LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 1978

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March 27, 1979
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Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 96th Congress l 1st Session I COMMITTEE 1 PRINT No. 96-2 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 1978 COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES A roved F R lease 2flfl7 Mpg. OOOO3R000 000 00011 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 96th Congress 1st Session COMMITTEE PRINT COMMITTEE PRINT No. 96-2 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 1978 COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOLUME NO. II Printed for the use of the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service' U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 33-782 O WASHINGTON : 1979 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 JAMES M. HANLEY, New York, Chairman MORRIS K. UDALL, Arizona, Vice Chairman CHARLES H. WILSON, California WILLIAM D. FORD, Michigan WILLIAM (BILL) CLAY, Missouri PATRICIA SCHROEDER, Colorado GLADYS NOON SPELLMAN, Maryland HERBERT E. HARRIS II, Virginia ROBERT GARCIA, New York . GEORGE THOMAS (MICKEY) LELAND, Texas GERALDINE A. FERRARO, New York CHARLES W. STENHOLM, Texas DONALD JOSEPH ALBOSTA, Michigan EDWARD J. DERWINSKI, Illinois GENE TAYLOR, Missouri BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York JIM LEACH, Iowa TOM CORCORAN, Illinois JAMES A. COURTER, New Jersey CHARLES PASHAYAN, JR., California WILLIAM E. DANNEMEYER, California DANIEL B. CRANE, Illinois DAVID MINTON, Executive Director and General Counsel THEODORE J. KAZY, Minority Staff Director ROBERT E. LOCKHART, Deputy General Counsel J. PIERCE MYERS, Assistant General Counsel Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 CONTENTS VOLUME NO. II S. 2640, as introduced in the Senate, March 3, 1978. (Note: Page 1 of the bill is reproduced at this point in the 2-volume publication. See pages 1-64 of volume No. I for the identical language which appears in the House bill) ----------------------------------------------------------- Committee print amendment No. 2084 containing Senate committee amendments to S.2640___________________________________________ Committee print dated June 1, 1978 (an amendment in the nature of a substitute), to S. 2640, in the Senate committee_____________________ S. 2640 as reported by the Committee on Governmental Affairs, July 10, 1978 ----------------------------------------------------------- Senate Report No. 95-969, of the Committee on Governmental Affairs on S. 2640, July 10, 1978---------------------------------------------- Debate on the Senate floor during consideration of S. 2640, August 24, 1978_ Debate on the Senate floor during consideration of the conference report on S. 2640, the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, October 4, 1978________ S. 2640, as passed by the Senate, August 24, 1978_____________________ Conference report on S. 2640, the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978______ Page 1279 1280 1306 1363 1461 1605 1725 1729 1843 STATEMENTS ON THE HOUSE FLOOR ON CIVIL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 1978 Statement by- Hon. William D. Ford of Michigan______________________________ 2003 Hon. William (Bill) Clay of Missouri_____________________________ 2015 Hon. Patricia Schroeder of Colorado__________________________ 2016 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1279 95TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 2640 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 3 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 6) 1978 Mr. Risicorr (for himself, Mr. PERCY, Mr. SASSER, and Mr. JAvrrs) introduced the following bill; which was read twice-and referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs A BILL To reform the civil service laws. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of. Representa- 2 tines of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SHORT TITLE 4 SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the "Civil Service 5 Reform Act of 1978". 6 SEC. 2. The table of contents is as follows : TABLE OF CONTENTS Sec. 1. Short title. Sec. 2. Table of contents. Sec. 3. Findings and statement of purpose. _ TITLE I-MERIT SYSTEM PRINCIPLES Sec. 101. Merit system principles; prohibited personnel practices. .(See pages 1-64 of volume I--identical language as that contained in S. 2640.) Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1305 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 b ot~ G ~ C m o ? ti V? bn ^O G .o y CJ '~ 9 A U O .a i d p y U U] 'fl U]... y' U] ~ C a ~ C ~ U W .~ t~ . V a a ?~ !"! m G . U ? a U' ? o bo .b ~i r~i". bU 'L b p G o v ? O IM ~C1 G ~~dyy G .~ q p W ~ O A U O N M bq b ..?. 0 - m c w 0 w o G O v S d~ - 'C? CO O ti N - H r~?1 ~0 CC . Oti N N N N O .,, O O b . of N O C O C E V C - bD p C O d ~ O 7 ~ C U n ~ _p- .U Y- N M W 33-782 0 - 79 - Vol. II - 4 Approved For Release 2flO7IfFI14 C` .4-RQP85-00003R000 0 090001 1 a Ill P . F Obe....kn,.es..rne?elerm.e "U9& Ryeleeew.*. 4 PERFORMANCE RATING 5 SEC. 405. (a) Chapter 43 of title 5, United State Code, 6 is amen" by adding at the end thereof the following now 7 subchapter- 8 9 10 U 12 18 14 15 16 17 18 19 "SUBCHAPTER 11-PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL IN THE SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE 4311. Senior Executive Service performance a 1,e iwl ariwemr "(a) Each agency shall, in accordance with standards established by the Oftce of Personnel Management, develop one or more performance appraisal systems designed to- "(1) provide for systematic appraisals of job per- formance of individuals in the Senior Executive Service; "(2) encourage excellence in performance for'nn- dividmals in the Senior Executive Service; and "(3) link the performance of wad individual in Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 229 "(2) take place at least annually, except that no evaluation of a career employee shall be initiated within 120 days after the beginning of a new administ olion, and permit the assignment of an unsatisfactory rating at any time during the performance appraisal period; "(3) not be appealable to the Merit Systems Pro. tedion Board, and (4) have the following resuits- "(d) ca eer appointees receiving ratings at any of the fully awaea/ul levels may be given per. formanoe awards as prearibed its section 5384 of ship at, "(B) an unsatisfactory rating requires venues- five action by removal of the employee from the current position through reassignment, transfer , or separation from the Senior Executive Service except that employees who naive 2 unsatisfactory annual ratings in 5 oonsecutive years shall be separated from the Senior Executive Service, and "(C) employees who ,twice in any 3-year period naive a less than fully successful annual rating shall be separated from the Senior Executive Service. "(c)(1) In aondueding as appraisal of an executive 94 under this section, a performance review board shall receive 990 1 from the supervising official an initial appraisal. The execs- 9 tine may respond in writing to such appraisal. The board 3 shall review the initial appraisal and the executive's response, 4 conduct such further review at it finds neowary, and advise 5 the appointing authority in writing of i s appraisal of the 8 MONISM 7 "(2) Members of performance review boards shall be 8 appointed. in such a manner at to aware oonsisency, stability .9 and objectivity in performance appraisal and the appointment 10 of an individual to serve as such a member shall be published 11 in the Federal Register. 19 "(3) In the can of an appraisal of a career executive 18 a majority of the members of the performance review board 14 shall consist of career executives. 15 "(d) The Offla of Personnel Management shill each 18 year report to Congress on the performance of the psrfosw. 17 once review boards established under subsection (b) of this 18 section, the number of individuals removed from the Senior 19 Executive Service under subchapter V of chapter 85 of this 20 tide for unsuccessful .performance ratings, and the number 21 of performance awards under section 5384 of this title. 98 4314. Definitions 9a "For purposes of this subchapter, the terms 'agency/, 24 'executive, ? and 'career appointee' shall have the same mean- 95 imp as such terns are used in section 8132 of this title. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 w s CID _ h U m Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2.007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 k q ya !J 9 is a ?x a .?. w ~ x x ~ 9 $ $ ! a po E W o O 3 '~ 1 122 2 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1422 W F e g e d1 33 ~ x ~ ~ M H A !p M W aD N m Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1423 a 8 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 O ~ c o e C a h ~ ~ 2 k ,; y0. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1430 a ao I 111 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-000038000300090001-1 1431 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 ~ U . ? !~. 3 3 Kf$ g a E e o B e z ba . c a Z _ G a o Jit1' M Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 C lift 14x4 Ali ~ s e~ 71 1 8 5 ' Approved For Release -2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-000038000300090001-1 Calendar No. 900 96TH CONGRESS td 8"Sion SENATE REPORT 1 No. 86-989 CIVIL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 1978 REPORT- COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE TO ACCOMPANY S. 2640 TO REFORM THE CIVIL SERVICE LAWS together with ADDITIONAL AND MINORITY VIEWS U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE X717 WASHINGTON : 1978 ApPFE) d Far Release 2007/05/14: CIA-PnRR9; nnnn*lRnnn'lnOng0001 1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1462. COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL. AFFAIRS ABRAHAM RIBICOFF, Connecticut, Chairman HENRY M. JACKSON, Washington CHARLES H. PERCY, Illinois EDMUND S. MUSKIE, Maine JACOB K. JAVITS, New York THOMAS F. EAGLETON, Missouri WILLIAM V. ROTH, JR., Delaware LAWTON CHILES, Florida TED STEVENS, Alaska SAM NUNN, Georgia CHARLES McC. MATHIAS, JR., Maryland JOHN GLENN, Ohio JOHN C. DANFORTH, Missouri JIM SASSER, Tennessee H. JOHN HEINZ III, Pennsylvania MURIEL HUMPHREY, Minnesota, RICHARD A. WEOMAN, Chief Counsel and Staff Director JOHN B.' CHILDERs Minority Staff Director ELISABETH A. PREART, Chief Clerk Approved For Release 2007/05/14 :. CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1463 CONTENTS Pace 1. Background------ ~df ------------------------------------------- 1 II. Brief summary of ----------------------------------------- 2 III. The need for reform------------------------------------------ 2 IV. Major provisions------------------------------------------ -- 4 V. History of legislation______________________________________ 13 VI. Section-by-section analysis------------------------------------ 17 Title I-Merit system principles___________________________ 18 Title II-Civil service functions; performance appraisals; ad- verse actions--------------------------------- 24 Title Ill-Staffing--------------------------------------- 65 Title IV-Senior executive service-------------------------- 67 Title V-Merit pa -------------------------------------- 88 Title VI-Research, demonstration, and other programs------ 92 Title VII-Labor-management relations____________________ 96 Title VIII-Miscellaneous-------------------------------- 115 VII. Evaluation of Regulatory impact______________________________ 117 VIII. Cost estimate---- --------------------- 117.. IX. Record vote of committee_____________________________________ 124 X. Additional and minority views_________________________________ 126 XI. Changes in. existing law---.------------------------------------ 139. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 CIVIL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF 1978 Juvr 10 (legislative day MAY 17), 1978.-Ordered to be printed REPORT together with ADDITIONAL AND MINORITY VIEWS [To accompany s. 28401 The Committee on Governmental Affairs,.to which was referred the bill (S. 2640) to reform the civil service laws having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and recommends that the bill as amended do pass. L BACKGROUND The changes in law which. are proposed in S. 2640 will constitute the most comprehensive reform of the Federal. work force since passage of the Pendleton Act in 1883. Since that time total civilian employment has increased from approximately '131,000 to almost 2.9 million em- ployees, of whom almost 93 percent woik, .under a merit system. In 1977, the Federal civilian payroll -amounted to, over $46 billion, more than 11 percent of Federal outlays for that year. Despite the enormous growth in Federal employment and the accompanying increase in the laws and regulations governing the civil service, no systematic con- gressional review or revision of the system has been attempted in close to 100 years. S. 2640, as amended, is that long overdue, comprehensive reform. ' S..2640 is based on many of the recommendations by the President's Personnel Management Project. That exhaustive study took 5 months to complete and involved thousands of experts and members of the public. Building on the comprehensive' work of the President and his staff, the Governmental Affairs Committee held 12 days of public Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 hearings and heard from 86 witnesses, representing 55 organizations. The committee held seven markup sessions before ordering the bill reported. S. 2640 is the centerpiece of the President's efforts to make the Government more efficient and accountable. The committee believes that, as amended, S. 2640 will promote a more efficient civil service while preserving the merit principle in Federal employment. II. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE BILL The following is a brief listing of the principal changes that S. 2640 makes in the civil service system." The bill : Codifies merit system principles and subjects employees who commit prohibited personnel practices to disciplinary action; Provides for an independent Merit Systems.Protection Board and Special Counsel to adjudicate employee appeals and protect the merit system ; - Provides new protections for employees who disclose illegal or improper Government conduct; Empowers a new Office of Personel Management to supervise personnel management in the executive branch and delegate cer- tain personnel authority to the agencies; Establishes a new performance appraisal system and new stand- ard for dismissal based on unacceptable performance; Streamlines the processes for dismissing and disciplining Fed- eral employees; - Creates a Senior Executive Service which embodies a new structure for selecting, developing, and managing top-level Fed- eral executives; Provides a merit pay system for GS-13 to 15 managers, so that increases in pay are linked to the quality of the employees' performance; Authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to conduct research in public management and carry out demonstration projects that test new approaches to Federal personnel admin- istration; and Creates a statutory .base for the the improvement of labor-man- agement relations, including the establishment in law of the Fed- eral Labor Relations Authority. -III. THE "NEED FOR REFORM. Both the public and those in government have a right to the most effective possible civil service; .that is, one in which employees are hired and removed on the' basis of merit and one : which is accountable to the public through its elected leaders. The civil service system is the product of an earlier reform, which, in protest against _the 19th century spoils system, promised a work force in which employees: were selected. and advanced on the basis of 1 During its consideration of s. 2640; the committee has also had under consideration Reorganisation Plan No. 2 of 1978, which provides for the creation of the Office of Personnel Management, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Office of special Counsel. and the Federal Labor Relations-Authority. The plan, which was submitted to Congress on May 23. 1978. is aeheduled to become effective 80 days after submission, if not disapproved by either House of Congress during the interim. Approved For Release 20071nr,/14 ? (''IA-RnPRc-nnnn'R ggg 3ppnannpl 1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1467 competence rather than politica.lL or personal favoritism. Protection of the merit principle in Federal employment has been accomplished through the enactment of numerous laws, rules, and regulations. Al- though the civil service system has largely succeeded in safeguarding merit principles, there have been frequent attempts to circumvent them, some of which have been successful Assaults on the merit system have taken place despite, and in some instances because of, the complicated rules and procedures that have developed over the last century. The welter of inflexible strictures that have developed over the years threatens to asphyxiate the merit principle itself. The complex rules and procedures have2 with their resultant delays and paperwork, undermined confidence in the merit system. Many managers and personnel officers complain that the existing procedures intended to assure merit and protect employees from arbitrary man- agement actions have too often become the refuge of the incompe- tent employee. When incompetent and inefficient employees are al- lowed to stay on the work rolls, it is the dedicated and competent em- ployee who must increase his workload so that the public may be bene- fitted. The morale of even the best motivated employee is bound to ? suffer under such a system. Moreover, the system's rigid procedures-- providing almost automatic pay increases for all employees-makes it as difficult to reward the outstanding public servant as it is to remove an incompetent employee. The committee agrees with President Carter that "most civil service employees perform with spirit and integrity." Unfortunately, the ex- isting civil service system is more of a hindrance than a help to dedi- cated Federal employees. The civil service system is an outdated patchwork of statutes and rules built up over almost a century. Federal management practices are antiquated in comparison with the current state of the managerial' art. Research and experimentation concerning management practices is virtually nonexistent. The public ,is ill served by the existing civil service system. As the President's Personnel Management Project put it : It is the public which suffers from a system which neither permits managers to manage nor which provides assurance against political abuse. Valuable resources are lost to the pub- lic service by a -system increasingly too cumbersome to com- pete for talent. The opportunity for more effective ... service to the public is denied by a system so tortuous that managers regard it as almost impossible to remove those who are not performing. (Final Staff Report, Vol.1, p. vi.) When programs fail or are damaged by mismanagement and incom- petence, both the taxpayer and the program beneficiary suffer. For this reason, civil service reform has been described as a "para- mount consumer issue." .. millions of consumers look to federal civil servants to protect them from cancerous additives, in food, filth in meat products, defects in cars, radiation in television- sets, flam- mability in clothes, poisons in air and water, and monopoly Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 prices in all goods and services. Consumers look to federal civil servants to wisely spend the.twenty or thirty percent of their income which they pay to the federal government in taxes. Consumers look to federal civil servants to see that their mail is promptly delivered, their bank deposits insured, their energy needs met. In short, effective, efficient, honest, patriotic, committed and hard-working federal employees are a basic consumer interest. (Testimony of Ralph Nader be- fore Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, April 10, 1978.) Government executives and managers are vital to the success of pub- lic programs. The existing civil service' system, however, has failed to adequately recruit and develop government managers. Too little emphasis has been placed on training and experience when hiring or promoting executives who will run programs worth billions of dol- lars and have a tremendous impact on the lives of millions of people. Throughout this country's, history-and- especially since 1883- there has been a tension between protections established to insure that employees are hired and fired solely on the basis of their ability, and the need of managers and policymakers to have flexibility to perform their jobs. Frequently, this tension is characterized as the "rights of employees" versus the "need for management flexibility." Although it has recognized this tension,, the Committee has viewed civil service reform from the standpoint of the public, rather than the more limited perspective of either the employee or manager. The "ri hts of em- ployees" to be selected and removed only on the . basis of their com- petence are concomitant with the public's need to have its business conducted competently. Similarly, the need for Federal executives to manage their personnel responsibilities effectively can only be justified by the benefit derived by the public from such management flexibility. An employee has no right to be incompetent; a manager has no right to hire political bed fellows. The public has a right to an efficient and effective Government, which is responsive to their needs as perceived by elected officials. At the same time, the public has a right to'a Government which is impartially administered. One of the central tasks of the civil service reform bill is simple to express but difficult to achieve : Allow civil servants to be able to be hired and fired more easily, but for the right reasons. This balanced bill should help to accomplish that objective. It is an im- portant step toward making the _ Government more efficient and more accountable to the American people. IV. MAJOR PROVISIONS IN S. 2640 Separation of Civil Service Commission functions When the Civil Service Commission was created in 1883, Congress did not intend to create a central personnel agency, but rather to police patronage. The President was authorized to appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, a Commission to be composed of three members, not more than two of whom were. from the same party, re- movable at the will of the President. The Commission's job was to screen, examine, and present a choice of applicants to fill jobs in the agencies in the competitive service. General issues of personnel man- 4 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 agement and employee concerns played a minimal role in Commission duties until the early 1900's. It was not until 1932, when the Commis- sion assumed full responsibility for position classification, supervision of efficiency ratings, and operations created by the Retirement Act that the CSC moved beyond patronage control to modern personae' administration in the Federal Government. At the present time the Civil Service Commission has a variety .of functions. Many of the studies of the civil service, as well as many of the witnesses who testified before the Governmental Affairs Committee, have pointed out the role conflicts inherent in the responsibilities and authority assigned to the Civil. Service Commission. The CSC must now simultaneously serve as a management agent for. a President elected through a partisan political process as well as the protection of the merit system from partisan abuse. The Commission serves, too, as the provider of services to agency management in implementing per- sonnel programs, while maintaining sufficient neutrality to adjudicate disputes between agency managers and their employees. As a result, the Commission's performance of its conflicting functions has suffered. "Expected to be all things to all parties-Presidential counsellor, merit "watchdog," employee protector, and ncy advisory-the Commis- sion has become progressively less credible in all of its roles." (Person- nel Management Pro7'ect, Final Staff Report, vol. I32 .) S. 2640, along with Reorganization Plan No 2 , would abol- ish the Civil Service Commission. In its place two new agencies would be created : (1) The Office of Personnel Management, charged with personnel mans, Protection and agency advisory functions, and (2) the Merit Systems Protection Board, charged with insuring adherence to merit system principles and laws Leadership in personnel management The multimember bipartisan Commission structure, adopted when the Civil Service Commission's only role was to prevent improper se- lection of employees, has not served particularly well as the Federal Government's need for a personnel management agency has emerged. There has been a lack of an appropriate staff organization to assist the President in managing the executive branch. Numerous efforts to sup- ply the President witTi a personnel advisor have been short lived and generally unsuccessful. S. 2640 provides that an Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as an agency within the executive branch, will have central responsi-. bility for executing,. administering, and enforcing civil service rules and, regulations other than those under the jurisdiction of the Merit Systems Protection Board. The Director of OPM will be the Presi- dent's chief lieutenant in matters of personnel administration. S. 2640 provides that the Director will have the power to delegate any functions vested in that office, including the authority to conduct competitive examinations, to individual agencies that employ per- sons in the competitive service..In cases of delegation, agencies will be prohibited from taking personnel actions that are contrary to any law or OPM'regulations. Delegation of individual personnel actions to the affected. depart- ments and agencies will serve to make the system more effective. For Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-000038000300090001-1 example, examining for jobs in the career service is now carried out almost exclusively by the CSC. Although centralization is the most economical way to handle many examinations, it results in an inability to meet highly varied staffing needs. Further, the Commission staff has limited knowledge of agency programs and occupations. Decentralization will eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic proce- dures. Individual agencies will be more. efficient and speedy at per- forming functions now shared with the Civil Service Commission. The specific needs of the Government's diverse agencies will be met under general OPM guidance. Decentralization is in keeping with the dele- gation practices that private companies use, allowing the decisionmak- ing process to work at the level where decisions are most effectively made. Authority for personnel management will be fixed at the level responsible for the effectiveness of programs and accomplishment of missions. OPM will monitor and evaluate the agencies' performance in personnel administration. The civil service system envisaged in S. 2640 gives the Office of Per- sonnel Management the opportunity to exercise leadership in Federal personnel administration. The Merit Systems Protection Board will assume principal nsibility for safeguarding merit principles and employee rights; in ividual personnel actions will be delegated to the departments and agencies. As a result, OPM will be able to concentrate its efforts on planning and administering an effective Government- wide program of personnel management. This includes a responsibility to see that agencies are performing properly under civil service laws, regulations, and delegated authorities. OPM will have the.opportunity for innovative planning for the future needs of the Federal work force executive and employee development, and pilot projects to test the ehicacy of various administrative practices. Without the demands generated by a heavy day-to-day workload of individual personnel actions, OPM should provide the President, the civil service, and the Nation with imaginative public personnel administration. Protection of merit system principles S. 2640 codifies for the fist time merit system principles, and re= quires agencies and employees to adhere to those principles Viola- tion of a merit system principle or commission of a prohibited person- nel practice will subject an employee to disciplinary. action. The Merit Systems Protection Board, along with its Special Coun- sel, is made responsible for safeguarding the effective operation of the merit principles in practice. Composed of three members nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for single nonrenew- able terms and removable only for cause, the bipartisan Board will adjudicate cases of alleged violation of the merit system, enforce compliance with its decisions and orders, order stays of personnel actions in.cases where it determines that such relief is justified, and conduct studies of the civil service and other merit systems. The Special Counsel, nominated by the President subject to Senate approval and removable only for cause, will receive and investigate allegations of prohibited personnel practices in violation of the merit system, and bring violators before the Board for appropriate remedial action. There is little doubt that a vigorous protector of the merit system is needed. The lack of adequate protection was painfully