and develop a motivated, high-performance and accountable workforce,” according to the White House plan. “When a job needs to be done the Department should be able to fill it promptly, at a fair compensation level, and with the right person. Likewise, employees should receive recognition for their achievements, but in cases where performance falls short, should be held accountable,” it says. The plan would consolidate numerous agencies and sub-agencies now scattered around the government, potentially involving 170,000 employees of the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Protective Service and others.