Homeland Security Agency Approval Pending

Final approval still is pending of a revised measure (HR-5005) to create a new Homeland Security Department out of 22 current agencies and sub-agencies. While a compromise has been reached on provisions that had stalled the bill–involving personnel policies and in particular union rights-some members of the Senate remain dissatisfied with those provisions, as well as other portions of the bill. The newest version essentially grants the White House’s request to break the agency off from many standard civil service rules, although basic protections such as merit principles and anti-discrimination law would remain. Under the measure, the agency secretary-whoever that turns out to be-and the Office of Personnel Management would issue rules creating a “flexible” and “contemporary” personnel system. Exactly what such a system would look like and when affected employees would transition to it remain uncertain, however.