obvious dur- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 ing the civil service abuses only a few -years ago. Establishment of a strong and independent Board and Special Counsel will discourage subversions of merit principles. Dwight Ink, Executive Director of the President's Personnel Management Study, called the independent and strong Merit Board "the cornerstone" of civil service reform. The bill provides for an independent Board and Special Coun- sel. By statute, no more than two members of the Board will be of the same political party. Its members' terms will last 7 years, with re- moval only for cause. The Special Counsel will serve a term cotermi- nous with that of the President. Board Members will not be eligible to serve more than one term. As a result of this structure, the Board should be insulated from the kind of political pressures that have led to violations of merit principles in the past. Both the Board and the Special Counsel will exercise statutory responsibilities independent of any Presidential directives. Absent. such a mandate for independence for the Merit Board, it is unlikely that the committee would have granted the Office of Personnel Management the power it has or_ the latitude to delegate personnel authority to the agencies. In addition, S. 2640 gives the Board and the Special Counsel new powers to protect the merit system more effectively. Unlike the Civil Service Commission, the Board will have subpena authority for ob- taining evidence that is essential in conducting investigations and adjudicating appeals by Federal workers. The Special Counsel, will have power to initiate disciplinary action against those who know- ingly and willfully violate the merit principles by engaging in pro- hibited personnel practices. In addition to simple reprimand, these sanctions include removal, suspension, demotion, exclusion from Fed- eral employment for up to 5 years, and fines up to $1,000. S. 2640 requires the Board to direct agencies, in certain cases, to pay em- ployees' attorneys' fees. Creation of statutory labor-management relations'authority A major aspect of Federal personnel management under S. 2640 will be carried out by a new Federal Labor Relations Authority. At present,.: this. responsibility is shared.by the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor-Management Relations and the part-time Federal Labor-Relations Council. The Assistant Secretary is charged with decisionmaking regarding unfair labor practices, and the Council serves as an appellate body. S. 2640 provides for consolidation of this authority in a single administrative organization, which is impartial by virtue of its independence from any direct responsibility to the in- cumbent administration, and which has a statutory mandate to govern Federal labor-management activities and procedures. Consolidating responsibility in FLRA should eliminate what is per- ceived by Federal employee unions and others as a conflict of interest in the existing Council. Its members consist' of the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, the Director of the Office of Manage- ment and Budget, and the Secretary of Labor-policym'akers who are responsible primarily as top managers in the incumbent admin- istration. S. 2640 will assure impartial adjudication of labor-manage- ment cases by providing for a new Board whose members are selected independently-nominated by the President and confirmed by the Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-000038000300090001-1 Senate-rather than by virtue of their service as Federal managers. Creation of the FLRA also will eliminate the existing fragmentation of authority between the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor- Management Relations and the Federal Labor Relations Council. The FLRA will have comprehensive jurisdiction in Federal labor-manage- ment relations. Merging the responsibility into a single agency will eliminate the need for continuous coordination between two separate agencies with differing and at least potentiallyy conflicting mandates. This change should result in more effective policymaking and admin- istration in this area of vital importance to both Federal employees and Federal managers, as well as the public at large. S. 2640 also provides explicit statutory responsibilities for FLRA. The- part-time Federal Labor Relations Council was established by' Executive order. With approval of S. 2640, the intent of Congress re- garding the functions and operations of Federal labor-management relations will be clearly established. Whistle blowers S.. 2640 gives the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Special Counsel explicit authority to protect whistle blowers-Federal em- ployees who disclose illegal or improper government activities. Often, the whistle blower's reward for dedication to the highest moral prin- ciples is harassment and abuse. Whistle blowers frequently encounter severe damage to their careers and substantial economic loss. Protecting employees who disclose government illegality, waste, and corruption is a major step toward a more effective civil service. In the vast Federal bureaucracy it is not difficult to conceal wrongdo- ing provided that 'no one summons the courage to disclose the truth. Whenever misdeeds take place in a Federal agency, there are employees who know that it has occurred, and who are outraged by it. What is needed is a means to assure them that they will not suffer if they help uncover and correct administrative abuses. What is needed is a means to protect the Pentagon employee who discloses billions of dollars in cost overruns, the GSA employee who discloses widespread fraud, and the nuclear engineer who questions the safety of certain nuclear plants. These conscientious civil servants deserve statutory protection rather than bureaucratic harassment and intimidation. S. 2640 will establish significant protections for whistle blowers. For ,the first time, and by statute, the Federal Government is given the mandate=through the Special Counsel of the Merit Systems Pro- tection Board-to protect whistle blowers from improper reprisals. The Special Counsel may petition the Merit Board to suspend retalia- tory actions against whistle blowers. Disciplinary action against viola- tors of whistle blowers' rights also may be initiated by the Special Counsel. In addition, S. 2640 establishes a mechanism by which the allegations made by whistle blowers can be reviewed by responsible government officials. At the same time, S. 2640 will not protect em- ployees who disclose information which is classified or prohibited by statute from disclosure. Nor would the bill -protect employees who claim to be whistle blowers in order to avoid adverse action based on inadequate performance. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1473 Diami88als A widely held impression is that a government employee cannot be fired, regardless of unacceptable conduct or work performance. Al- though this is untrue enough bad examples are available to give it credibility. But while it is technically possible to fire unsatisfactory employees, appeals processes are so lengthy and complicated that man- agers often avoid taking disciplinary action. An employee may be taken off an agency's rolls 30 days after he has been notified of his supervisor's intent to remove him, yet if the employee decides to app- peal the action the process may take. much longer. For example, removal actions appealed by employees of 18 surveyed agencies took 48 days to process within the agency. Delays of over one year are not unknown, though. In addition, the Federal Employees Appeals Au- thority (FEAA) took 152 days on average to reach decisions on re- moval actions. Thus, an average of 61/2 months are. required to complete an action for removal which an employee appeals. If the appeal is taken beyond the FEAA, the process may take much longer. It is relatively easy to discharge an unsatisfactory employee during the first.year of service (probationary period). After an employee has completed the first year of service, though, existing law provides that an individual may be removed only for such cause as will promote the .efficiency of the service; 17,157 Federal employees were dismissed in calendar year 1976. This figure includes : Separated for inefficiency based on. unsatisfactory performance of duties__ 220 Resigned in lieu of adverse action, some of whom may have done so be- cause of poor performance------------------------------------------ 2,287 Terminated during their probationary periods__________________________ 4,261 Removed because of some condition that existed before they were hired-- 240 Dismissed for some form of misconduct------------------------------ 8,164 Separated for suitability reasons-------------------------------------- 418 Separated under the Foreign Service system___________________________ 4 Discharged for a variety of additional reasons that the data do not differentiate. (These were not subject to appeal to the Civil Service Commission.) ----------------------------------------------------- 6,557 As the figures indicate, the number of employees actually removed, because of unsatisfactory job performance as distinguished from mis- conduct is relatively small, even when one considers those who resigned in lieu of adverse action or were terminated during their probationary periods. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the reasons why these figures are low, given the size of the Federal work force, among the reasons are: Performance evaluation 'procedures do 'not work well enough to distinguish employees whose performance is below an accept- able level to make the charges stick. Fear of employee appeals, grievances and the protracted prob- lems they create for the employee, the manager and the work unit involved. Natural reluctance on the part of managers to fire an employee, especially when the manager's performance is not directly linked to that of his subordinates. The lengthy ' and complex appeals processes adversely affect em- ployees and managers alike. The procedures are so confusing they Approved For a ease - - - Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 often discourage the proper exercise of employee rights. The manager in an appeal may come under severe attack no matter how fairly the manager has proceeded. Managers embroiled in appeals often find that these processes consume all of their time and attention.Some managers simply avoid taking necessary steps to discipline or dis- charge employees in the first place. They find ways to work around unsatisfactory employees, or they hope the employees will go else- where to work. S. 2640 will accelerate the personnel action process while protecting employees' rights to fair treatment. The bill will simplify and expe- dite procedures for dismissals of Federal employees whose perform- ance is below the acceptable level within a comprehensive framework for performance evaluation. The bill requires that performance eval- uation be used as a basis for all decisions about rewarding, promoting, and retaining Federal employees. Statutory adverse action procedures and rights will be extended to additional categories of workers. S. 2640 will streamline the appeals process, eliminating unnecessary layers of appeal. It will also for the first time specify the standards to be used in deciding whether an agency action Eagainst an employee is justified. As an alternative to the appeals process the bill provides for bargaining by members of bargaining units to establish arbitration procedures for the handling of adverse actions. The appeals procedures outlined in S. 2640 should also improve the handling of discrimination complaints by Federal employees. The bill provides for a cooperative arrangement between the Equal Em- ployment Opportunity Commission and the Merit Systems Protection Board on questions involving merit principles and discrimination, with disagreements between the two agencies being certified to the Federal courts. . Senior Executive Service Despite the critical need to recruit and develop the highest quality Federal executive, no fully, effective governmentwide system exists today for selecting, preparing, advancing, and managing the men and women who administer the programs that affect every person in the Nation. At present neither the Congress nor the President has effective control over the size and distribution of executive level em- ployees. In addition, the existing system for designating career and noncareer positions fails to provide adequate protection against polit- icization of the career service, yet it is so rigid that it fails to provide agency heads with -sufficient flexibility to fill critical positions with executives of their own choosing. The current rank-in-position sys- tem of classifying jobs limits rotation and reassignment oppprtunities for career employees and prevents the best use of executive talent. Moreover, it is difficult to reward executives whose work is outstand- ing, and to reassign or remove executives whose performance is un- acceptable. Finally, even with the rigid strictures governing executive employees, there is inadequate protection against political abuse and incompetence. S. 2640 addresses these and other problems in the staAng and man- agement of senior executive positions by creating a new Senior Execu- tive Service -(SES). Most senior positions in grades GS-16 through Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Executive Level IV will be assigned to SES. They will be subject to removal for inadequate performance, with a guaranteed right to a career position as at least a GS-15 without a loss in pay unless they were removed for misconduct, neglect of duty, or malfeasance. By statute, no more than 10 percent of the positions in the SES may be filled by noncareer executives. This statutory cap on noncareer appointments is an important check against politicization of the SES. Career- appointments will be made by the agencies strictly on the basis of managerial merit. Newly appointed SES executives will serve a probationary appointment of one year. Each agency will develop annual performance aplraisal systems for SES executives, with written appraisals based on established requirements. Executives will be shown the performance appraisal and rating and given an oppor- tunity to respond in writing and have the rating reviewed at a higher managerial level. SES executives will be eligible for annual cash performance awards not to exceed 20 percent of their base pay, as well as awards for sustained excellence or sustanied extraordinary accomplishments. In the SES, rank will be based on an executive's individual talent's and performance, not the position. Assignments in the SES will be made according to the overall needs of the government, thereby. pro- moting its efficiency. This pattern also will permit more lateral mo- bility for executives than most presently enjoy. Increased mobility among Federal,' State and local agencies and the private sector in turn, will mean decreased parochialism of outlook in the government's top managers. Evaluation of. executives in the SES will be based on their actual performance. Those whose work is exceptional will be eligible for performance awards. In addition, the psychic rewards will be consider- able; serving in the SES will be an honor because it will be earned on merit. Those executives who cannot or do not live up to its standards will be removed, but their rights will be protected in a variety of ways. Ina removal for misconduct they may appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board. In unacceptable performance cases there is a de- tailed process required in the agency. In performance cases they can revert to the regular civil service as a GS-15. This provision of S. 2640 should foster the development and effective use of senior executives in the Federal service. It is the kind of system that has been highly successful in the private sector, as well. It is an idea that public administrators have been advocating for decades, most notably in the second Hoover Commission report in 1955. Pay for performance Rewarding excellence and discouraging lackluster performance is very difficult under the present system. Performance appraisals now are virtually meaningless, with almost every employee receiving a "satisfactory" rating. Pay increases are awarded almost automatically. In addition to the Senior Executive Service provisions, the bill con- tains a merit pay system for managers in grades GS-13 through GS- 15. Under the bill, meaningful performance appraisals would be re- quired, with an employe's pay tied to the result of the appraisal. Rather than granting automatic entitlement to progress through the pay Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 range, advancement would, at least in part, be based on the quality of the work of the employees covered by this provision. Full compar- ability adjustments would not be given to all employees covered by the provision. The .money saved would- be used to compensate employees whose performance merited an additional pay increase. Research and demonstration Projects In recog~nnition of changing public needs. Title VI of S. 2640 author- izes the (Mee of Personnel Management to conduct research in public management and carry out demonstration projects that test new ap- proaches to Federal personnel administration. Certain sections of the Federal personnel laws would be waived for purposes of small-scale experiments. Among the subjects of possible projects are appeals mech- anisms, alternative forms of discipline, security and suitability investi- gations, labor-management relations, pay systems, productivity, per- formance evaluation, and employee development and training. Expanded knowledge in organizational management is always use- ful, and pilot projects provide one of the best sources of information. Through experimentation, it is possible to avoid both excessive rigidifi- cation in the personnel system and comprehensive change with exten- sive unanticipated consequences. Researchers are able to get the facts about the likely results of proposed new procedures by applying them on a small scale rather than throughout the entire organization. If successful, a proposed change can then be extended; if not, it can be eliminated more easily; if the results are mixed, the new system can be adjusted. Experimentation of this kind should permit responsiveness to Chang- ing public needs as reflected in the Federal personnel system. It may mean less need for reform in future years. It permits flexibility and the foresight to meet emerging issues. This provision of S. 2640 also will provide a statutory basis for the Office of Personnel Management to conduct demonstration projects. It embodies the intent of Congress that continuing review of personnel techniques and systems is a vital aspect of civil. service reform. Labor management relations S. 2640 incorporates into law the existing Federal employee relations pro gram. At the same time, S. 2640 recognizes the special requirements of the Federal government and the paramount public interest in the effective conduct of the public's business. It insures to Federal agencies the right to manage government operations efficiently and effectively. The basic, well-tested provisions, policies and approaches of Execu- tive Order 11491, as amended, have provided a sound and balanced basis for cooperative and constructive relationships between labor or- ganizations and management officials. Supplemented by the Federal Labor Relations Authority to administer the program, and expanded arbitration procedures for resolving individual appeals, these measures will promote effective labor-management relationships in Federal operations. The bill permits unions to bargain collectively on personnel policies and practices, and other matters affecting working conditions within the authority of agency managers. It specifies areas for decision which are reserved to the President and heads of agencies, which are not sub- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 ject to the collective bargaining process. It excludes bargaining on economic matters and on nonvoluntary payments to unions by em- ployees. Strikes by Federal employees are prohibited; bargaining im- passes are resolved through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the Federal Service Impasses Panel; and employees are protected in their rights to join, or refrain from joining, labor organi- zations. Intergovernmental Personnel Act Amendment8 Title VI also provides for the use of a single set of merit system standards to be applied to state and local governments in those pro- grams which receive Federal funding. This change is designed to aid state and local officials who now must meet several sometimes conflict- ing requirements. V. HISTORY OF LEGISLATION S. 2640 had its genesis early in 1977 when officials of the Civil Service Commission, the Office of.Management and Budget and other execu- tive branch agencies met in preparation for the President's Personnel Management Project. The Project was officially begun in June 1977, and took 5 months to complete. The Project involved 110 staff members, the great majority. of whom were career employees, assigned to 9 different task forces. These 110 people were from numerous agencies and commissions within the executive branch, as well as Congress and the private sector. Alan H. Campbell, Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, served as Chair- man of the Project, and Wayne G. Granquist, Associate Director of OMB, as Vice Chairman. The project staff held 17 public hearings throughout the United States in which approximately 7,000' individuals participated as part of the consultation process. Also, 800 organizations were contacted for comments on option papers. Although the, staff carrying' out the project were largely from the public service, people were drawn from outside Government into the study process on an extensive scale. Each of the project task forces studying separate as of the personnel system developed detailed option papers which discussed the problems and suggested a wide range of recommendations. After completion of the three volume report, the Carter administra- tration developed S. 2640, which embodies many of the recommenda- tions contained in the President's study. In March of 1978, the Presi- dent submitted S. 2640 to Congress. In March of, 1978, the President submitted S. 2640 to Congress. The Governmental Affairs Committee held 12 days of hearings during which 86 individuals, representing 55 organizations; testified. In addition, Senators Ribicoff and Percy wrote to almost 90 experts in public administration and personnel management requesting their views on this legislation and the proposed Civil Service Reorganiza- tion Plan. The vast majority of the respondents expressed support for the reforms. Most of the witnesses who testified also voiced support for S. 2640. The following is a list of the witnesses who testified at the hearings, in order of their appearance: Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Apri16,1978 Mr. James T. McIntyre, Jr., Director, Office of Management and Budget. Mr: Wayne Granquist, Associate Director OMB. Mr. Alan Campbell, Chairman, Civil Service Commission. Mr. Jule Sugarman Commissioner CSC. Mrs. Ersa Poston, Commissioner, (SC. April 7,1978 Mr. David Cohen, President of Common Cause. Mr. Rocco Siciliano, Chairman, Ticor and Vice-Chairman, Com- mittee for Economic Development. Panel : National Academy of Public Administration : Mr. James L. Sundqquist. Mr. Bernard L. Gladieux. Mr. Richard L. Chapman. Mr. George S. Maharay. April 10, 1978 Mr. Ralph Nader. Mr. Bertrand Harding-National Civil Service League. Mr. Norman B. Hartnett-National Service Director, Disabled American Veterans. Mr. Donald H. Schwab-Director, National Legislative Service Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mr. Austin E. Kerby-Director for Economics, the American Legion. Mr. Edward J. Lord-Assistant Director for Legislative Com- mission. April 12,1978 Mr. Elmer B. Staat omptroller General of the United States. Mr. Clifford Gould-Deputy Director, Federal Personnel and Com- pensation Division. Mr. Henry Barclay-Attorney, Office of General Counsel. Mr. Jack Carlson-Vice President and Chief Economist for the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Robert T. Thompson--of Thompson, Mann and Hutson, At-. lanta, Ga. April 13,1978 Mr. Gene Raymond-Executive Director, National Federation of Federal Employees. Mr. Ervin Geller-General Counsel Mr. Tom Trabucco-Legislative Assistant. Mr.: Robert L. White-National President-National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees. Mr. Johnnie. Landon-Special Counsel to the The National Presi- dent.. . Ms. Mae M. Walterhouse-National President, Federally Employed Women. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-000038000300090001-1 Ms. Marylouise Uhlig-Regional Coordinator, D.C. Metropolitan Region, Federally Employed Women. Ms. Clelia Steele-Member, Coordinating Commission, Coalition for Women's Appointments. Ms. Christine Candela-Vice President, Women's Equity Action League. Ms. Leslie Gladstone-W.E.A.L., Legislative Coordinator. Ms. Daisy B. Fields=Commission for Women in Public Adminis- tration of the American Society for Public Administration. Ms. Joanne HayesVice President-League of Women Voters. Mr. Richard Snelling-Governor of Vermont. April 19, 1978 Mr. William A. Hammill-International. Personnel Management Association. Mr. Donald K. Tischner-Executive Director. Mr. Rod Murray-National President, National Association of Supervisors. Mr. Bun B. Bray, Jr.-Executive Director. Mr. James L. Hatcher-Assistant Executive Director. Mr. Ralph Stavins-Institute for Policy Studies. Mr. Louis Clark-Staff Counsel. April 20, 1978 Ms. Florence Isbell-Chairperson, Government Employees Rights Commission, A.C.L.U. Mr. Patrick J. Leahy-U.S. Senator from Vermont. Mr. Ernest Firzgerald. Mr. Robert Sullivan. Mr. Anthony Morris. Mr. Frank Snepp. April 27, 1978 Mr. Kenneth A. Meikeljohn-Legislative Representative, AFL- CIO. Mr. John A. McCart-Executive Director, Public Employee Depart- ment AFL-CIO. Mr. Sol Stein-Metal Trades Department AFL-CIO. Mr. Kenneth Blaylock-President American Federation of Govern- ment Employees. Mr. Lou Pellerzi-General Counsel, American Federation of Gov- ernment Employees. May 3, 1978 Mr. -Dwight A. Ink-Executive Director, Federal Personnel Man- agement Project, U.S.C.S.C. Mr. Benjamen Neufeld-American Veterans. Committee Chairman, National Affairs Commission. Mr. Otto Lukert-Vice President, National Association of Con- cerned Veterans. Mr. George Frederickson-Immediate Past President American Society of Public Administration. --Approved or Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Ms. Judith Vandergriff-Chairman Permanent Standing Commit- tee of Legislation, National Association of Commissions for Women. May 4, 1978 Mr. Michael Pertschuk-Chairman, Federal Trade Commission. Mr. Harry Kefauver-Director of Personnel. Ms. Barbara Blum-Deputy Administrator, Environmental Pro- tectionAgency.. Mr. William Drayton-Associate Administrator for Planning and Management, Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. William Carter-Senior Project Manager. Mr. Kenneth T. Lyons-President National Association of Gov- ernment Employees. Mr. Alan J. Whitney-Executive Vice President, N.A.G.E. Ms. Anne Sullivan-Legislative Director. Mr. Edward Gildea-Assistant General Counsel. Mr. Albert A. Grant-Chairman, Commision on Civil Engineers in Government. Mr. Louis L. Meier-Assistant Secretary and Washington Counsel, Society of Civil Engineers.' Mr. Steve Ralston-Representing the NAACP Legal.Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Mr. George Perry-President, Ethnic Employees of the Library of Congress. Mr. Howard Cook-Executive Director,. Black Employees of the Library of Congress. May 5, 1978 Mr. Vincent L. Connery-National President, National Treasury Employees Union. Mr. Jerry D. Klepner-Director of Communications. . - Mr. Robert M. Tobias-General Counsel. Mr. Rudolph H. Weber-Immediate Past President, The American Society for Personnel Administrators. Mr. Leonard R. Brice-Executive Vice President. Mr. James Ferguson-Vice President, Government Affairs. Mr. Raymond Nathan-Washington 'Representative, American Ethical Union. May 9, 1978 Mr. James D. Hill-Executive Director, National Federation of Professional Organizations. . Mr. Wayne A. Nagee-Association of Scientists and Engineers. Mr. William Pryor-National Association of Government Engi- neers. Mr. Thomas Bruderls-National Society of Professional Engineers. Mr. Walter W. John-Organization of Professional Employees of the Department.of Agriculture. Mr. Vincent J. Paterno-National President, Association of Civilian Technicians. Mr. John Chapman-Executive Assistant. 16 . lA- - 300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Mr. George Auman-President, Federated Professional Association. Mr. Ed MacCutchen-Member, Executive Committee. Mr. Lionel Murphy-Member, Executive.Committee and Legisla- tive Research Director. Following the completion of these hearings the Committee met on May 22, June 7, June 8, June 12, June 13, June 14, and June 29 to consider this legislation. On June "29 the Committee voted 11-2 to re- port favorably S. 2640, as amended. VI. