House Rejects Bid to Slow NSPS

The House has defeated an attempt to effectively halt work on the new “national security personnel system” for the Defense Department, which in general will establish new rules for how employees are hired, assigned, compensated, promoted, and disciplined. An amendment offered to a DoD appropriations bill (HR-4613) would have prevented DoD from spending money to carry out changes to labor relations, performance appraisal, appeals and disciplinary rules. Most of the statements from supporters of the amendment focused on concerns that the new system will erode employees’ union rights, while opponents argued that Congress only last year allowed DoD to establish its new system and that it should be allowed to progress.