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS This section provides that the Act is to be known as the "Civil Service Reform Act of 1978." This section sets forth the table of contents for the eight titles of .the statute. They are : Title I-Merit System Principles; Title II- Civil Service Functions, Performance Appraisal, Adverse Actions; Title III-Staffing; Title IV-Senior Executive Service; Title V- Merit Pay ; Title VI-Research, Demonstration, and Other Pro- grams; Title VII-Labor-Management Relations; and Title VIII- Miscellaneous. This section establishes as policy of the United States that the merit system principles governing the Federal civil service be ex- pressly stated and that the personnel practices which are prohibited in the Federal service be statutorily defined. It provides that the au- thority and powers of the independent Merit Systems Protection Board and Special Counsel to enable the Board to handle hearings and appeals involving Federal employees, to enable the Special Coun- sel to investigate prohibited personnel practices and protect Federal employees from reprisals arising out of the disclosure of information, exercise of an appeal right, or conduct involving political activity. It provides that certain personnel functions, including the function.of filling positions in the competitive service, may be delegated from the Office of Personnel Management to agencies, with oversi it of the delegation retained by the Office of Personnel Management. It calls for the establishment of a Senior Executive Service to provide additional flexibility for executive agencies in recruitment and management ef- forts, and provides that pay increases should be based on quality of performance rather than length of service. It provides that a research and demonstration program should be authorized to enable Federal agencies to utilize new and different personnel management concepts and to provide for greater productivity in the Federal civil service. Finally, it codifies in statute the rights previously granted by Execu- tive Order 11491 to Federal employees to organize, bargain collectively, and participate through labor organizations in decisions which affect their working conditions. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 TITLE I-MERIT SYSTEM PRINCIPLES Title I establishes in law the merit principles of the Federal per- sonnel system and the specific personnel practices prohibited in the system. The title establishes the President's responsibility to ensure that personnel management in the Executive Branch is based upon merit system principles. The title specifies that agency heads, and those to whom personnel management authority is delegated, are responsible for preventing prohibited personnel practices. As far as the Committee is aware, this represents the first across-the- board codification of merit system principles, and of prohibited per- sonnel practices, for the Federal civil service system. Unlike the Code of Ethics for Government Service, the merit principles in S. 2640 will become part of the statutory law. The Code, however, is in no way affected by the enactment of S. 2640. The merit system principles are designed to protect career employees against improper political influences or personal favoritism in the re- cruiting, hiring, promotion, or dismissal processes, to assure that per- sonnel management is conducted without discrimination,-and to pro- tect individuals who speak out about government wrongdoing from reprisals. Managers who commit prohibited personnel practices are made specifically accountable for their actions, and are subject to' disciplinary actions ranging from reprimand and fine through dismissal. Section 101(a) of this title provides that a new Chapter 23, en- titled "Merit System Principles," is added to Title V of the United States Code. Chapter 23 is subdivided as follows : Section 2301- Merit System' Principles; Section 2302-Prohibited Personnel Prac- tices; Section 2303-Responsibility of the General Accounting Office. Section 3301. Merit system principles Subsection (a) (1) provides that the merit system principles, and the prohibitions against certain personnel practices set forth in Sec- tion 2302, apply to departments and agencies in the Executive branch, including independent regulatory agencies-and the Smithsonian Insti- tution. The chapter also applies to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, and to the Government Printing Office. Subsection (a) (2) excludes from the coverage of the chapter a gov- ernment corporation, the General Accounting Office, the Central In- telligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, and any agency or unit which the President finds is principally engaged in foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities. In addition, an amendment adopted by the Committee added the Federal Bureau of Investigation and individuals in the Drug Enforcement Agency at grade.levels of GS-16 and above to the list of exclusions. Such exclusions from this chapter are not intended to limit in any way any other obligation or responsibility imposed on these agencies, or on agency officials, by any other law, rule, or regulation. Nor is the approval by the committee of these exclusions intended to prejudge the comprehensive review of the laws govern- ing the intelligence agencies now being conducted by the Senate Se- 00003R000300n9nnn1 Aprn\ip(l Fnr Rala-+ca 7007/05!1'1 ? CIA RQ12RF4 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 lect Committee on Intelligence. That committee may have further recommendations for changes in the way the personnel laws apply to the intelligence agencies. In addition, the President is authorized to exclude specific con- fidential, policy-making, policy-determining or policy-advocating positions from the coverage of the chapter, or any other position if he finds that such an exclusion is necessary and warranted by condi- tions of good administration. In the case of such Presidential exclu- sions, however, the exclusion applies only to the position-holder's rights as an.employee; the prohibitions in Section 2302 against com- mitting certain personnel practices apply to individuals who hold such positions, and the exclusion does not affect these prohibitions. Subsection (b) sets forth the merit system principles which govern Federal personnel management. The committee revised the introduc- tory wording to subsection (b) to specifically require. Federal agen- cies to adhere to merit system principles. This places on Federal agen- cies for the first time an affirmative mandate to adhere to merit sys- tem principles. The merit system principles set forth by this subsection are as fol- lows : Recruitment of the Federal work force is to be from qualified can- didates. Selection and advancement of employees is to be based solely on the relative ability, knowledge, and skills of the individual, after fair and open competition which assures equal opportunity. Discrimination against applicants or employees, based on political affiliation, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, or handicapping condition, is to be eliminated from Federal personnel administration. The privacy and constitutional rights of applicants and employees are to be protected. Thus, applicants and employees are to be pro- tected against inquiries into, or actions based upon, non-job-related conduct. An applicant or employee is also to be protected against any infringement of due process, self-incrimination, or other constitu- tional rights. Employees are to be compensated equitably, with consideration given to both national and local rates paid by employers outside the Federal Government. No change in current law in this regard is in- tended. Appropriate incentives and recognition for outstanding per- formance are to be provided. Employees are to maintain high stand- ards of integrity and. conduct, including the avoidance of conflicts of interest. The workforce is to be efficiently used. Employees are to be retained on the basis of their performance, and those who cannot or do not meet the required standards should be separated. Training is to be provided to employees to improve or- ganizational and individual performance. Employees are to be protected against arbitrary action, personal favoritism, and from partisan political coercion. Employees are pro- hibited from using official authority to interfere with or affect the result of an election or nomination. Subsection (c) provides the President broad authority to issue rules, regulations, or directives in order to assure that Federal per- sonnel management in the Executive Branch is conducted according to the merit system principles set forth in this section. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Section . Prohibited personnel practices This section sets forth the list of prohibited personnel practices. A prohibited personnel practice is a personnel action which is taken for a prohibited purpose. Employees who commit a prohibited personnel practice are subject to disciplinary action by the Merit Systems Pro- tection Board or, in certain cases, by the President. Subsection (a) defines the term "personnel action." The term in- cludes.-an appointment or ppromotion; a removal, suspension of pay, or any other adverse action falling within Chapter 75; any other disci- plinary or corrective action; a detail, transfer, or reassignment; a reinstatement, restoration, or re-employment; a performance evalua- tion issued under a performance rating plan; a decision concerning pay, benefits, or awards; a decision concerning education or training if it may lead to some other personnel action. In addition, the committee added as an additional category of per- sonnel action any other significant change in duties or responsibilities' inconsistent with the employee's salary or grade level. Thus, for ex- ample, if an individual with professional training or qualifications is employed and assigned duties or responsibilities consistent with the individual's training or qualifications, it would constitute a personnel action if the individual were detailed, transferred, or reassigned so that the employee's overall duties or responsibilities are inconsistent with the individual's professional training or qualifications. Or, if an individual holding decision-making responsibilities or supervisory au- thority found that such responsibilities or authority were significantly reduced, such an action could constitute a personnel action within the meaning of this subsection. However, it is the overall nature of the individual's responsibilities and duties that is the critical factor. The mere fact that a particular aspect of an individual's job assignment has been changed would not constitute a personnel action, without some showing that there has been a significant impact on the overall nature or quality of his job. An action which would otherwise constitute a personnel action within the meaning of this section, that is taken against an individual holding a position which has been excepted from the competitive service because of its confidential, policy-making or policy advocacy character, is exempt from the coverage of this section. Subparagraph (b) sets forth certain personnel practices, and makes them unlawful. Paragraph (1) makes it unlawful to discriminate, either in favor of any employee or applicant, or against any employee or applicant, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicapping condition, marital status, or political affiliation, as set forth in appli- cable statutes, civil service rules, and Executive Orders. Paragraph (2) restates and expands 5 U.S.C. 3303, which currently prohibits consideration of recommendations submitted by senators or representatives, except as to character or residence. The para- graph adds a prohibition against soliciting any such recommendation. An exception is made for recommendations based on personal knowl- edge or personal records, where it consists of an evaluation of work performance, ability, aptitude, character, loyalty, or suitability. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Paragraph (3) summarizes the Hatch Act prohibitions. Essentially, it prohibits the use of official authority to coerce political activity or to obligate any political contribution or political service. It also pro- hibits any reprisal against an individual who refuses to engage in political activities. Paragraphs (4) and (5) prohibit deliberate deceit or obstruction with respect to an individual's right to compete for Federal employ- ment, and prohibit influencing a person to withdraw from competi- tion in order to assist or injure another's_prospects. Paragraph (6) prohibits the granting of any unauthorized prefer- ence or advantage to an employee or applicant for the purpose of improving or injuring the prospects of any particular individual, or any category of individuals."This paragraph should be read in con- junction with the provisions of subsection (d) regarding equal em- plovment opportunity efforts. Paragraph (7) prohibits nepotism in appointments or promotions. This paragraph is a restatement of the- restriction contained in 5 U.S.C. 3110. Paragraph (8) prohibits reprisals against "whistle blowers." S. 2640, as originally introduced, made it a prohibited personnel practice to take any reprisal action against an employee who publicly disclosed P. violation of a law, rule, or regulation, as long as the disclosure itself was not prohibited by any law, rule, or regulation. The committee broadened the whistle blower protection in three significant respects. First, the categories of protected disclosures are broadened. In addition to violations of law, rule, or regulation, an employee or applicant is protected against the disclosure of any information which he reasonably believes constitutes mismanagement, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to the public health or safety. With respect to the latter cate- gory, the committee intends that only disclosures of public health or safety dangers which are both Substantial and apeci fic are to be pro- tected. Thus, for example, general criticism by an employee of the Environmental Protection Agency that the agency is not doing enough to protect the environment would not be protected under this subsec- tion. However, an allegation by a Nuclear Regulatory Commission en- gineer that the cooling system of a nuclear reactor is inadequate would fall within the whistle blower protections. Second, the committee narrowed the proviso for those disclosures not protected. There was concern that the limitation of protection in S. 2640 to those disclosures "not prohibited by law, rule, or regula- tion," would encourage the adoption of internal procedural regula- t.ions against disclosure, and thereby enable an agency to discourage an employee from coming forward with allegations of wrongdoing. As modified, the limitation has been narrowed. Those disclosures which are specifically exempted from disclosure by a statute which requires that matters be withheld from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue, or by a statute which establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld, are not subject to the protections of this section. It is the Committee's understanding that section 102(d) (3) of the National Security Act of 1947, which authorizes protection of national intel- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 ligence sources and. methods, has been held to be such a statute. In addition, disclosures which are specifically prohibited by Executive Order 11652 (relating to classified material) are exempted from the coverage of this section. Third, the committee'included threatened reprisals, as well as ac- tual reprisals, within the coverage of this section. The purpose of the section is to encourage employees to disclose agency wrongdoing or abuse, and threatened reprisals can. be just as effective in frustrating this purpose. An employee should not be protected, however, for making a dis-. closure which he knows to be false. The criminal code, 18 U.S.C. 1001, makes it unlawful to make false statements to an agency on a govern- ment matter. In addition, it would be within the Office of Personnel Management's authority to specify by regulation that deliberately making such false charges could constitute grounds for disciplinary action. Nor should the provisions of this section be construed to override any protections against disclosure of confidential communications be- tween political appointees and the President accorded by current law. This section does not constitute authority for the employee who makes such a communication, or for any other employee, to disclose the con- tent of such a communication. If, however, a report containing evi- dence of violation of law, or gross waste of funds, or other information falling within the section, is prepared by or for an agency, the fact that the report is transmitted to the President along with a confiden- tial communication would not make the substance of the report im- mune from disclosure. Finally, it should be noted that this section is a prohibition against -.reprisals. The section should, not be construed as protecting an em- ployee who is otherwise engaged in misconduct, or who is incompetent, from appropriate disciplinary action. If, for example, an employee has had several years of inadequate performance, or unsatisfactory performance ratings, or if an employee has engaged. in action which would constitute dismissal for cause; the fact that the employee "blows the whistle" on his agency after, the agency. has begun to initiate disci- plinary action against the employee will not protect the employee against such disciplinary action. Whether the disciplinary action is a result of the individual's performance on the job, or whether it is a reprisal because the employee chose to criticize the agency, is a matter for judgment to be determined in the first instance by the agency, and ultimately by the Special Counsel and the Merit Systems Protection Board. Paragraph (9) prohibits a reprisal against any employee or appli- cant who exercises any legitimate appeal right. As with whistle blow- ing reprisals under paragraph (8), the prohibited action is the reprisal itself ; the mere fact that an employee, who is otherwise incompetent or guilty of misconduct, exercises an appeal right, does not automatically protect the employee against appropriate disciplinary action. Paragraph (10) -states that any other action which violates any law rule, or regulation implementing, or relating to, the merit system principles constitutes a prohibited personnel practice. This pro- vision was, added by the committee in order to. make unlawful Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 those actions which are inconsistent with merit system principles, but which do not fall within the first 9 categories of personnel practices. Such actions may lead to appropriate discipline. For example, should a supervisor take action against an employee or applicant, without hav- ing proper regard for the individual's privacy or constitutional rights, such an action could result in dismissal, fine, reprimand, or other discipline for the supervisor. At -the conclusion of subsection (b), the committee added a provi- sion to ensure that nothing in the section will authorize the withholding of any information from Congress, or will sanction any personnel ac- tion against an employee who discloses any information to a Member of Congress or its staff, either in public session or through private communications. Neither Title I nor any other provision if this bill should not be construed as limiting in any way the rights of employees to communicate with or testify before Congress, such as is provided in 5 U.S.C. 7102 (right to furnish information protected), or in .18 U.S.C. 1505 (right to testify protected). Subsection (c) specifically designates the head of each Executive Agency as the individual responsible for preventing prohibited person- nel practices, and for insuring that applicable civil service laws, rules, and regulations, including the merit system principles, are complied with. The same duty and responsibility is placed on any individual within the agency who is given authority for personnel management. Thus, to the extent that managerial or supervisory authority is dele- gated, this section means that responsibility for insuring compliance with the merit system, and potential disciplinary liability for failing to ensure compliance, will follow such a delegation. The delegation will not, however, relieve the head of the executive agency or other top officials for ultimate responsibility for personnel actions and policies within the agency, to the extent that such officials have knowledge or should have knowledge of the actions taken or policies implemented. Subsection (d) states that nothing in this section is to be construed as extinguishing or lessening any effort to bring about equal employ- ment opportunity. through lawful affirmative action or programs, through the exercise of any right or remedy available under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in-Employment Act of 1976, section 501 of.the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Equal Pay Act, or under any other statute or regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of marital status or political affiliation. Section 2303. Responsibility of the General Accounting Office This section provides express authority to the General Accounting Office to conduct audits and reviews' in order to determine compliance with laws and regulations governing employment. in Federal agencies, and to assess the effectiveness of Federal personnel. management. The audits and reviews -may be in response to a request from Congress or a committee thereof, or on GAO's own initiative. The provision authorizes broad scale reviews of the personnel system, as well as discrete functional audits, and is designed to improve the ability of Congress to carry out its oversight responsibilities with respect to _ the Federal personnel system. Subsection 101(b) contains the conforming amendments to Title V,. United States Code. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R0003000900.01-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 TrrLE II--Cwn.1 SERVICE FUNCTIONS : PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL; ADVERSE ACTIONS The first part of Title II sets forth the authority and functions of the three new agencies and units which form the cornerstone of Civil Serv- ice reform, the Office of Personnel Management, the Merit Systems Protection Board, and the Special Counsel. Under current law, the responsibility for personnel management is combined with the responsibility for overseeing and protecting the merit system; both responsibilities are vested in the Civil Service Commission. This legislation provides for the separation of functions now administered by the Civil Service Commission into two agencies, the Office of Personnel Management and the Merit Systems Protection Board, in order to insure that those who are responsible for administer- ing the civil service system will not have the primary responsibility of determining whether that system is free from abuse. The Office of Personnel Management is the arm of the President in matters of personnel administration. The Office will have central re- sponsibility for adopting and administering civil service rules for the Executive branch. The Office will have broad power to delegate to Executive branch agencies any functions vested in the Office, includ- ing the authority to conduct competitive examinations. However, the Office will retain overall responsibility for management of the civil service system. The Merit Systems Protection Board is charged with protecting the merit system. It will act in most respects as a quasi-judicial body, empowered to determine when abuses or violations of law have occurred, and to order corrective action. It will also be empowered to discipline employees who commit abuses. The Board is to be a three- member bipartisan body, and is to be independent of the President. The Special Counsel will receive and investigate allegations of prohibited personnel practices in violation of the merit system. The Counsel will also have a particular mandate to investigate and take action to prevent reprisals against government "whistle blowers"- individuals who disclose agency wrongdoing or improper activities. The Special Counsel is authorized to seek remedial action from the Board to' prevent abuses of the merit system, and to initiate discipli- nary. action against government officials who commit prohibited per- sonnel practices. As with the Board, the Special Counsel is independent of any control or direction by the President. Title II also. establishes new, procedures.to govern the process of personnel actions and to protect employees' rights to fair treatment. The procedures are designed to expedite dismissals of Federal em- . loyees whose performance is below an acceptable level established me a comprehensive framework of performance evaluation, while at the same time fully protecting the due process rights of employees. -The performance evaluation framework is designed to insure that employees will not be downgraded or dismissed from the Civil Service for reasons other than actual performance. . Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1489 SECTION 201 This section strikes the existing language of Chapter 11, Title V, United States Code (pertaining to establishment and structure of the Civil Service Commission), and substitutes a 'new Chapter 11 setting forth the organization, structure, and functions of the Office of Personnel Management. Chapter 11 is subdivided as follows: Section " 1101-Office of Personnel Management- Section 1102-Di- rector; Deputy Director; Associate Directors; Aection 1103-Func- tions of the Director; Section 1104-Delegation of Authority, for Personnel Management. Section 1101.Ofce of Personnel Management This section provides that the Office of Personnel Management is to be an independent establishment in the Executive branch. It pro- vides for an official seal for the office which is to be judicially noticed. The principal office of the Office of Personnel Management is to be in the District of Columbia, but it may have field offices in other locations. Section 1102. Director; Deputy Director; Associate Directors Subsection (a) provides that there is to be a Director at the head of the Office of Personnel Management, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Director is to have a term of four years, coterminous with the term of the President, and is to be subject to removal by the President only for cause. Subsection (b) provides for a Deputy Director for the Office of Personnel Management, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Deputy Director is authorized to perform such functions as the Director determines, and is authorized to act for the Director during his absence or disability or in the event of a vacancy in the Director's position. Subsection (c) provides that neither the Director nor the Deputy Director may serve in any other position in the government of ;the United States during their incumbency, except as provided by law or by the President. In order to insure that they administer the Civil Service system in as fair and as evenhanded a manner as possible, and not become involved in recommending particular indi- viduals for particular appointments in Executive branch agencies, the Committee added a provision prohibiting the Director or Deputy Director from advising the President, directly or indirectly on any specific political appointment. This proviso is not intended to pro- hibit the Director from consulting with the President about the selec- tion of an individual to serve as Deputy Director of OPM. Subsection (d) provides for the Director to, appoint up to five Associate Directors. The Associate Directors are to be in the Senior Executive Service. Section 1103. Functions of the Director Subsection (a) enumerates functions of. the Director. The func- tions are to be performed by the Director or by his designees within the Office. They are: (1) assisting the President in preparing civil Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP&5-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 service rules, and advising the President in promoting an efficient civil service and providing protection for merit system principles; (2) executing, administering, and enforcing the civil service statutes and regulations. (including classification and retirement activities), except to the extent that the Merit Systems Protection Board or the Special Counsel is responsible for exercising these functions; (3) se- curing accuracy, uniformity and justice in the functions of the Office; (4) appointing employees of the Office; (5) directing and supervising employees of the Office, assigning work to employees and organiza- tional units, and directing the internal management of the Office; (6) directing the preparation of Office budget requests and the use of funds; (7) reviewing operations under the insurance provisions of this title ; and (8) conducting or arranging for research into improved methods of personnel management. Subsection (b) provides that the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, in issuing rules and regulations, is subject to the pro- visions of the Administrative Procedure Act, which provide for notice and comment rule-making, with full opportunity for interested per- sons to participate in the process. Subsection (b) was adopted by the committee in response to concern expressed that the Office of Personnel Management might not be subject to the procedural safeguards of the Administrative Procedure Act that currently apply to administrative agencies. It does not require OPM to follow the notice and comment provisions of section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act when it is issuing internal personnel rules or procedures applicable just to OPM employees. Subsection (c) provides the Director with the right to intervene in any proceeding before the Equal Employment Opportunity Com- mission (other than those heard by the Merit Board), whenever the Director finds that the matter at issue may substantially affect the interpretation or administration of the civil service laws, or if he has relevant information which he wishes to present to the Commis- sion. Thus, in any grievance proceeding brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 before the Equal Employment Oppor- tunity Commission, the Director will have the opportunity to be- come a full party if he determines that the case may have an im- pact on the administration of the civil service merit system. Section 1104. Delegation of authority for personnel and management Subsection (a) authorizes the President to delegate authority for personnel management functions to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, and provides that the Director may dele- gate any functions vested in him to the heads of Executive branch agencies and to other agencies employing individuals in the com- petitive service. The delegation includes authority to conduct com- petitive examinations. Under present law, examining authority is vested in the Civil Service Commission. This provision will permit the Director to dele- gate examining authority. directly to employing agencies, thereby creating greater flexibility in the examining process. The committee added subsections (b), (c), and (d) to this section to provide safeguards against abuse by the individual agencies of delegated authority. 26 Aroved For R leas 7nn7/fl f14 ? (CIA RDP8S 00002Rnnn3nnna0n01 1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1491 Subsection (b) provides that the delegated authority to conduct competitive examinations must be in accord with any standards issued by the Office of Personnel Management, to insure that the merit sys- tem principles apply fully to such examinations and any subsequent selections of employees. Subsection (c) provides that any personnel action taken by an agency pursuant to delegated authority is subject to cancellation by the Office of Personnel Management if contrary to any law, regulation, or standard issued. by the Office. Subsection (d) specifies that any delegation by the Office does not relieve the Director of his responsibility to assure compliance with civil service laws and regulations. Subsection 201(b) amends pertinent sections of Title V, United States Code, to provide that the Director of the Office of Personnel Management is to be compensated at Level II of the Executive Sched- ule, the Deputy Director at Level III, and Associate Directors at Level IV. Subsection 201(c) conforms the provisions of Title V, United States Code, to the provisions of this section. SECTION 202 This section adds a new Chapter 12 to Title V, United States Code, entitled "Merit Systems Protection Board and Special Counsel." Chapter 12 is subdivided as follows : Section 1201-Appointment of Members of the Merit Systems Protection Board; Section 1202-T4~rm of Office; Filling Vacancies; Removal; Section 1203-Chairman; Vice Chairman; Section 1204-Special Counsel; Appointment and Re- moval ; Section 1205-Powers and Functions of the Merit Systems Pro- tection Board; Subpenas; Section 1206-Authority and Responsibili- ties of the Special Counsel; Section 1207-Hearings and Decisions on Complaints Filed by the Special.Counsel. Section 1901. Appointment of members of the Merit System Protection Board This section provides that the Merit System Protection Board is to be a bipartisan body, consisting of three members appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. To assure their independence, the section prohibits the members of the Board from holding other offices or position in the U.S. Government. This prohibition is intended to apply only to civilian offices. It does not bar a Board member from retaining positions in the military reserves. The Board is to have an official seal, and have its principal office in the District of Columbia metropolitan area, with field offices in other appropriate locations. In order to insure that the members of the Board are fully qualified to carry out the functions and duties of, the Board, the Committee added a provision requiring that persons appointed to the Board be individuals having background, training, experience, or demonstrated ability that makes them particularly qualified to carry out the Board's function of. protecting the civil service merit system from abuse. This requirement that Board members be affirmatively qualified for their positions is consistent with recent actions by Congress with respect Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 to independent ,agencies. A similar provision was adopted last year by Congress for the newly-created Federal Energy Regulatory Com- mission (PL 95-91). Section 1202. Term of office; filling vacancies; removal Subsection (a) provides for a seven year term for members of the Merit Systems Protection Board. Subsection (b) provides that in the event of any vacancy on the Board, a member appointed to fill the vacancy serves only until the expiration of the term remaining. Any appointment to fill a vacancy is subject to the provisions of section 1201. Subsection (c) provides that Board members may not be reap- pointed if they have been appointed to a full term, but may serve for up to one year beyond the expiration of the term if a successor has not been appointed and qualified. Subsection (d) provides that a board member may only be removed b the President for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in ofce. This provision, which applies to membership on most inde- pendent regulatory agencies, ensures that the Merit Systems Protec- tion Board will be independent of the direction and control of the President. Subsection (e) provides that individuals currently serving on the Civil Service Commission, who will become members of the Merit Sys- tems Protection Board by virtue of Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978, will continue to hold their positions on the Board until their terms would otherwise have expired as members of the Civil Service Com- mission (commissioners currently serve for six .year terms). If an in- dividual now serving as a Civil Service Commissioner does not serve out the remainder of his present term, an individual appointed to fill the vacancy will. only serve for the remainder of the six-year .term established under the old law. Since the present terms of the Commis- sion are staggered, this procedure will assure that the new terms of the members of the Board will continue to be staggered. Section 1203. Chairman; Vice Chairman Subsection (a) authorizes the President to appoint one of the mem- bers of the Board as Chairman. Appointment as Chairman is subject to Senate confirmation. The Chairman is to be the chief executive and administrative officer of the Board, and may continue to serve as Chairman until a successor is appointed and qualified. Subsection (b) authorizes the President to designate one of the Board members as Vice Chairman. The Vice Chairman is authorized to perform the functions of the Chairman whenever the Chairman is absent or disabled, or whenever the office of Chairman is vacant. Subsection (c) authorizes the remaining Board member to perform the functions of the Chairman whenever both the Chairman and Vice Chairman are absent or disabled, or whenever both offices are vacant. Section 1204. Special Counsel; appointment and removal Subsection (a) provides that the Special Counsel of the Merit Sys- tems Protection Board is to be appointed by the President, subject to .Senate confirmation. The Special Counsel is to be an attorney. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Because the Special Counsel may be called upon to investigate pro- hibited personnel practices in the Executive branch and to bring dis- ciplinary actions against Executive branch oflici is, the Committee believed it is essential that the Special Counsel independent of .Presidential- direction and control. Accordingly, subsection (b) was added by the Committee to provide that the Special Counsel may be removed by the President only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or mal- feasance in office. The Committee believed, however, that a term of . seven years for the Special Counsel, as provided in the original version of S. 2640, was too long. Accordingly, subsection (a) has been amended to provide that the term of the Special Counsel is to be four years, and is to be coterminous with that of the President. It is expected that the Special Counsel will have regional representa- tives to enable him to carry out his function. Section 120,6. Rowers and fwnctione of the Merit System Protection Board; aubpena8 Subsection (a) sets forth, the general authority of the Merit. Sys- tems Protection Board to hear and adjudicate matters within its jurisdiction, to enforce its orders, to conduct special studies, and to issue stays. Paragraph (1), of the subsection authorizes the Board to hear and adjudicate all matters within the jurisdiction of the Board, including matters faillinp under this title, under Section 2023 of Title 38 (relat= ing to veterans reemployment rights), and under any other law, rule, or regulation. Action by the Merit Systems Protection Board, follow- ing any hearing or adjudication on any matter falling within its jurisdiction, constitutes final agency action for the purposes of judicial review. The committee included a provision (in subparagraph (B) of this subsection) making explicit the Board's enforcement authority. The Board is authorized to order any Federal agency or employee to comply with any order or decision issued by the Board pursuant to any matter within its jurisdiction, and to take appropriate steps to enforce com- pliance with its order. The Board is also authorized to conduct special studies relating to the civil service and other merit systems in the Executive Branch, and to report to the President and the Congress on the conduct of the merit system, and on whether the civil -service is being adequately protected against prohibited personnel practices. In paragraph (a) (2), the Committee adopted a provision authoriz- ing the Board to stay certain agency personnel actions. The stay is authorized whenever an employee complains of a reprisal arising out of whistle blowing, exercise of an appeal right or political activity (under Section 2302(b) (8) or (3) ), or arising out of the exercise of a legitimate appeal right (under Section 2302(b) (9) ), and the Special Counsel demonstrates! that there is a reasonable basis for the complaint. Under subparagraph (a) (2) (A), the stay may be issued by a member of the Board for up to 15 days. The proceeding may take place on an ex parte basis, and the agency is not required to either be notified or given an opportunity to present its views. .29 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-06003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 The Board is further authorized to extend the stay for an additional 30 days whenever the Special Counsel asks it to do so and demonstrates that a reprisal arising out of whistleblowing or political activity, or the exercise of an appeal right, has probably occurred or probably will occur. Before the extension may be issued, however, the agency must be given an opportunity to oppose the extension. If the agency demands a hearing, the-Board is required to provide one. The Board is authorized to. issue a permanent stay of the agency personnel action when requested to do so by the pecial Counsel, after a hearing in .which the Special Counsel, the employee involved, and the agency have an opportunity to present all relevant and material evidence. The hearing may take place before the Board, or before an employee whom the Board designates to conduct the hearing. On a showing that the personnel action resulted from a reprisal arising out of whistleblowing or political activity, or the exercise of an appeal right, the Board is authorized to grant a permanent stay of the agency personnel action. The Board is also authorized to grant appropriate interim relief during the period of time that the request for a permanent stay is pending. S. 2640, as introduced, had provided that the Special Counsel would have the authority to issue a stay of agency personnel actions in whistle blowing cases. The Committee believes that this function is inappro- priate for the Special Counsel, since the Special Counsel is primarily an investigative and enforcement officer. The power to issue a stay is more appropriately vested in the Board, since this power is consistent with the Board's quasi-judicial role. It is expected, however, that the Board will give great weight to the decision by the Special Counsel, after conducting whatever preliminary investigation the Special Coun- sel determines is appropriate, to apply to the Board for a stay in such cases. Paragraph (a) (3) provides that in conducting any hearing or ad- judication on any matter falling within its jurisdiction,' or in the course of rendering any decision on any matter falling within its juris- diction, any member of the Board may request from the Director of the Office of Personnel Management an advisory opinion on the interpreta-. tion of any OPM rule, regulation, or policy directive. Whenever an Office rule, regulation, or policy directive is an issue in such a proceed- ing, the Board is required to notify promptly the Director, and he -is authorized to intervene in such a proceeding, as long as he does so as early in the proceeding as practicable. Paragraph (a) (4) provides that as one means of enforcing its orders, the Board is authorized to designate an employee to be responsible for carrying out the order, and-to direct where an employee (other than a Presidential appointee as described in Section 1206(i)) is in noncom- pliance with an order of the Board, he is not entitled to receive any salary until the order is complied with. The Board is authorized to certify its order to the Comptroller General. Once such a certification is made, no payment may be made from the Treasury to the employee while the order is pending. Before certifying the matter to the Comp- troller General the Board should provide the employ ee some oppor- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 tuhity to be heard on whether he has failed to comply with the order of the Board. Paragraph (a) (5) provides that in conducting any studies on the merit system or on the protections against prohibited personnel prac- tices, the Board will determine which inquiries are necessary and shall have full access, unless otherwise prohibited by law, to the personnel records, or information collected by the Office of Personnel Manage- ment: In addition, the Board may require whatever additional reports from Executive Branch agencies it determines are needed. Subsection (b) authorizes the Chairman of the Merit Systems Pro- tection Board to designate individuals to chair boards of review estab- lished under Section 3383(b) of this title (relating to involuntary separation of air traffic controllers). Subsection (c) authorizes the Board to delegate performance of any of its administrative functions to any officer or employee of the Board.. Subsection (d) authorizes the Board to issue whatever rules and regulations it deems necessary to perform its functions. The regula tions may include rules which define the Board's review procedures, may set time limits during which an appeal may be filed, and may define the rights and responsibilities of parties to an appeal. Any such regulations issued under this subsection are required to be published in the Federal Register. The Board is not authorized to issue advisory opinions. Subsection (e) provides that the Board is to be represented by its own attorneys whenever the Board is a party to any proceeding in court, except that the Board is, to be represented by the Solicitor General of the United States in any proceeding before the Supreme Court. This will include instances where the Board is involved in court proceeding, under any provision of this title, including defending dis- ciplinary actions it has taken under section 1207, intervening in appel- late proceedings brought by the Board or other parties pursuant to section 7702, or any enforcement actions it brings under sections 1205 (a) (1).or 1205(i). This subsection is consistent with similar provisions adopted, for other recently-created independent commisions, such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Public Law 95-91). Subsection (f) authorizes the Chairman to appoint whatever per- sonnel are necessary to perform the Board's functions. Any appoint- ment to a position in the Senior Executive Service, or to a confidential or policy-making position, must comply with .the provisions-of-this title. '.However, such ' appointments are not subject to the specific approval or general supervision of the Office .of Personnel Manage- ment or the Executive Office of the President. Subsection (g) requires the Board. to prepare an annual budget, which is to be submitted simultaneously to the President and to the appropriate' committees' of Congress. In any subsequent budget sub- mitted by the President to the Congress. the President is required to list is revised proposed budget for the Board as a separate item. Subsection (h) provides that any recommendation on legislation that the Board. may have shall be simulaneously transmitted to. the appropriate committees of Congress and to the President. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090'001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 The Board is also required to submit an annual report to the Presi- dent and to Congress on its activities, including a description of all significant actions taken by the Board in connection with carrying out its functions. The annual report will also include a review and analysis of the actions of the Office of Personnel Management, as to whether or not the actions taken by the Office during the year covered by the report are in accord with merit system principles, and whether the Office is adequately preventing prohibited personnel practices. The type of re- port on OPM activities intended by this subsection is a general review of the policies and effectiveness of OPM. It is not expected that the Board will, in connection with each annual report, conduct an investi- gation of the internal operation of the OPM and its employees. Subsection (i) authorizes the Board, the Special Counsel, an Admin- istrative Law Judge appointed to the Board, or any member or em- ployee of the Board designated by the Board, to issue subpenas, administer oaths, take or order the taking of depositions, issue inter- rogatories, examine witnesses, and receive evidence, in connection with any matter within the Board's jurisdiction. In the event that the Board or Special Counsel finds it necessary to issue a subpena to a cabinet officer or other high-ranking Executive Branch official, the Board or Counsel should make every effort to minimize any potential disruption to the functioning of the agency which is involved. Subpenas are to be enforced by the Board or the Special Counse in the United States District Court for the judicial district in whic: the person to whom the-subpena is addressed either resides or is served. Any failure to obey an order of the court is punishable by contempt. Any witnesses appearing under, this subsection are to be paid the same fee and mileage allowances paid to subpenaed witnesses in the Federal courts. Section 1206. Authority and responsibilities of the Special Counsel Section 1206 specifies the authority and responsibilities of the. Spe- cial Counsel. Subsection (a) authorizes the Special Counsel to receive and investigate allegations of prohibited personnel practices. The Snecial Counsel may, on his own, initiate such investigations as well. The Special Counsel should'not passively await employee complaints, but rather, vigorously pursue merit system abuses on a systematic basis. He should seek action by the Merit Board to eliminate both individual instances of merit abuse and patterns of prohibited per- sonnel practices. Subsection (b) requires the Special Counsel to conduct an investiga- tion requested by any person if the Special Counsel has reason to believe that a personnel action was taken, or, is to be taken, ss a result of a prohibited personnel practice. The Special Counsel need not con- duct an investigation of a charge which appears nroundless or frivo- lous on its face. Some nreli!rnina.rv inquiry will likely be necessary, thoueh, to determine whether a charge warrants a thorough inquiry. The Special Counsel would not renuire information amounting to "probable cause" to conduct an investigation. Only a reasonable belief that a violation has occurred or will occur is sufficient basis for an investigation. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 It is expected that the Special Counsel will develop a systematic means of. screening. employee complaints and allegations. Investiga- tion and resolution of these complaints should be made on a timely basis. Subsection (c) specifies certain procedures for the Special Counsel to follow in cases involving alleged reprisal or threat of reprisal for the disclosure of information described in section 2302(b) (8) or exer- cise of an- appeal right under 2302(b) (9) of the title. In addition, an amendment by the Committee makes this subsection applicable to Hatch Act-type violations prohibited under section 2302(b) (3). Para- graph (1) prohibits the Secial Counsel from disclosing the identity of the complainant without the consent of the complainant. Protection of the complainant's identity is essential not only to prevent retalia- tion against the employee, but to assure a free flow of information to the Special Councel. The Special Counsel may only disclose the iden- tity. of the complainant without the complainant's consent if such disclosure is unavoidable. It is expected that disclosure of a com- plainant's identity will be necessary only in the rarest of circumstances. Paragraph (2) authorizes the Special Counsel to seek a stay of a personnel action. As discussed earlier, this is a change from S. 2640, as introduced, which would have permitted the Special Counsel to issue a stay on his own initiative. The duration of the stay and the conditions for obtaining a stay are set forth in -section 1205(.a) (2) of this title. This subsection makes it clear that refusal by an agency offi- cial to comply with any stay ordered by the Board or a member of the Board is cause for disciplinary action under subsection (j). Subsection (d) requires a report -by the Special Counsel, containing findings and recommendations, based on his determination that there are prohibited personnel practices which require corrective action. The report must be made to the Merit Systems Protection Board, the agency affected, and the Office of Personnel Management. The Special Counsel 'may, at his discretion, report his findings to, the President and Congress. The reports outlined in this `subsection are not required where the Special Counsel initiates an action before the Board to cor- rect or remedy the prohibited personnel practice since the Special Counsel's findings and recommendations would presumably be con- tained in any complaint the Special Counsel pursued before the Board. Even in these cases, however, the Special Counsel would still be au- thorized to report to the Office of Personnel Management, the agency affected, the President, and Congress. . Although the Special Counsel may in suggestions as to what corrective action should be taken, the final decision on the corrective action to be taken in those cases. which are not before the Merit Board will be made by the agency involved, subject to guidance and instruc- tion from the Office of Personnel Management. It is expected that the agency decision on what corrective action to be taken will be made on a timely basis with notification to all interested parties, including the Special Counsel. Subsection (e) sets forth the procedures to be followed if, during the course of an investigation authorized by the bill or transferred to the Board or Special Counsel by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978, the Special Counsel determines that there is reasonable cause to believe a Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 law has been violated. If the Special Counsel determines that there is reasonable cause to believe a criminal law has been violated, he must report that determination to the Attorney General and to the head of the agency involved. The Special Counsel must also submit a copy of such report to, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. If the Special Counsel determines that there is reason to believe a violation of a civil statute, or a rule or regulation has occurred, the Special Counsel must report that determination to the head of the agency involved. This subsection differs from subsection (f) because the latter sub- section is specifically intended to provide a channel for allegations con- cerning improper government activity. Referral of a report under sub- section (e) is at the Special Counsel's initiative, based on a determina- tion made by the Special Counsel. Subsection (e) differs from sub- section (d) in that reports made under subsection (d) involve only personnel matters. Reports under subsection (e) may involve violations of any criminal or civil .law. This provision does not authorize the Special Counsel to conduct investigations of non-personnel related laws. It provides for an appropriate referral System for further in- vestigation of possible non-personnel or criminal violations which the Special Counsel may discover during the course of his authorized investigations. The Special Counsel may require an agency head who receives a report by the Special Counsel to. certify in writing that (1) the agency head has personally reviewed the report, and (2) what action has been, or is to be taken, and when such action will be completed. Only a good faith estimate'of when the action will be completed is required, but some estimate should be made. The certification should be in writing and must be completed and referred to the Special Counsel within 30 days of receipt of the Special Counsel's report. This subsection requires the Special Counsel to maintain and make available to the public a list of noncriminal matters referred to agency heads under the subsection as well as the agency head's certifications of actions taken. The requirement that the Special Counsel maintain a public list of noncriminal matters referred to him is not intended to authorize the Special Counsel to disclose information that is classi- fied or protected against disclosure by statute. If the Special Counsel has reason to believe .that information that could be contained in 'A public list might be classified or protected against disclosure by statute, the Special Counsel, prior to including such information in a public list, should consult with the head of the agency involved to determine if any classified or protected information is involved. He shall accept the determination of the agency head as to whether the information is classified. In exercising his responsibilities under this subsection, -the Special Counsel should also consider the extent to which it is neces- sary in the public interest to disclose the name of any individual-em- ployee involved. Subsection (f) is an amendment adopted by the Committee to ad- dress another problem faced by whistleblowers. Often, after an em- ployee discloses an illegal or improper activity he becomes enmeshed in a personnel controversy : what should be done about him l The Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 underlying substantive allegation made by the employee, however, is frequently ignored or forgotten. This subsection is intended to provide a mechanism to ensure that responsible government officials are made aware of, and given the opportunity to act upon, the em- ployee's allegation of government misconduct. Paragraph (1) requires the Special Counsel to transmit informa- tion concerning any improper or illegal conduct as described in sub- section 2302(b) (2) of this title to the appropriate agency head. It is assumed, however that before such allegations are brought to the at- tention of the Special Counsel, an employee will first exhaust whatever internal procedures are available for bringing such allegations to the attention of agency officials. In addition, the Special Counsel is not authorized to receive information which is protected from dis-' closure by subsection 2302 (b) (8), and he need not transmit such in- formation if he does come into possession of such information. The Special Counsel is required to transmit all related mat- ters to the agency head, such as documents supporting the allega- tion. In contrast to subsection (e), the information received by the Special Counsel under this subsection need not be obtained during the course of an investigation into a personnel matter. Moreover, in referring the information, the Special Counsel is to make no deter- mination concerning the substance of the charge. The Special Counsel must refer the information to the appropriate agency head, who will in most cases be the head of the agency which the information involves. An agency head who receives information referred to him by the Special Counsel is not required to fully investigate the allegations. Nevertheless, if the agency head determines that the allegations are clearly substantial and he, or another appropriate official in the agency, conducts an investigation, the agency head must report the findings of the investigation along with the reasons supporting those findings to the Comptroller General. The subsection makes clear that the agency head is under no obligation to conduct an investigation concerning .allegations made by an employee of another agency. Of course, the agency head has the discretion to conduct such an investigation if it is deemed desirable. The special obligation of an agency to consider allegations mode by its own employees is intended to include allega- tions made by any one who has been an employee of the agency at some time within the past several years, but who subsequently resigned or-left the agency for any reason. Paragraph (2) requires the agency head to provide a summary of his activities in connection with the allegations to the Special Coun- sel. The summary, which should be transmitted on a- periodic basis, should provide sufficient detail to enable the Special Counsel to inform the individual who brought the matter to the Special Counsel about the disposition of his allegation. Paragraph (3) authorizes the Comptroller General to examine the agency s findings to determine whether the agency investigation is adequate and whether any corrective action taken by the agency is adequate. The Comptroller General has discretion to make as complete an investigation as he deems necessary to determine the adequacy of the agency action. The Comptroller General may report his exami- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 nation of the agency action to the Congress if the agency investigation or its proposed corrective action is inadequate. That the Comptroller General may also inform Congress when an agency investigation or corrective action is inadequate. Paragraph (4) requires the Special Counsel to keep confidential the identity of the person who discloses information under this subsection, in accordance with the provision in subsection (c) (1). Under paragraph (5), the General Accounting Office and the Spe- cial Counsel are required to report to Congress on their experience in handling disclosures under section 2302(b) (8) and investigations au- thorized by this subsection. The reports should include but not be limited to, an evaluation of the procedures established in this section. In addition to the Special Counsel's power to conduct investiga- tions under subsections (a) and (b), to bring disciplinary actions un- der subsection (i), and to institute corrective actions under subsection (j), subsection (g) (1) provides authority to conduct investigations in other areas. The Special Counsel is specifically authorized to inves- tigate certain other practices as specified below : (A) Political activity which is prohibited under subchapter III of Chapter 73 of this title (Hatch Act violations) ; (B) Political activity by any state or local officer or employee which is prohibited under chapter 15 of this title: (C) Arbitrary or capricious withholding of information under section 552 of this title (the Freedom of Information Act) ; and (D) Involvement by any employee in any prohibited discrim- ination found by any court or appropriate administrative author- ity to have occurred in the course of any personnel action. Clause (C) refers to 5 U.S.C. 552(a) (4) (F) which relates to court findings that information may have been withheld arbitarily or capri- ciously. The Special Connsel may investigate on the basis of such find- ings, and make recommendations to the opening involved, but it not given independent authority under this subparagraph to review the basis for withholding information from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The Special Counsel has the authority under sec- tion 552(a) (4) (f) to investigate and enforce the law against an em; ployee who has withheld information arbitrarily or capriciously. Clause.(D) authorizes the Special Copnsel to investigate, prelimi- nary to bringing disciplinary action, employees who have been found to be involved in any prohibited discrimination. In acting under this provision, disciplinary action against an individual employee should not take place until there has been an appropriate finding by an ad- ministrative agency or court. Paragraph (2) provides that the Special Counsel shall not make an investigation of any allegation involving Hatch Act violations, or dis- crimination under paragraph (1) if the Special Counsel determines that the allegation may be more appropriately resolved under an ad- ministrative appeals procedure. Subsection (h) provides that no disciplinary action may be taken by an acy against any employee for any alleged prohibited activity when, Ni thaactivity or related activity is under investigation by the Special Counsel, unless the Special Counsel approves such disciplinary action. This subsection will assure that the Special Counsel's investi- pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090Q01-1 1501 gations may not be short-circuited by agency disciplinary action, and that the employee will be afforded all rights available through a com- plete investigation by the Special Counsel. Subsection (i) authorizes the Special Counsel to bring a disci- plinary action against an employee-who commits a prohibited person-? nel practice. If the Special Counsel determines, after an investigation under this section, that disciplinary action should be taken against an employee because the employee has allegedly committed a prohibited personnel practice, the Special Counsel must prepare a written com- plaint against the employee. The complaint must contain a determina- tion by the Special Counsel that the employee may have committed a prohibited personnel practice. The Special Counsel must present the complaint containing the determination, together with a statement of supporting facts, to the Merit Systems Protection Board or to an administrative law judge appointed under section 3105, of this title, and designated by the Board, for hearing and decision pursuant to sec- tion 1207. Under subsection (i) (2), this provision does not apply to an employee in a confidential policy-making, policy-determining, or policy advocating position who was appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. If the Special Counsel makes a determination that disciplinary action should be taken against such a presidential appointee because of a prohibited personnel practice by the employee, the Special Counsel must present a complaint and statement, includin the Special Counsel's determination that discipli- nary action should taken, to the President in lieu of the Board or administrative law judge. This statement and complaint should also include any response by the employee who is the subject of such com- plaint. Subsection (j), paragraph (1), authorizes the Special Counsel to bring disciplinary action against any employee who knowingly and willfully refuses or fails to comply n with an order of the Merit stems Protection Board. I case involving an employee described in sub- section (i) ((2), the Special Counsel must submit to the President, in lieu of the Board a report on the actions of the employee which must include the information described in subsection (i) (2). Any disciplinary action taken under this subsection must be in accordance with the procedures set forth in section 1207 of this title. Paragraph (2) of subsection (j) is a Committee amendment which authorizes the Special Counsel to seek corrective action of any pattern of prohibited personnel pract (b) ice arising out of any of the subpara- graphs under section 2302, which is committed by an agency or employee or permitted by an agency or employee to occur. Such cor- rective action would be initiated by filing a written complaint with the Board against the agency or such employee. Typically, this kind? of complaint would be made if the practice involved matters which are not otherwise appealable to the Board under this title. For exam- ple, there may be hiring or promotion practices which violate merit system principles but which may not give rise to an appealable action under this title. Similarly, competitive examinations may be ad- ministered in such a way as to constitute a violation of section 2302. Under this paragraph, the Special Counsel would have authority to seek corrective action, and the Board is empowered to order such cor- rective action as it finds necessary. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 An amendment in Committee added subsection (k) which authorizes the Special Counsel to intervene as a matter of right or otherwise par- ticipate in any proceeding before the Merit Systems Protection Board. In doing so, the Special Counsel is required to comply with the rules of the Board. The Special Counsel will not have any right of appeal to the courts in connection with his intervention before the Board. Under subsection (1), the Special Counsel is authorized to appoint legal, administrative and support personnel to perform the functions of the Special Counsel. The Committee added a provision excluding the qualifications of a part icular individual for any appointment made under this subsection from the approval or supervision of the Office of Personnel Management or the Executive Office of the President. Subsection (m) authorizes the Special Counsel to prescribe such regulations as may be necessary for investigations under this section. Those regulations must be published in the Federal Register. Subsection (n) prohibits the Special Counsel from issuing any ad- visory opinion concerning any law, rule or regulation. The prohibition does not apply to chapter 15 and subchapter 3 of chapter 73 of this title (political activity provisions) or any rule or regulation issued under those provisions. Subsection (o) requires the Special Counsel to submit an annual report to Congress concerning his activities. The annual report must describe the work of the Special Counsel, including the number, types, and disposition of allegations of prohibited personnel practices filed with him, investigations conducted by him, and actions initiated by him before the Board. The report must also describe the recommenda- tions and reports made by the Special Counsel to other agencies pursu- ant to subsections (d) and (e) of this section, and the actions taken by the agencies as a result of the reports or recommendations. It will simi- larly include a discussion of reports and recommendations concerning presidential appointees under subsections (i) and (j). The report will also include recommendations for legislation or other action by Con- gress-the Special Counsel deems appropriate. Section 1207. Hearings and decision on complaints filed by the special counsel Section 1207 sets forth the hearing procedures for complaints pre- sented under section 1206 of this title. It provides that any employee against whom a complaint has been presented to the Merit Systems Protection Board or to an administrative law judge under section 1206 is entitled to a hearing. That hearing will be on the record before the Board or before an administrative law judge appointed under section 3105 and designated by the Board. Hearings involving a state or local officer or employee under chapter 15, of this title (political activity ,provisions) must be conducted in accordance with section 1505. There may be no administrative appeal from a final order of the Board. A final order of the Board may impose disciplinary action including removal, demotion, debarment from Federal employment for not to ex- ceed 5 years, reprimand, suspension, or a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000. In the case of a state or local officer or employee under chapter 15 of this title, the Board is required to act in accordance with section 1506. An employee subject to a final disciplinary order may obtain Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1503 judicial review in the United States Court of Appeals for the circuit in which the employee was employed at the time the disciplinary action was initiated. Section 201(b) of the bill contains various conforming and technical amendments. Paragraph (1) amends section 5314 of title 5 of the United States Code to include the Chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board in the list of positions at level III of the Executive Schedule. Paragraph (2) similarly sets the members of the MSPB at level IV of the Executive Schedule. The positions of Chairman and Commissioners of the Civil Service Commission are deleted from the Executive Schedule. The Special Counsel of the MSPB also is to be compensated at level IV of the Executive Schedule. Paragraph (4) deletes the position of Executive Director of the Civil Service Com- mission from the Executive Schedule. Section 201(c) of the bill provides that the term of office of the first individual appointed and confirmed as the Special Counsel shall expire on the last day of the term of the President during which he was appointed. This section will allow each subsequent term of a Special Counsel to be coterminous with that of the President, in keeping with the Committee's amendment to section 1204(a) of this title. Section 201(d) conforms the table of chapters to include a provision for the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Special Counsel. SECTION 203. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL AND ACTIONS BASED ON UNACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE The purpose of section 203 is to provide for new systems of apprais- ing employee work performance. The principal changes it makes in chapter 43 of title 5, United States Code, are the following : -Abolishment of present requirements for summary adjective ratings and appeals for performance ratings; -Establishment of revised performance appraisal system to be used as a basis for developing, rewarding, reassigning, de- moting, promoting, retaining and removing employees; and -Establihsment of new procedures for taking actions based on unacceptable performance. Under present law, all employees are rated under plans which pro- vide for at least three summary adjective ratings-satisfactory, un- satisfactory, and outstanding. The present performance appraisal system is the source of frequent complaints by both managers and employees. The complaints concern 1) the requirement for assign- ment of summary adjective ratings, 2) the procedures for appeal of ratings, and 3) the lack of importance attached to the ratings since they are not used as the basis for administrative action. Since 1950, a number of changes have occurred which have diminished the importance of the summary adjective performance rating. Entitlement to within-grade increases for General Schedule employees is now based on a separate acceptable level of competence determination. As a result of court decisions, an agency must follow adverse action procedures if an employee with an unsatisfactory rat- ing is to be reduced in grade, rank, or pay, or removed from the service. pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- These two changes greatly diminished the importance of the summary ad'ective rating. in addition, few outstanding ratings are assigned because the statutory criterion requires outstanding performance in all aspects of the job. a criterion that extremely few individuals can meet. The unsatisfactory rating is little-used because the assignment of such a rating can have a useful purpose only with follow-on action which is usually time-consuming, expensive, and aggravating for all parties concerned. Under the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 4305, an employee is now entitled to an impartial review of the rating within the agency as well as a hearing before a board of review chaired by a member designated by the Civil Service Commission. This review and hearing process relates only to the rating itself. If an unsatisfactory rating is sustained through this process, and it is decided to remove the em- ployee, such action must then be initiated and processed under the adverse action procedures. Thus, the entire process for taking action on the basis of unsatisfactory performance is slow. It serves as a deterrent to taking action that might otherwise be appropriate. The bill repeals the requirement for assignment of summary adjec- tive ratings and the provision for appeals of ratings. The bill provides that appraisals of performance for all purposes shall be made within a single, interrelated system. Finally, the bill makes the performance ratings given under the system more meaningful than in the past.The rating an employee re- receives should be a consideration in rewarding or promoting an em- ployee and in decisions about demotion or removal from the Federal service. Salary increases under the merit pay system proposed by title V of the bill will be based on the performance ratings system provided by this section. Section 203 of the bill also establishes new procedures to govern personnel action taken against an employee by an.agency because of unacceptable performance, and for the appeal of these actions to the Merit System Protection Board. The provisions are designed to remedy the widespread criticism of the present system. Inordinate procedural requirements and unreasonable standards have been repeatedly identified as some of the chief reasons why managers cur- rently are reluctant to take action against employees on the grounds of unacceptable performance. Figures supplied the Committee by the Civil Service Commission illustrate the problem. In 1976, the Civil Service Commission remanded 41% of all the cases appealed to it where an agency sought to remove an employee for incompetence. The prospect of successfully dealing with the appeals process, to ensure that the person is not returned to the rolls, causes managers to go through a long process of preparation that can take months or longer. Often the manager's conclusion is that the task is too formidable and he abandons the effort. At the least, the process is excessively delayed, and far more time of the managers must be devoted to the process than is justified. The bill adopts new procedures to remedy this problem. These new procedures will make it possible to act against ineffective employees with reasonable dispatch, while still providing the employee his due process rights. pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Section 4301. De fcnition8 . Section 4301 defines the coverage of this subchapter. It provides that this subchapter applies to executive agencies as well as the Adminis- trative Office of the United States Courts and the Government Printing Office. This continues existing coverage. Section 4301 terminates cur- rent statutory exclusions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a civilian officer or member of a crew of a vessel operated by the De- partment of the Army or the Department of the Navy. This section specifically excludes a government corporation and the General Accounting Office. It also excludes the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and such other agencies or units thereof whose principal function is the conduct of foreign intelligence or counter-intelligence if the President, in his discretion, determines such exemption is required. . Certain employees of other specified agencies are expressly excluded from the subchapter, in large part because they are already governed by other appraisal systems or because they are in a special status. This includes Foreign Service officers, members of the Senior Execu- tive Service esablished by title V of the bill, presidential aTeo intees, and administrative law judges. This section also authorizes Office of Personnel Management to exclude an agency or positions not in the competitive service from this subchapter. This authorization gives OPM the flexibility to make exceptions to the coverage of this sub- chapter whenever it determines that an exception is in the interest of good administration, and to revoke an administrative exception when no longer warranted. It is expected that this authority to exempt agen- cies or positions will be used sparingly. Finally, "unacceptable performance" is defined as performance which fails to meet established requirements in one or more critical elements of this job. This definition is currently contained in regulation. Section 4302. E8tabliRhment of Performance Appraisal Systems . Section 4302 (a) details the objectives of the performance appraisal systems, and requires agencies to develop and establish one or more performance appraisal systems which will encourage superior per- formance. Any system established by an agency must meet the criteria established by this section. The provision requires "periodic appraisals" of job performance. Under current regulations, ratings are required at least annually. The Civil Service Commission has informed the Committee that it anticipates that a similar requirement will be established under this provision. The section specifically encourages employee participation in estab- lishing performance objectives. Experience has shown that doing so motivates employees to accomplish the objectives. Management will have the ultimate responsibility under this section, however, to es- tablish the performance standards. Section 4302(a) specifically provides that the ratings derived from the performance appraisal system will be used as a basis for a wide variety of personnel actions. Section 4302(b) sets forth the basic requirement that performance appraisal systems conform to regulations issued by the Office of Per- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 sonnel Management and the basic requirements for appraisal sys- tems. The Office of Personnel Management will issue guidelines and make technical assistance available for performance appraisal, but agencies will have great flexibility to choose or develop their own systems.. Agencies should determine what type of performance ap- praisal methods best suit their needs. This may range from a tradi- tional system to a management by objectives type of system, with more than one system used for different groups of employees. For ex- ample, within the same agency, a management-by-objectives system might be used for ,professional and managerial employees and a tradi- tional system might be used for clerical or wage employees. Any performance appraisal system should put primary emphasis on the quality of the employee's work. Moreover. a performance evalua- tion of a supervisor or manager should consider the performance of that employee's subordinates. These tailored systems should not be more complex than necessary to meet an agency's particular needs. Unnecessary paperwork burdens should be avoided. Performance ap- praisal is an integral part of management, however, and any time which may be required to implement the system should be more than fully justified by improved employee performance. Agencies are required to establish performance requirements and standards of performance at the beginning of the rating period and to communicate them-though not necessarily in written form-to employees. Employees' performance appraisals must be based on these previously established performance standards. Agencies are required to take action, based on performance ap- praisals, to : (1) recognize and reward employees whose performance warrants it; (2) assist employees whose performance is unacceptable to im- prove; and (3) reassign, demote, or separate employees whose perform- ancq continues to be unacceptable. Section 4302(b) (4) specifies that an adverse action should be taken against an employee with an unacceptable performance rating only after the employee has had an adequate opportunity to improve his job performance. The bill does not require, however, that the agency's decision whether to take action against an employee must, in each in- stance, be governed by the performance of an employee during the specific 30- or 60-day notice period afforded him under section 4303. Section 4303(a)-(e). Action Ba8ed on Unacceptable Performance The section specifies the specific procedures applicable at both the agency level and on appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board. An employee may be removed or demoted at any time during the per- formance appraisal cycle that performance becomes unacceptable. The actions primarily contemplated are reduction in grade or dismissal from the service. In accordance with current practice, it is not intended that the term "demote" entitles an employee to the bill's procedural protection when the employee is reduced in rank. Under the procedures specified by section 4303(b) an employee is entitled at the agency level to : Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1507 1. At least 30 days written advance warning of the action pro- posed which states the expected standard of performance, and the areas in which the employee's performance is not acceptable; 2. Be accompanied by an attorney or other representative; 3. Reply orally and in writing to the proposed action; 4. A written decision which states the reasons for the decision. The decision must be concurred in by a higher level official than the official who proposed the action, except when the action was proposed by the head of the agency. The purpose of this procedure is to provide the employee with notice that his.performance is not acceptable, to permit the employee to reply to the proposed action and the reasons for the action, and to give a decision, whether favorable or unfavorable, to the employee. The employee may not be represented by an individual whose activities as representative would cause a conflict of interest. The requirement for concurrence in the decision by a higher level official is a safeguard against taking unwarranted or ill-considered actions. The provisions do not authorize an agency to conduct a full pre- termination hearing in lieu of the procedures outlined in the bill. Such hearings are not permitted by this section. The Committee added to section 4303(b), as proposed in the orig- inal- bill, the requirement that the advance notice to the employee must specifically cite any failure by the employee during the past year which the agency may consider when making a decision on the pro- posed action. An agency may consider, for example, a previous pro- posal to remove that was not carried out because of short-term im- provement in performance. Unless the particular failure to perform acceptably is cited in the advance notice, the agency may not rely upon it as a grounds for demoting or removing the employee. One of the chief differences between the procedures currently appli cable at the agency level and the proposed procedures concerns the standard governing the agency's action. Under current law, an em- ployee.may be dismissed- for unacceptable performance only if dis- missal would improve the efficiency of the service. As a practical matter, agencies have found it very difficult to prove this to. the degree required by courts through a series of judicial decisions. Section 4303 (a) imposes a new standard.. It. is "performance which fails to meet established requirements in one or more critical elements of the job." The Committee intends that this new standard should not be governed by the existing case law defining the present standard, "such cause as will promote the efficiency of the service." Section 4303 places two restrictions on agencies to assure prompt decisions on proposed demotions and removals. First, subsection (c) states that an agency may provide the employee with a notice period of more than 60 days only in accordance with regulations issued by the Office of Personnel Management. Second, an agency has a maximum of 30 days from the date the notice period' expires in which to issue a decision'to retain, remove, or demote an employee. Subsection (d) provides that when no action is taken against the employee following the notice, and the employee's performance con- tinues to be acceptable for one year. from the date of the advance warn- ing, any record of the unacceptable performance must be removed Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 from the employee's official records. The purpose of this subsection is to provide that when an employee improves his performance to an acceptable level and maintains that improved level of performance, he not be adversely affected by a record of previously unacceptable performance. Subsection (e) grants a right of appeal to the Merit Systems Pro- tection Board to employees who are preference eligibles or in the com- petitive service and who are demoted or removed for unacceptable performance. Up until now, non-preference eligibles have been af- forded the right to appeal adverse actions only through Executive Order. This provision establishes this statutory right of appeal for the first time. Section 4303(f). Appellate procedures Subsection (f) specifies that before the Board such appeal will be governed in part by the same procedures as employee appeals filed with-the Merit Systems Protection Board from agency actions taken on other grounds. However, there are some important differences mandated by the special nature of actions taken for unacceptable per- formance. An agency's assessment of an employee's overall perform- ance in light of its needs and standards may be the most important part.of the case. Yet it may be less susceptible to proof through traditional trial-type procedure than when the agency takes an adverse action on the basis of employee misconduct which is linked to specific, provable offenses. As a result, the provision adopts procedures which will protect the right of employees, while also taking into account the needs of the agency to assure an efficient and productive work force. The provision was adopted only after the original wording was amended to assure that these goals were in fact achieved. The most important part of the procedure is the way it allocates the burden of proof, and the standard of proof it adopts. Under the provision, as amended, the agency will have the initial burden before the Board of going forward with- its case. The bill, as introduced, did not put this initial burden expressly on the agency. The agency action cannot be ultimately upheld under any circum- stances unless the agency first makes a prima facie case justifying its action. Once the agency meets this initial burden, the employee will be expected to introduce his own evidence, discredit the record made by the agency, or present whatever arguments he` wishes. Following the submissions by both the employee and the agency, the Board will decide the case. At such point, the burden of persuasion, or the risk of nonpersuasion, will be on the employee. When deciding the case on appeal, the agency will be upheld by the Board unless- "(A) the agency's procedures contained error that sub- stantially impaired the rights of the employee; "(B) the agency's decision was based on discrimina- tion . ; "`(C) there is no reasonable basis on the record for the agency's decision; or Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 ?44 (D) the agency's decision involved a prohibited personnel practice, or was otherwise contrary to law." Under this standard the Board must find that there is reasonable basis for the agency's decision whenever it concludes that a reasonable man could--ten the basis of the record-have acted as the agency did, even if it is also possible to conclude that another course of action would also have been reasonable. In reviewing agency action taken under this section, both the Board and the courts should give deference to the .judgment by each agency of the employee's performance in light of the agency's assessment of its own personnel needs and standards. The additional procedures governing appeals to the Board from actions taken for unacceptable performance, such as the availability of summary judgment procedures, are otherwise identical to those applicable to other Board appeals. The provisions are discussed below in connection with the bill's amendments to section 7701. Under the provisions of Section 1206 (b) the Special Counsel will be free to participate in any appeals proceeding involving the demotion or removal of an employee. The Special Counsel will be able to present such evidence, .and make such points, that he considers desirable to further the elimination of prohibited personnel procedures and com- pliance with the civil service laws. Section 4303 (g) -Coverage of procedures New section 4303 (g) provides that the procedural protections gov- erning actions based on unacceptable performance do not apply in certain probationary periods. Consistent with the bill's amendments to section 3321 (a) (2) of title V (section 301 of the'bill), the provi- sions do not apply to an employee serving a probationary period in an initial supervisory or managerial position, even if he had previ- ously completed his probationary period of service in connection with another position which was not supervisory or managerial in nature. Subsection (g) further .provides that the procedures in this section do not'apply generally to the separation or demotion of an individual in the competitive service who has not completed either a probationary or trial period, or if there is no formal probationary period, one year of current continuous service (other than under a temporary ap- pointment limited to one year or less). Nor does it apply to an indi- vidual in the excepted service who has not completed one Year of cur- rent continuous employment in the same or similar positions. The language of this provision is parallel to that for adverse action cover- age under chapter 75 of title 5, U.S.C. The probationary or trial period, or the first year of service under an appointment for which there is no probationary or trial period, is an extension of the exam- ining process to determine an employee's ability to actually perform the duties of the position. It is inappropriate to restrict an agency's authority to separate an employee who does not perform acceptably during this period. Section 4304. Responsibilities of the Ofwe of Personnel Management This section identifies the responsibilities of the Office of Personnel Management in providing technical assistance to agencies in develop- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 ing performance appraisal systems and requiring corrective action when a system does not meet the requirements of law and implement- ing regulations. The present requirement for prior approval of plans is not continued in this proposed revision. This is consistent with the intent of the bill to avoid excessive centralization in a personnel agency of'the responsibility for implementing the personnel laws. Section 4305. Regulations This section authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to issue regulations to carry out the purposes of this subchapter on performance appraisal systems. The bill specifically provides, how- ever; that in doing so the OPM does not have the authority to issue regulations which directly or indirectly undercut the authority and jurisdiction of the Board to regulate the procedures governing ap- peals from an agency's action based on unacceptable performance, or the responsibility of the Board to decide such cases on the basis of its own interpretation of applicable law. The first part of section 204 amends the current provisions in chapter 75 of title V governing adverse actions not appealable from the agency to the Board. In addition to conforming changes, the amendments add several additional procedural protections, such as the right of an employee to submit additional kinds of documentary evidence to the agency, and to reply- orally as well as in writing to the charges. The bill does not substantially alter, however, the basic nature of the procedures applicable to adverse actions not appealable to the Board. Section 204 (a) of the bill also substantially amends subchapter II of chapter 75, governing personnel actions that result in removals, sus- pensions for more than 30 days, reductions in grade or pay, and fur- loughs without pay. The actions covered in subchapter II may be appealed by the employee to the Board. These provisions govern any such action where the basis of the agency action is misconduct or any other cause besides unacceptable performance. Actions based on un- acceptable performance are governed by chapter 43, as added by sec- tion 203 of the bill. ,The bill amends the subchapter in a number of different ways which increase the procedural protections afforded employees, while also protecting the right of agencies to be able to maintain the most efficient workforce possible. Among the more important procedural changes made by this por- tion of the bill are the following : -Statutory due process rights in adverse actions are extended to all competitive service employees, not just veteran preference eligibles; -OPM is authorized to extend adverse action and appeals cover- age to positions excepted from the competitive service; -Reduction in rank is eliminated as an appealable adverse action; -The procedural protections afforded employees at the agency level are increased or codified in statute for the first time. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1511 SUBCHAPTER I-SUSPENSION FOR 30 DAYS OR LESS. Section 7501. Definitions Section 7501 defines the employee coverage of this subchapter and the term "suspension." This subchapter applies to competitive service employees who are serving under career, career-conditional, and other non-temporary appointments, and who have completed a probationary or trial period. This definition of employee would include all com- petitive service employees who are currently -covered by these pro- cedural protections. It does not apply to members of the Senior Execu- tive Service, employees not in the competitive service who are excluded from coverage by OPM regulation, or an employee in an agency or unit of an agency engaged in foreign intelligence or counter-intelli- gence excluded from the application of the merit systems principles by section 2301. For the first time, the term suspension is defined in statutory lan- guage as a disciplinary action temporarily denying an employee. his duties or pay. The bill follows the definition of the term previously adopted by the Civil Service Commission in its policy issuances. Section 7502. Actions Covered Section 7502 specifies that this subchapter covers suspensions of 30 days or less. The provisions of this subchapter do not apply to the suspension of an employee under present section 7532 of this title, which outlines the procedures to be followed when such an action is taken in the interest of national security; nor do they apply to disciplinary actions taken by the Board under section 1207 upon a complaint filed with it by the Special Counsel pursuant to section 1206. Section 7503. Cause and Procedure Subsection (a) provides that an action to suspend an employee must be taken in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management, As in current law the agency may take such action only "for' such cause as will promote the efficiency of the service." Subsection (b) defines the rights of an employee against whom a suspension of 30 days or less is proposed. These include the rights currently provided by statute. In addition, the right to furnish mate- rial in support of the answer is expanded to include, in addition- to affidavits, other documentary evidence which the employee may wish to submit. The employee is also accorded the right to reply orally and to be accompanied by an attorney or other representative. It is expe' t ed that, by regulation, OPM will provide employees the right to review material on which the agency has relied in proposing an action. An employee who is suspended for 30 days or less is entitled to have the action reviewed by the employing agency, but has no right of appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board. In the alternative, this type of action may be the subject of grievance procedures established by labor-management agreements under title VII of this bill. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- Section 7504. Regulations Section 7504 authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to issue regulations to carry out the purposes of this subchapter. SUBCHAPTER II-REMOVAL, SUSPENSION FOR MORE THAN 30 DAYS, REDUCTION IN GRADE OR PAY, OR FURLOUGH FOR 30 DAYS OR LESS Section 7511. Definitions; application. Subsection (a) provides a statutory basis for the procedural pro- tections and appeal rights now granted employees in the competitive service who are serving under career, career-conditional, or certain other non-temporary appointments, and who have completed a proba- tionary or trial period. Protections against arbitrary or capricious actions have become established by practice and Executive Order-but not by statute-as a basic right of competitive service employees. It is appropriate that the rights extended to nonpreference eligibles be made statutory rights.. It also continues the present coverage of em- ployees serving ,under certain other appointments, for which there is no probationary or trial period, after they complete one year of cur- rent continuous employment. The changes in the wording of this sub- section from existing law provide coverage to employees serving under several kinds of appointments not in existence at the time the present law was enacted. Subparagraph (1) (B) of subsection (a) reaffirms procedural pro- tections and appeals rights of preference eligibles in the excepted serv- ice. This subsection does not, however, repeal specific exceptions to the provisions of this subchapter which are contained in the organic legis- lation of certain agencies, such as the Central Intelligence Agency, whose employees are excepted from the competitive service by statute. The phrase "one year of current continuous service in the same or similar positions," which defines the extent of coverage of employees in the excepted service, is intended to be the same as that currently used in civil service regulations. Definitions (2), (3), (4) and (5) are defined elsewhere in title 5 or in civil service regulations or policy issuances and are added for uniformity and clarity. Subsection (b) identifies the three groups of positions to which this. subchapter does not apply. The first exception is for positions which require Senate confirmation. The exception is continued from current law. The second, a new exception for positions of a confidential, policy- determining, policy-making or policy advocating character, is an extension of the exception for appointments confirmed by the Senate. These positions are currently placed in Schedule C (positions at GS-15 and below), or filled by Non-Career Executive Assignment (GS-16, -17, and -18). The concept of tenure and protection against dismissal is contrary to the confidential relationship between incum- bent and supervising official, and the commitment to Administration policy objectives, required by those filling such positions. Positions excepted from the competitive service will not automati- cally be exempted from the procedures governing adverse actions. A further determination must be made that a position meets the confi- Arrwcrl For Releas pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-000038000300090001-1 dential or policy-making criteria established by the section. This ex- clusionary authority must be read in conjunction with section 7511(c), discussed below, which authorizes OPM to include within the sub- chapter's procedural protections other employees outside the competi- tive service who are not in such confidential or policy-making jobs. In the case of a position excepted from the competitive service by administrative action rather than statute, the determination to exclude the position shall be made by the Office of Personnel Management. A determination that a position in the statutorily excepted service is of comparable confidential, policy-determining, policy advocacy or policy-making character shall be primarily made by the head of the agency, under criteria established by OPM regulation. The third exception is for positions in'the Senior Executive Service. Procedures for taking disciplinary action against an individual in the SES are contained in title IV of this bill. The fourth exception tracks the exemption for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence agencies, similarly provided for in section 2301. - Subsection (c) provides that the Office of Personnel Management may by regulation extend the provisions which it administratively excepted from the competitive service. These positions are now ex- cepted under Schedules A and B because competitive examinations cannot be administered. Although many positions in the administra- tively excepted service are career positions in the sense that em- ployees spend their careers in the positions, only preference eli-\ gables are currently entitled to adverse action coverage. This subsection permits the Office of Personnel Management, in its discretion, to extend adverse action and appeal coverage to positions or groups of positions which meet criteria it establishes for granting these rights. Section 7512. Actions covered This section identifies the actions covered by this subchapter : re- movals, suspensions for more than 30 days, reductions in grade; reduc- tions in pay of an amount exceeding one step of the employee's grade or 3 percent of the employee's basic pay; and furloughs for 30 days or less. Furloughs 'for more than a total of 30 days shall continue to be reduction-in-force actions taken under section 3502 of this title. The present statutory language includes a reference to "reduction'in rank." This reference is deleted so as to eliminate reduction in rank as an appealable action. In 1944, when the procedural rights were first ex- tended employees, thousands of positions were not covered by any posi- tion classification system. Consequently, where there was no reduction in compensation, it was necessary to look to something else, for example, the individual's relative standing in the agency's organizational struc- ture, to determine whether an adverse action.had been taken. However, all or most positions in the competitive service, with rare exception, are now covered by position classification or job-grading systems, with pay related directly to the grade of the position as determined under those systems. The concept of "rank" as a separate category of appeal- able actions is no longer necessary. This change will also more closely relate the protections afforded to the severity of the action taken. It will increase the flexibility of agencies to assign employees to positions AppFeyed Fer Release 22007.105_/14 SI.4-RDPRr;-nnnn'lRnon3noog0001 1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 and duties where they are needed without having to take an adverse action against an employee when the job title or duties have changed, but the grade has not. The provision also excludes reductions in pay of less than 3% of the employee's basic pay, or one step of the employee's grade. Finally, this subchapter does not apply to a disciplinary action in- itiated by the Special Counsel against a Federal, state or local em- ployee. The specific procedural protections contained in the new sec- tion 1207 will instead govern. Additional exceptions conforming this section to other provisions in title V cover employees subject to section 7532 (national security), supervisors or managers who have not completed their probationary, period, and employees who are subject to adverse actions on the basis of unacceptable performance. Section 4303 of title V, as amended by this bill, covers employees demoted or removed for unacceptable per- formance. As under current law, appeals arising out of reduction in force actions will be governed by section 3502 rather than this subchapter. Section 7513. Cau8e and procedure Subsection (a) provides that an agency may take an adverse action of the kind described in section 7512 against an employee for such cause as will promote the efficiency of the service. Any action taken must comply with regulations prescribed by the Office of Personnel Manage- ment. These are identical to current statutory provisions relating to adverse actions. Subsection (b) specifies the minimum rights of an employee against whom an adverse action is proposed. These are: 1. At- least thirty days' advance written notice of the proposed action. The thirty day period may be reduced only when there is rea- sonable cause to believe the employee is guilty of a crime for which a sentence of imprisonment can be imposed. The notice must state "spe- cific reasons" for the proposed action. The latter is a change from the current statutory provision which requires that the notice of proposed adverse action state "any and all reasons, specifically and in detail." The change is intended to reduce the degree of detail now sometimes required in order to avoid reversal on procedural grounds. The agency must still tell the employee the reasons for the proposed action in sufficient detail to allow the employee to make an informed reply. 2.. A reasonable time to answer orally and in writing and to furnish material to support the answer. Under this provision, the employee's rights are expanded to permit the employee to submit other documen- tary evidence in addition to affidavits. The term "answer orally" is substituted for "answer personally." The intent, however is still that the employee have the opportunity to make an oral reply, in person, to an individual authorized to make or recommend a decision on the proposed action. The right of the employee to review material on which an agency has relied in proposing an action is now provided by regulation. It is expected the right will be continued by regulations issued by OPM. 3. To be accompanied by an attorney or other representative. This provides a new statutory right. The right to be accompanied by a representative at the pre-decision stage is currently authorized by a Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 number of agencies, but the statutory right to representation is re- stricted to the appellate stage of the action. It is appropriate that the right be extended by statute to the predecision stage. The employee may not, however, be represented by an individual whose activities as representative would cause a conflict of interest. The provision does not authorize an employing agency to pay the cost of an employee's representative, but does not disturb existing provisions relating to use of official time to represent another employee. 4. A written decision, including a statement of those reasons in the notice of proposed adverse action which have been found sustained, and those which have not been sustained, must be ' furished the em- ployee at the earliest practicable date. Subsection (c) retains with the agency head the discretionary au- thority he now possesses to provide the opportunity for a hearing, at the reply stage, which would include the right to examine witnesses, prior to the final agency decision in proposed actions. Only two agen- cies, according to the Civil Service Commission, now provide pre- termination hearings for all employees, HEW and NLRB. The specific inclusion of this provision is 'intended to preserve, not to alter, the full discretion the agency now has to decide whether to grant such pretermination hearings. Subsection (d) establishes an employee's right to appeal an ad- verse action effected under this subchapter to the Merit Systems Pro- tection Board. The procedures governing such appeals are contained in section 7701, discussed below. Subsection (e) requires that certain documents, all of which are pro- vided by or furnished to the employee, relating to adverse actions be made a part of the agency's records, and furnished, on request, to the Merit Systems Protection Board to insure that a record of the action is retained and available if the action is appealed. Section 7514. Regulation This section authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to issue regulations to carry out the purposes of this subchapter. OPM does not have authority, however, to issue regulations which would under- mine the authority of the Board directly or indirectly to regulate the procedures under which it reviews matters appealed to it, or the au- thority of the Board to decide matters in accordance with its interpre- tation of applicable law. The provision so specifies. SECTION 205. APPEALS Section 205 reenacts chapter 77 of title V with a number of amend- ments. This section makes important changes in the procedures gov- erning review by the Board and the courts of adverse actions, such as removals, and other appealable actions taken by an agency. The changes protect the right of employees, recognized by the Supreme Court in Arnett v. Kennedy, 416 U.S. 134 (1974), to a full and fair considera- tion of their case. At the same time, they are intended to give agencies greater, ability to remove or discipline expeditiously employees who engage in misconduct, or whose work performance is unacceptable. Henceforth, the Board and the courts should only reverse agency actions under the new procedures where the employee's rights under this title have been substantially prejudiced. 33-782 0 - 79 - Vol. II - 16 ease 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Section 205 makes a number of important changes in current law. Among other changes, it -Guarantees the employee the right to an evidentiary, hearing whenever questions of fact are in dispute; -Directs the Board to consider appeals in an expeditious manner and establishes procedures to assure that this is achieved; -Provides for the award of attorney fees to employees in certain cases; -Alters the standards governing appellate review of an agency action to eliminate unwarranted reversals of agency actions; -Eliminates evidentiary hearings in appellate cases where there are no genuine and material issues of fact in dispute; -Authorizes the Board to combine cases on appeal before it, and to take other action to expedite appellate review where to do so would not prejudice the rights of employees; -Encourages more consistent judicial decisions on review by pro- viding for judicial review by the Court of Claims or the U.S. Court of Appeals rather than by U.S. District Courts in most cases and merely eliminates an unnecessary layer of judicial re- view; and -Avoids burdening the courts with unnecessarily detailed review of agency actions by establishing as the scope of review the tradi- tionally limited appellate review the courts provide agency ac- tions in other areas. In addition, the provisions provide a procedure for the appellate consideration of adverse actions involving charges of discrimination. They take account of the intended role of the new independent Merit Systems Protection Board, as well as the expanded role that Reor- ganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 anticipates for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the area of Federal personnel policies. The Committee first considered this issue in connection with Re- organization Plan No. 1 of 1978, which in part transferred responsi- bility for various aspects of equal employment opportunity from three different agencies to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commis- sion. The. plan proposed to transfer responsibility for preventing dis- crimination in the federal workforce from the Civil Service Commis- sion to the Commission. When the Committee considered Reorganiza- tion Plan No. 1, it expressed serious reservations about the consistency of the proposed plan with the overall civil service reform proposed in this bill. The Committee report on Reorganization Plan No.1 describes in detail the concerns it had -with the original proposal. (Senate Re- port No. 95-750, April 20, 1978, pages 9-14) At the time the President agreed in a letter to the Committee, printed as Appendix 2 to the Committee Report on Reoranization Plan No. 1, that there were prob- lems raised by the reorganization plan which should be resolved in connection with the consideration by Congress of this bill. The procedures adopted by the committee resolve these problems. The chief purpose of the committee amendment is to make sure that neither the Merit Systems Protection Board, nor the Equal Employ- ment Opportunity Commission. will be able to overrule the other. Instead, the powers of the Board and the Commission are carefully balanced one against the other. The committee felt that it was abso- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 lately essential to the success of the overall civil service reform effort that there be this creative balance between the authority of the Board and the Commission because of the unique nature of the issues in- volved. In .addition, the procedures are designed to protect against inconsistent decisions by the Board and Commission, to prevent forum shopping, and to make the procedures for consideration of the same matter by both agencies as streamlined as possible. Under the procedures adopted by the committee, the Board will continue to consider all actions appealable under the other provisions of this bill, even if the appeal also involves issues of discrimination. This will allow the Board to consider, as related aspects of the same case, allegations that there had been violations of the merit system principles implemented by title V, as well as the anti-discrimination laws. In such cases, questions-of the employee's inefficiency or miscon- duct, and discrimination by the employer, will be two sides of the same question which must be considered together. Any provision deny- ing the Board jurisdiction to decide certain adverse action appeals because discrimination is raised as an issue would make it impossible for the government to have a single unified personnel policy which took into account the requirements of all the various laws and goals governing Federal personnel management. In the absence of full Board jurisdiction, forum shopping and inconsistent decisions, per- haps arising out of the same set of facts, would result. At the same time the provisions provide for an active role in the process by the Equal Employment Opportunity. Commission where questions of discrimination are involved. The Commission will be re- sponsible for issuing general policy rules and directions. In the case of discrimination complaints involving personnel actions not other- wise appealable to the Board, the Commission will have full respon- sibility for deciding the matter. In adjudications of dismissals, or similar types of actions appealable to the Board the amendment estab- lishes procedures to assure the Board and the Commission, work to- gether to resolve any differences between them at the agency level. So that neither agency has the ultimate authority to override the views of the other, it provides for automatic review by the Court of Appeals where the two agencies cannot resolve their differences in a particular case. In a similar vein, the section establishes an orderly and workable method for assuring OPM participation in Board proceedings and a means for OPM to appeal Board decisions to court where the Board and the Director have substantial disagreements about the proper interpretation or direction of the government's personnel laws. Section 7701(a) - (f) . Appellate procedures Section 7701 provides for the processing of adverse actions and other appeals within the jurisdiction of the Merit Systems Protection Board. The Board may refer any case appealable to it for adjudication to an appeals officer or to an administrative law judge who would have the authority to decide the ease. Sections 7701 (b) and (c) govern the type of hearing an employee must receive before the Board. The Committee amended this provision pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 of the bill to make it absolutely clear that an employee would receive a full evidentiary hearing in any case where there is a dispute as to any genuine and material issue of fact-that is, a dispute as to facts which must be resolved before a decision can be reached, and which maybe most appropriately considered and resolved through the tradi- tional adjudicatory methods used in evidentiary hearings. This would 'include instances, for example, where oral testimony and cross-exami- nation is the best way to test the credibility of the witnesses. The bill was amended by the Committee to specifically provide that in such cases an evidentiary hearing should include the traditional right of cross-examination. In any case involving removal of an employee from the Federal service, the Board, because of the importance of the case, must provide that the case be heard by an administrative law judge selected according to the especially demanding procedures specified in- the Administrative Procedure Act, or the Board must assign the case to one of its more qualified and experienced appeals officers. Where there is no dispute about the facts, the presiding officer may avoid holding an evidentiary hearing since in these cases a full hear- ing is unnecessary. The Committee amendment specifies the proce- dure either party must follow if it requests summary judgment on the grounds there are no factual disputes in the case. The wording adopted by the Committee assures the employee a full opportunity to present his case before a decision is made. The presiding officer may authorize the conduct of discovery procedures so that the employee has a chance to assemble his case before a decision on the summary judgment mo- tion is rendered. This is especially important because often the agency alone will possess the records the employee needs to successfully argue his case.. The administrative law judge or appeals officer may afford the parties the right to an oral argument before a decision is reached on the summary judgment motion. Subsection (d) establishes the standards that govern Board review of an adverse action. As in the case of the standards governing appeals from actions based on unacceptable performance, the bill changes the applicable stand- ards to avoid unnecessary reversal of agency actions because of tech- nical procedural oversights, or because the judgment of the agency is not given sufficient weight. However, the Committee felt that the agency should have to meet a heavier burden of proof when it sought to take an adverse action against an employee for misconduct than when the action was based on unacceptable performance. In the case of misconduct, the case is more susceptible to the normal kind of eviden-r tiary proof, and the nature of the proceeding is more disciplinary in nature. Currently, when an agency takes adverse action against one of its employees, it must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the action will promote the efficiency of the service. Under the legislation, the Board would sustain an agency decision unless there was- (1) Procedural error which substantially impaired his rights; (2) Prohibited discrimination; (3) The agency decision is unsupported by substantial evidence on the record taken as a whole ; or Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14-: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1519 (4) The agency action involved a prohibited personnel prac- tice or was otherwise contrary to law. As under current law, the agency would continue to have the burden of going forward with its case first, and the burden of convincing the decision maker in the end that its action was lawful. There must be substantial evidence in the record supporting the agency action. In these two respects S. 2640 as reported differs from the original bill, which placed the burden on the employee, and only required that the agency action not be arbitrary or capricious. It is intended that the standards adopted by the Committee impose upon an agency a higher standard of proof than, will be applicable when an agency action is based on unacceptable performance. How- ever, it is intended that the overall effect of the new standards will be fewer reversals by the Board or the courts of adverse actions taken by the agencies. Under section 7701(e), the decision of the appeal by the presiding officer shall be final unless a party to the appeal, or the Office of Per- sonnel Management, petitions the Board to reopen the case not later than 30 days after receiving notice of the decision, or unless the Board reconsiders a case on its own motion. The 30-day limit may be ex- tended by the Board for good cause shown. A case may be reopened by a single member. The section eliminates the intermediate appeals stage now provided parties through the Civil Service Commission's Appeals Review Board. This change should help expedite final Board action, while assuring that more cases will be reviewed by the Board itself than currently are reviewed by the members of the Civil Service Commission. A Committee amendment to this subsection limits the occasions on which the OPM could petition the Board for review to only those instances where the OPM director first determines that the decision is erroneous and that, if allowed to stand, the decision would have a substantial impact on the administration of the civil service laws within OPM's jurisdiction. The OPM should limit the cases in which it seeks the review by the Board to those that are exceptionally important. . Section 7701(g) . Consolidation of appeals Subsection (g) authorizes Board officials to consolidate appeals filed by two or more appellants, and to join two or more appeals filed by the appellant. Under the present system, Commission appellate officers process as separate cases similar appeals or complaints which are filed by different individuals, except when those individuals con- sent to combining the appeals and complaints for processing. Ap- pellate offices also process separately more than one appeal or com- plaint received from the same individual. It is apparent, however, that cases involving the same or very similar facts or circumstances or issues can be processed more expeditiously and efficiently if they are combined. The legislation provides the Board and its appeals officers with clear authority to do so. However, this action may not be taken if it would prejudice the rights of parties. Before any action is taken under this.authority, the parties should be given notice and an oppor- tunity to present their views in some form. pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Section 7701(f), (h.), and (i). Procedures in appeals involving is- sues of discrimination Subsections (f), (h) and (i) contain the provisions in section 7701 chiefly governing Board consideration of adverse actions involving charges of discrimination. The procedure will work as follows : 1. Whenever an agency takes an action which involves the kind of action that the employee could appeal to the Board, such as re- moval or reduction in grade, the employee must appeal the action to the Board if it wishes any administrative review of the agency action. (Subsection (h)) The appeal must be to the Board whether the employees alleges only that the agency action was unlawful under the laws prohibiting discrimination, or the employee alleges only that the procedural and substantive protec- tion afforded him under the personnel laws in title V were vio- lated, or he alleges a violation of any combination of these different laws. The Board has jurisdiction whether the employee raises the discrimination laws as a defense or answer to the agency action, or whether the employee files a separate complaint against his employer under the anti-discrimination laws for proposing to take the appealable action against him. If the employee does file a separate discrimination complaint, subsection (f) (2) specifies . that the agency shall have no more than 60 days to resolve the complaint. At the end of that time both the adverse action and the discrimination complaint must be appealed as a single action to the Board. The jurisdiction of the Board is determined entirely by the nature of the personnel action taken, not by the kind of legal or factual arguments raised or the procedures used to raise the dis- crimination issue. Similarly, an employee may file a discrimination grievance with the agency on the basis of an action by the agency which is not itself appealable to the Board. Separately, the agency may propose to take an action against the employee of the kind appealable to the Board. Proceedings under both actions should be a part of the record considered by the Board. The Equal Employ- ment Opportunity Commission should defer any action on the separate grievance not involving an appealable action until the agency action in the appealable matter has been finally resolved. Class actions, as well as individual complaints, involving dis- crimination issues are equally subject to the Board's jurisdiction. The procedures specified in this bill do not alter the right of any employee to file a case in Federal district court after 180 days now provided by title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. This alternative route will be available to the employee at any point during the procedure in accordance with the time requirements in title VII. 2. If the employee wishes to appeal the agency action the mat- ter must be appealed to the Board. The Board will be the sole place where the factual.record in the case is made. (See subsec- tions (h) and (i) (3) ). 3. If the matter is appealed to the Board, the Board must no- tify the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as soon as it becomes apparent that there will be involved, or may be in- pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 volved, the application to Federal- employees of any anti-discrimi- nation law for which the Commission is in part responsible. (Subsection (i) (1)). Subsection (h) spells out the anti-discrimi- nation laws involved. They are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act, the Age Discrimination in Employ- ment Act-of 1967, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibiting discrimination on the basis of handicapping condition. Upon re- ceipt of the notice, the Commission will be able to participate fully in the consideration of the case before the Board. During the initial consideration of the issue before an appeals officer,-it may present what facts it wishes through calling witnesses of its. own or other means. It may cross-examine witnesses, and raise legal arguments. Through this procedure the Commission may make sure that from the beginning the record reflects its concerns and views. Subsection (f) will govern the conduct of an appeal involving discrimination. This subsection specifies that the appeals officer of the Board will be the one responsible for making the decision, either on the basis of the written record, or after conducting an evidentiary hearing in those cases where the appeals officer de- termines an evidentiary hearing is required by Board regulations. The appeals officer appointed under subsection (f) to hear the case will be the same kind of appeals officer used by the Commis- sion to consider other kinds of appealable actions. The other pro- cedures in section 7701 governing appealable actions generally, such as those governing the conduct of evidentiary hearings and the granting of summary judgments, will also continue to govern whether or not violation of the anti-discrimination laws is alleged. 4. Following a decision by the appeals officer, the Commission may petition the Board to reconsider the decision. (Subsection (e))-. In order to assure resolution of any differences between the Board and the Commission as early in the process as possible, the Commission should seek full Board review whenever it has im- portant differences with the way the appeals officer decided the case, rather than waiting until the matter is finally decided by the Board, and then requiring subsequent referral to the Com- mission. For the same reasons, the Board should consider carefully any Commission request under subsection. (e). The Commission may request Board reconsideration of an appeals officer decision even if the Commission did not participate in the proceeding be- fore the appeals officer. If the Commission believes that the factual record in the proceeding is inadequate, it may urge the Board to remand the proceeding to the appeals officer for such further de- velopment of the record as may be required. . 5. Only after the Board completes action on the matter by issu- ing a final administrative decision does the Commission have an opportunity to reconsider the decision and order the Board (sub- section (i) (3). The Commission may reconsider such decision and order either upon a petition by the employee who brought the proceeding before the Board in the first place, or on its own initia- tives. In order for the Commission to reconsider the Board's ac- tion, however, the Board's decision and order must have a sub- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 stantial impact on the general responsibilities of the Commission for implementing the anti-discrimination laws in the federal work sector as a whole. Thus, decisions and orders which propel case law in a new direction, or which.raise significant conflicts with the policies or interpretations of the Commission, may be considered by the Commission. Board actions in individual cases where the significance of the case is limited to its particular facts-so that the decision and order does not have general appli- cability-should not be considered. The Commission has 30 days from the date of the Board's final decision and order to decide whether to consider it. The Commission may invoke jurisdiction under this subsection only if it first explains in a written finding how the decision and order of the Board may have a substantial impact on its administration of the anti-discrimination laws. If, after 30 days, the Commission has not decided to reconsider the case, the original decision and order of the Board becomes the final agency action in the matter. (Subsection (i) (2) ) 6. Upon reconsidering the decision and order of the Board, the Commission may review the entire record in the case developed by the Board. It may receive additional legal arguments from the parties if it wishes. It may not, however, reopen the factual record and take additional evidence. Nor may it supplement the factual record in the case by receiving affidavits or the like. The Com- mission has a total of sixty days from the time the Board issued its decision and order to review the record, and act. The Commis- sion may take one of two actions. It may concur in the decision and order of the Board; or issue another decision and order. If the Commission concurs in the Board's decision and order, that concludes the matter at the agency level. The decision and order of the Board becomes the final agency action in the matter not subject to any further consideration at the administrative level. ((subsection (i) (3) (A) and (i) (4) ) The extent of the authority of the Commission to issue, in the alternative, a different decision and order is spelled out in sub- section (i) (3) (B). The Commission may propose a difference order and decision only to the extent that such differences are supported by, a written finding that in its view the Board decision was wrong in one of two ways. Either the Commission may con- clude that the Board's interpretation of the meaning of any anti- discrimination statute, or any rule, regulation, or policy direction issued thereunder, was wrong as a matter of law. Or the Commis- sion may conclude that taking all the evidence in the record, as a whole, the Board's application of such laws to the evidence in the record on the issue of discrimination can not be supported as a matter of law. 7. When the Commission does issue a different proposed order and decision the matter must go back to the Board. (Subsection (i) (5) ). The Board must reconsider its earlier decision and order in light of the Commission's differing interpretation of the law and-within 30 days-take final agency action on the matter. In those 30 days the Board may-if it finds it necessary because of the decision and order of the Commission-reopen the record and pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 take further evidence. This should happen only in the most ex- traordinary circumstances. The Board and the Commission should cooperate in developing the factual record at the time the matter is initially considered by the Board. The burden and delay im- posed on the parties by reopening the record at this stage of the proceeding should dictate against it except for the most compel- ling reasons. The decision of the Board whether or not to reopen the case and take additional evidence on the case is a matter en- tirely within its discretion. It need not do so unless it concludes it is the best course to follow. Upon reconsidering its decision, the Board may. either (1) Adopt the order of the Commission ; (2) Reaffirm its original decision and order; or (3) Issue another decision and order which does not follow either the Commission's proposed order and decision, or its own original decision and order. If, under the first option, the Board adopts the proposed order of the Commission, the Board's action constitutes final agency action in the matter. The first option applies in any instance where the Board adopts the relief, or otherwise issues a final order, that is the same as what the Commission proposed. For this first option to be applicable, the Board need not endorse every part of the Commission's legal reasoning, as reflected in its proposed decision. What is determinative is whether the Board orders the same action as the Commission. If so, that is the end of the matter under this subsection. 8. If the Board concludes against adopting the proposed Com- mission order, it means there still exists an unresolved dispute on a question of law between the two agencies. The Committee felt that in such instances neither agency should have the authority to overrule the view of the other. Where such a dispute persists after the repeated procedures available to both agencies to resolve their differences at an earlier stage, the Committee felt that the matter was of sufficient importance, and the legal issues well enough drawn, that the Court of Appeals should consider the matter and resolve the differences. Accordingly, in these cases the matter must be immediately certified to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. (subsection (i) (5) )'. The appeal follows automatically. Neither agency has the right or obligation to decide whether the appeal should be brought. Neither agency should be considered as appeal- ing the action of the other. Since the Board will be the last agency to have the record before it, it will have the ministerial duty of deciding what should be a part of the record and seeing to it that the record is actually forwarded to the Court. If a matter is certified under this section it may. be several months before the Court of Appeals may act. The Committee therefore felt some interim relief at the administrative level should be authorized so that the employee is not unduly burdened by the inability of the two agencies to resolve their differences. Subsection (i) (5) therefore authorized one of the agencies-the Commission-to grant certain interim relief in its discretion upon Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 petition by the employee, where it is necessary to reduce excep- tional hardship the employee might otherwise incur. The pro- vision specifies that the Commission may not issue interim relief which prejudices the final resolution of the matter by awarding backpay, reinstating the employee, or otherwise reversing or stay- ing the agency action under consideration by the Court. Where an agency has dismissed an employee on the grounds of unacceptable performance, however, the Commission may prohibit the agency from disclosing to future employers the agency's findings about the employee's performance. 9. Upon a 1, the Court should review the entire record. (Subsection (i) (5) ). It must decide the proper interpretation of the applicable statute and related law. It must decide whether the Board's application of the law to the evidence in the case was in fact reasonable, or whether the Commission was correct in con- cluding that the Board's conclusion in such matters. was unsup- portable as a matter of law. In applying the law, the Court should pay due deference to the respective expertise of each agency. For example? the Commission's interpretation of the meaning of policy directives issued by it under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, or other antidiscrimination statutes is entitled to appropriate weight, just as is the Board's interpretation of the civil service laws under title V of the U.S. Code. In deciding, however, how to resolve any conflicting goals or standards caused by applying both the personnel rules and principles, and the anti- discnmination rules and principles to the same case, the Court will have to re ach a decision on its own, without prejudicing the matter by according greater presumptive weight to how one agency or the other would resolve the confl icts. The Court of Appeals should reach a decision, and remand the matter to the Board to take such further action as required by the Court. The procedures described above governing discrimination cases is different from those originally proposed in Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978. Upon enactment the procedures outlined in this bill shall supercede anything in the Reorganization Plan that conflicts directly or indirectly with the procedures established by this bill. Section 804 (a) of the bill so specifies. This will cause no added difficulties since the President, at the request of this Committee, has delayed implement- ing the applicable parts of Reorganization Plan No. 1 until the Com- mittee has had an opportunity to act on this legislation. Section 7701(j)-(m). Miseellaneaua matters concerning appeal Section 7701(j) requires an agency to pay an employee's reason- able attorney fees in proceedings before the Board if the employeq is the prevailing party,.and the Board determines that the agency's action was taken in bad fkith. The Civil Service Commission currently does not have the authority to require agencies to pay the attorney fees of employees who prevail in their appeals. Employees whose agencies have taken unfounded actions against them may spend a considerable amount of money defending- themselves against these actions, they cannot be reimbursed for attorney fees upon prevailing in their appeals to the Commission. Instead, they must file civil actions against the Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007105/14: CIA-RDP85-000038000300090001-1 Government in order to obtain a review of their requests for reimbursement. 72 The legislation remedies this problem by authorizing the Board members and hearing officials to require payment, by agencies which are losing parties to proceedings before the Board, of attorney fees to the employees who prevailed. Payment is only required when it is 'Pear- ranted on the grounds that the agency's action was taken in bad faith. This may occur, for example, when the action brought is wholly un- founded. Or when there is evidence the agency brought the action to harass the employee or to exert improper pressure on the employee to act in certain ways. The circumstances justifying the award of attorney's fees is left to the discretion of the Board to develop in light of its experience. The award of attorney's fees should not become, how- ever, the ordinary practice in cases which the employee wins. On the other hand, statutory law already provides for the award of attorney fees whenever a party in a discrimination suit prevails. The section preserves the right of. the Board to award attorney fees under this different standard whenever it finds the employee's rights under the laws prohibiting discrimination have been violated. Section 7701(k) provides that matters subject to the Board's appel- late jurisdiction could be settled instead by methods provided for by the Board under its regulations. Suitable forms of conciliation, media- tion, arbitration, and other methods mutually agreeable to the parties could be used. This would give the Board the opportunity to experi- ment with, and develop, efficient and effective alternatives for resolv- ing disputes concerning appealable matters. The Committee added a new subsection (1) requiring the Board to establish and announce publicly the deadline for completing action on each appeal filed with it. The Committee study of Delay in the Regu- latory Process, published as Volume IV of its Study on Federal Regu- lation, identified better agency management and planning as one of the prime ways regulatory delay could be reduced. The Committee unanimously adopted a recommendation that agencies make greater use of deadlines as a way to help eliminate delay. Experience at such agencies as the NLRB has shown that this is an effective way of re- ducing delay. Administrative delay of cases before the Board is especially trouble- some because it directly affects in significant ways employees who may not even have a job while the appeal is pending. At the least, the future course of the career of the employee is subject to great uncer- tainty for as long as the appeal is pending. In discrimination cases, the employee is entitled to start a de novo hearing in district court if agency proceedings are not completed in 180 days. Consequently the subsection contains, in addition to the requirement for the establish- ment of deadlines, a general direction to the Board to expedite, to the greatest extent possible, its proceedings. The procedures established by this subsection, and the section generally, should be administered con- sistent with this policy. In addition to establishing a target for completing action on each appeal, the Board should also adopt procedures and staff to track the progress of each appeal to help assure that action on it will bcom- pleted by the announced deadline, and to act where delays do appear. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 In setting deadlines the Board may be able to use categories established on the basis of its past experience as an aid in predicting how quickly any particular case may be completed. The deadline set for each indi- vidual case should be a_ realistic one, however, that accurately reflects the amount of time needed to complete tht particular case. In estab- lishing deadlines in any particular case the Board should also consider .the extent of hardship the employee may suffer pending resolution of the case. Those cases where there is exceptional hardship should re- ceive greater priority and a shorter deadline for completing action. The subsection requires the Board to report to Congress on the suc- cess it has had in meeting both the original deadlines established for each case, and any revised deadlines it was necessary to aopt for par- ticular cases. Finally, section 7701(m) authorizes the Board to issue any regu- lations necessary to carry out the purpose of the section. The Board will determine, for example, how it will receive and process appeals and complaints, how much weight it will accord certain types of evi- dence, or the like. Section 7702. Judicial review of decisiom of the Board Section 205 also adds to Title V a new Section 7702 detailing pro- cedures for judicial review of the decisions of the Merit Systems Pro- tection Board. The Procedures : -Eliminate unnecessarily detailed judicial reviews of cases handled by the Board; -Encourage more uniform judicial decisions in the Federal personnel area; -Place responsibility for supplementing inadequate case records on the Board rather than on the courts; and -Recognize the finality of the Board's administrative decisions in a way that is chaacteristic of decisions of other independent agencies. Section 7702 (a) authorizes an employee or applicant adversely affected by a final order or decision of the Board to seek. judicial review. The section applies to judicial review of all final orders or de- cisions of the Board, including discrimination and other appeals acted on by the Board under section 7701 and disciplinary actions taken by the Board against employees under section 1207. The wording is similar to the general provisions governing the right of review from agency actions found in Section 702 of the Administration Procedure Act. In the. interest of clarity, the subsection specifies that when judicial review is sought of an agency action appealed to the Board under Section 7701, the aggrieved employee or applicant, should bring the suit against the agency that took the personnel action in question, not the Board. This is consistent with present practice governing judicial review of agency actions first appealed to the Civil Service Commission. When the Board orders actions under any other sections, such as the imposition of a fine in a disciplinary action, under Section 1207, or declines to issue a permanent stay under Section 1205(a) (2), the suit would, of course, be against the Board istelf. If an employee does seek judicial review of an agency action reviewed by the Board, Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 the Board has the right to intervene in the proceeding. This will be particularly useful where the appeal raises questions of particular significance to the Board, such as the validity of the procedures fol- lowed by the Board in the case. Participation by the Board in the court. proceedings would not involve the Board, except in the most exceptional cases, in the introduction of evidence of its own. Subsection (b) specifies the forum in which an employee or ap- plicant may bring the review proceeding. Currently employees who wish to challenge Commission decisions generally file their claims with U.S. District Courts. The large number of these courts has caused wide variations in the kinds of decisions which have been issued on the same or similar matters. The section remedies the problem by providing that Board decisions and orders (other than those in- volving discrimination complaints and determinations concerning life and health insurance) be reviewable by the Court of Claims and U.S. Courts.of Appeals, rather than by U.S. District Courts. Under the anti-discrimination laws an employee has 30 days from the final agency action to initiate a de novo district court proceeding. District court is a more appropriate place than the Court of Appeals for these cases since they, may involve additional fact-finding. Further- more, discrimination complaints involving employees outside the Fed- eral government are now considered by U.S. District Courts. To encour- age uniformity in judicial decisions in this area both kinds of cases should continue to be considered by the U.S. District Court. The sec- tion therefore exempts from the general requirement that employees appeal"-to the Court of Appeals or Court of Claims those suits brought pursuant to the anti-discrimination laws. This includes any type of anti-discrimination statute, even if not specifically cited in the section, if its judicial review provisions incorporate by reference, or otherwise follow, one of the statutes actually cited. Since U.S. District Courts are specifically given jurisdiction over life and health insurance cases under sections 8715 and 8912 of Title V, these special provisions are not amended either. In the case of actions appealed to the Board involving allegations of discrimination, final agency action for purposes of obtaining judi- cial review does not occur until completion of the procedures permit- ting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as the Board, to consider the matter. Thus, the thirty day period the em- ployee has in discrimination cases to go to District Court after final agency action will only begin to run after both agencies have con- sidered the matter according to the procedures in subsection (i), or it is apparent. that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will not consider the case. The latter result will occur only after the Com- mission has specifically declined to review the case, or thirty days from the date of the Board's original decision and order have elapsed, and the Commission has not decided to consider the case under subsection (i) (3). The bill specifies that if an employee decides to resort to dis- trict court after the Board issues a new decision and order, or recon- firms its original decision, after consideration by the Commission, the otherwise automatic certification of the case to the Court of Appeals under section 7701 (i) (5) may not go forward. The Court of Claims and U.S. Court of Appeals shall review cases filed with them under this section to determine whether the decision Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 was arbitrary or capricious and not in accordance with the law, and whether the procedures required by law or regulations were followed. If the_ court determines that further evidence is necessary, it shall re- mand the case to the Board for further processing as appropriate. The Board shall file with the court a record of its proceedings following the remand. The Board's findings of fact shall be conclusive when support- ed by substantial evidence in the administrative record. In reviewing the Board's factual findings, the Court must determine whether the findings satisfy the particular standards of proof applicable to the agency action in question. Court review of the factual findings will be less vigorous therefore in the case of an action based on unacceptable performance (Section 4303(f)) than an action based on misconduct (Section 7701(d) ). Likewise, agency actions should be reversed be- cause the agency's procedures were in error only if the procedures followed substantially impaired the rights of the employees. Finally, subsection (d) provides that the Director of the Office of Personnel Management may request a review of any final decision or order of the Board involving personnel management laws, rules, and regulations for which the Office of Personnel Management is re- sponsible by filing a petition for judicial review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Where there is involved Board action under its Section 7701 ap- pellate jurisdiction, the suit by OPM would not be against the Board, but the Board would have the right to appear in the proceedings. The Committee amended this section to emphasize that the OPM should seek judicial review only in those exceptional cases where it finds that the Board erred, as a matter of law, in interpreting the civil service laws, and that the erroneous decision will have a sub- stantial impact on how aspects of the civil service rules are inter- preted in the future. The Director of OPM should not seek judicial review if the potential effect of the decision will be limited to the facts of the case. In order to avoid unnecessary appeals by the Director, the provision also requires the Director to petition. the Board for re- consideration of its decision in those cases where the Director was not involved in the case at the Board level. This will make sure the Board has an opnortunity to consider the concerns of OPM before suit is brought. The Director, like any other petitioner, is required to seek review within 30 clays of the decision of the Board. While an employee or applicant au_grieved by the agency action is entitled as a matter of rip-ht to judicial review, this will not be the case when the Director seeks review. The subsection snecifies that judicial review shall be at the discretion of the court. If it determines, for example, that the isS>PS raised. will not have a substantial impact on the administration of civil service laws, or if a separate review proceeding in the same case has been brought by the employee in a different circuit, the court may decline to accept the petition for review. Section 206 of the, bill amends section 2242 of title 29. by adding final orders of the Board to the list of matters over which the Court of Appeals has exclusive jurisdiction. 64 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 TITLE III-STAFFING This title authorizes (a) Federal agencies to establish programs for student volunteer employment as part of an educational program where student volunteers would not displace other Federal employees, (b) the President to establish periods of probation for new appoint- ments to the competitive service or individuals appointed to super- visory or managerial positions, (c) agencies to establish training pro- grams for employees to prepare such employees for placement in other Federal agencies, and (d) voluntary immediate retirement for em- ployees affected by major reorganizations in their agencies. SECTION 301. VOLUNTEER SERVICES Section 301(a) establishes agency authority for student volunteer services by adding a new Section 3111 to Title 5. Section 311.1. Acceptance of Volunteer Service Subsection 3111 (a) of the new section defines student as an individ- ual who is enrolled, not less than half-time, in a high school, trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, uni- versity, or'comparable recognized educational institution. An individ- ual who satisfies this definition is not deemed to lose status as a student during the interim between school years if this interim is not more than 5 months and if the Office of Personnel Management is satisfied that the individual has a bonafide intention of continuing to pursue a course of study or training immediately after the interim. Subsection 3111(b) explains the conditions under which the head of an agency may accept voluntary services. The service must be per- formed by a student, as defined in subsection (a), with the permission of his or her school, as part of an agency program to provide meaning- ful educational experience for the student volunteer. Voluntary services must be uncompensated and cannot be accepted if they will displace Federal employees. Subsection 3111(c) explains that a volunteer is not considered a Federal employee for the purposes of any Federal law except for in- jury compensation and tort claims. The exclusionary language of sub- section section (c), when read with subsection (b), precludes payment for vol-' untary services under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, or any other statute providing for the compensation of Fed- eral employees. Subsection 301(b) provides the conforming amendment to Title V, United States Code. Subsection 301(c) provides for probationary periods for Federal employees by amending Section 3312 of Title V, United States Code. Subsection (a) (1) of Section 3321 continues present law concern- ing initial probationary periods before appointment to the competitive service becomes final. Subsection (a) (2) authorizes the President to issue orders and directives which provide for a period of probation before an initial appointment to a supervisory or managerial position becomes final. Subsection (b) explains the action to be taken if an indi- vidual in it supervisory or managerial position does not satisfactorily complete this probationary period. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Under present law, persons initially transferred, assigned, or pro- moted to supervisory or managerial position may be removed only through the application of formal adversary proceedings. The effect of this amendment is to allow the removal of an individual transferred, assigned, or promoted to a supervisory or managerial position for the first time, if he or she does not satisfactorily complete the period of pro- bation. The individual will be returned to a position of no lower pay and grade than the position occupied by the individual prior to the supervisory or managerial assignment. Although an individual may be serving subject to a probationary period under subsection (a) (2), an agency may still institute adverse action proceedings for cause un- related to supervisory or managerial performance and the individual will have full appellate rights in those circumstances. Subsection (a) (2) of Section 3321 applies only to persons who are appointed to supervisory or managerial positions after completing the probationary period now required by law. Thus, an individual who en- ters Federal employment in a supervisory or managerial position will be subject to the probationary period specified in subsection (a) (1). Sections, 301 (d) and (e) repeal Section 3319 of Title 5, United States Code, concerning the eligibility of more than two members of any one family to obtain jobs in the Federal competitive service. Enacted prin- cipally as a measure to prohibit nepotism in 1883, the members of fam- ily restriction has become obsolete. Now, in addition to the safeguard provided by the merit system itself, a strong antinepotism law (5 U.S.C. 3110) specifically prohibits what the members of family legis- lation attempted to do indirectly. Nepotism is also specified as a pro- hibited personnel practice in Title I of this bill. Section 302 amends Section 4103 of Title 5, United States Code, con- cerning training programs for Federal employees by allowing an agency to train its employees ? for placement in another agency if the employees are slated for separation under conditions which would entitle them to severance pay under Section 5595 of Title 5. Before authorizing such training, the agency is required to obtain verification from the Office of Personnel Management that there is a reasonable expectation of placement in another agency. The agency is required to consider, when selecting an employee for such training, the present skills, knowledge, and abilities of the employee, the employee's capa- bility to learn new skills and acquire new knowledge and abilities, and the benefits to the Government resulting from the retention of compe- tent employees. SECTION 303. TRAVEL, TRANSPORTATION AND SUBSISTENCE Section 303 amends Section 5723(d) of Title 5. United States Code, to allow the Office of Personnel Management to delegate its authority to determine positions for which a manpower shortage exists for pur- poses of determining if travel expenses may be paid pursuant to that Section. rmmvad-rorRelease 49B74)4/14: "I/HVZBR2S 99903ROOnznnnannn1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1531 SECTION 304. RETIREMENT Section 304 amends Section 8336(d) (2) of Title 5, United States Code, concerning immediate retirement of employees in reduction of force situations. Under present law an employee may voluntarily apply for an an- nuity under this section if : (1) his or her agency is involved in a major reduction in force as determined by the Civil Service Commission; (2) the employee is working in an agency or agency installation within which the Commission has designated the major reduction in force retirement provisions to be applicable; and (3) the employee meets the minimum age and service requirements required for a regular discon- tinued service annuity (i.e., 20 years of creditable Federal service and minimum age 50, or 25 years of creditable Federal service with no mini- mum age requirement). This bill would expand the coverage of the major reduction in force retirement provisions to cover all situations included in the definition of "reorganization", as determined by the Office of Personnel Management. In effect, this proposed amendment would permit an employee to retire if his or her agency was engaged in a major reduction in force, a reorganization or a 'major transfer of function, provided that the Office of Personnel Management approved the use of this special retirement authority. A "major transfer of func- tion" is added as a concept meaning the movement of a continuing function, for example, the work of an office from one place to another, even though the function might remain within the same agency. TrrI.E IV-SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE Title IV contains one of the most significant elements of the Civil Service Reform Act : Provision for the creation of a corps of top management leaders in a Senior Executive Service. The greatest asset and strength of any government is its top leadership. This is particu- larly true for the U.S. Government, which is.the largest employer in the Nation. Its programs are far-reaching and complex, and they must be conducted with great sensitivity to conflicting public and private interests and with impartiality and compassion. Meeting this great responsibility requires strong executive leadership, which can respond to rapidly changing conditions and circumstances surround- ing Federal programs and still chart a course which takes into account the national interest, the achievement of presidential -and congres- sional goals, and simultaneously maintains the soundest management techniques. The committee believes that the establishment of a Senior Executive Service represents a major step toward the achievement of a goal of the most highly motivated and highly competent Federal service leadership possible.. Title IV provides for the establishment of a new Senior Executive Service to include most of the top executive positions in the Federal service. There are about 9.200 of these positions in the Federal Govern- ment. It contains provisions regarding various types of appoint- ments in the Senior Executive Service, development programs for the Senior Executive Service, removal and reinstatement, performance pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 appraisal systems, establishment and adjustment of pay rates, per- formance awards, and provisions necessary for the transition to the Senior Executive Service. Title IV will -allow agencies to reward executives through cash bonuses and awards for especially meritorious service; -make tenure as executives contingent upon successful per- formance ; -permit reassignment of executives more expeditiously to meet shifting agency priorities; -make it possible for career employees to serve in top-level policy jobs outside the competitive service without losing their status as career employees; -place for the first time a cap on the total number of political appointments that can be made to top-level executive positions; -permit more readily the movement among agencies of senior executives. -guarantee career employees who do not remain in the execu- tive service other positions in the Federal service; -establish appraisal systems and procedures to protect mem- bers of the executive service from arbitrary personnel actions. Title IV contains 15 sections. Sections 401 through 411 amend title 5 of the United States Code and govern the Senior Executive Service. Sections 412 through 415 contain provisions relating to the transition to the Senior Executive Service. Section 401 (a) amends chapter 21 of title 5, United States Code, by inserting after section 2101, a new subsection 2101(a), entitled the "Senior Executive Service." Section 401 (a) also states that the "Senior Executive Service" consists of Senior Executive positions. Section 401(b) excludes the Senior Executive Service from the definition of "competitive service" in subsection 2102(a) of title 5, United States Code. Section 401(c) excludes the Senior Executive Service from the definition of "excepted service" in section 2103 (a) of the United States Code. The purpose of subsections 401(b) and (c) is to make clear that the Senior Executive Service is a separate service and not a part of either the competitive or the excepted service. Section 401(d) provides that the hiring of any individuals from outside the Federal service to serve in the Senior Executive Service shall not be governed by the rules on preference eligibles. Subsection 401 (e) amends the chapter analysis to include the new section 2101(a) . SECTION 402. AUTHORITY FOR EMPLOYMENT The key provisions for establishing and governing the Senior Ex- ecutive Service are contained in this section, which adds a new sub- chapter II to chapter 31 of title 5, United States Code. Section 3131 formally establishes the Senior Executive Service for the purpose of insuring Federal executive management of the highest Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1533 quality and sets forth the following objectives for administering the Service : provide a compensation system to attract and retain excellent Government executives; link quality performance with compensation and retention; assure executive accountability for the effectiveness and productivity of subordinates; make tenure contingent upon suc- cessful performance; recognize exceptional accomplishment; provide flexibility in executive assignments to best accomplish the agency mission; provide severance pay and placement assurance for those removed from the Service for nondisciplinary reasons; protect em- ployees from arbitrary actions; provide program continuity and pol- icy advocacy in public programs; maintain a merit system free of improper political interference; ensure accountability for honest and efficient Government; assure faithful adherence to laws relating to equal employment opportunity, political activity, and conflicts of interest; and provide for executive development. The committee felt that.in addition to the purposes included in S. 2640, 'as introduced, it should be made clear .that Senior Executive Service executives were to be held accountable for the performance of those working under them. It, therefore, added subsection 3131 (a) (3) which provides that the Senior Executive Service shall be ad- ministered in such a manner as to "assure that executives are account- able and responsible for the effectiveness and productivity of em- plovees under them." The committee expects that agency heads will use this subsection as a means to reward executives whose employees perform effectively and to take appropriate action when executives do not perform adequately. Section 3132. De, finitions amd Exclusions Subsection (a) (1) states that for the purposes of this subchapter "agency" means an executive agency, but does include a Government Corporation and the General Accounting Office or: (1) any agency or unit thereof excluded from coverage by the President under sub- section (c) of this section; (2) the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and, as determined by the President, an Executive agency, or unit thereof, whose principal function is the conduct of foreign intelligence or. counterintelligence activities. Subsection (a) (2) defines "Senior Executive Service position" as e position properly classifiable above GS-15 of the General Schedule and below Level III of the Executive Schedule, or their equivalents, in which an employee directs the work of an organization, is accountable for the success of specific programs, monitors organizational progress towards goals, supervises the work of employees other than personal assistants, or exercises other important policymaking or executive func- tions. S. 2640 as introduced included a more restrictive definition of a Senior Executive Service position. The committee added the condition "or exercises other important policymaking or executive functions" in order to Allow the Office of Personnel Management the flexibility to include within the Senior Executive Service employees who, while they do not direct organization units or supervise a significant number of employees, do occupy important policymaking or executive posi- tions within an agency. Approved For Release. 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Subsection (a) (2) also provides that, except for the Foreign Serv- ice, the term "Senior Executive Service position" shall not include any position to which an individual is appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Subsection (a) (3) provides that for the purposes of this sub- chapter "executive" means a member of the Senior Executive Service. Subsection (a) (5) provides that for the purposes of this sub- chapter, "career .reserved position" means any position in the SES which can only be filled by a career appointee. Subsection (a) (5) provides that for the purposes of this subchap- ter "general position" means any position in the SES which may be filled by either a career or noncareer appointee or by a limited emer- gency or term appointment. Subsection (a) (6) provides that for the purposes of this sub- chapter "career appointee" means an individual appointed to a Sen- ior Executive Service position based on selection. through a competi- tive staffing process consistent with Office of Personnel Management regulations and, in the case of initial appointment, approval of ex- ecutive qualifications by the Office of Personnel Management. Subsection (a) (8) provides that for the purposes of this subchap- ter "noncareer appointee" means an individual appointed to a Senior Executive Service position without approval of executive qualifica- tions by the Office of Personnel Management. Subsection (a) (8) provides that for the purposes of this subchap- ter "limited emergency appointment" means a nonrenewable ap- pointment, not to exceed 18 months, to a position to meet a bona fide, unanticipated urgent need. Subsection (a) (9) provides that for the purposes of this chapter "limited term appointment" means a nonrenewable appointment for for a term of 3 years to a position the duties of which will expire dur- ing that period. Subsection (b) provides that for the purposes of paragraph (4) of section (a) of the section defining a "career reserved position," the Office of Personnel Management shall prescribe the position criteria and regulations governing the designation of career reserved posi- tions. The designation of a career reserved position shall be made by the agency. The designation of a position as a general position is sub- ject to post audit by the Office of Personnel Management. Subsection (c) provides that agencies may apply to the Office of Personnel Management for exclusion of the entire agency or part of the agency from being required to place positions in the Senior Ex- ecutive Service. The reasons justifying the exclusion must be included in the application. After review and investigation, the Office of Per- sonnel Management will recommend to the President inclusion or exclusion of the agency or component. If the President makes a writ- ten determination of exclusion, the agency or component will be ex- cluded from being required to place positions in the Senior Executive Service. Subsection (d) declares that an agency or unit which is excluded from coverage under subsection (c) must make a sustained effort to bring its personnel system into conformity with the Senior Executive Service to the degree practicable. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1535 Subsection (e) provides that the Office of Personnel Management may recommend revocation of such exclusion to the President at any time and that such exclusion may be revoked upon written determi- nation by the President. Subsection (f) requires the Office of Personnel Management to notify Congress if any agency or unit is excluded from the Senior Executive Service or if any agency exclusion is revoked. Section 3133. Authorization for number of Senior Executive Service positions Subsection (a) requires that each agency examine, in each odd num- bered calendar year, its total needs for Senior Executive Service posi- tions for the 2 fiscal years, beginning after such- calendar year, and submit a written request to the Office of Personnel Management, in accordance with regulations prescribed by that Office, for authority to establish a specific number of Senior Executive Service positions. Subsection (b) requires that the agency request submitted under subsection (a) shall be at such time and in such form as the Office of Personnel Management prescribes and shall be based on the following factors : (1) the anticipated program activity and budget requests of the agency for the 2 fiscal years; (2) the anticipated level of work to be performed by the agency in the 2 fiscal years; and (3) such other factors as may be prescribed from time to time by the Office of Per- sonnel Management. Subsection (c) requires that the Office of Personnel Management, after its receipt of each agency's request for a specific number of Senior Executive Service positions, and upon consultation with the Office of Management and Budget, authorize for each agency a spe- cific number of Senior Executive Service positions and the number of positions in the entire Senior Executive Service. The requirement for consultation with the Office of Management and Budget recognizes the fact that executive personnel needs flow from approved programs and budgets. The authorizations are subject to congressional review as provided in section 3135 of title 5 as added by this act. This subsec- tion also authorizes an unallocated pool of 5 percent of the number of allocated positions. Subsection (d) states that the authorizations made under subsection (c) shall remain in effect until changed under subsections (e), (g) or (h) of section 3133. Subsection (e) (1) permits agencies to submit a written request for adjustments to its authorized number of Senior Executive Service positions. The Office of Personnel Management may also make reduc- tions in the number of positions assigned to a particular agency. Subsection (e) (2) requires the adjustment request be submitted in such form as the Office of Personnel Management prescribes and to be based on the current budget and program activity in the agency. Subsection (f) provides that the Office of Personnel Management may make changes in the allocations made under subsection (c), sub- ject to subsections (e) and (f) of section 3133. Subsection (f) further provides that total adjustments during a fiscal year may not enlarge the Senior Executive Service beyond the number identified under pro- visions of subsection (c). pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- Subsection (g) provides that the Office of Personnel Management allocation of the number of Senior Executive Service positions will be effective on the next succeeding October 1 following the submission to the Congress of the report required by section 3135. Section 3134. Limitations on noncareer Senior Executive Service appointments Subsection (a) of section 3134 requires each agency to examine its needs for noncareer Senior Executive Service appointees for the next following fiscal year and to submit a written report to the Office of.Per- sonnel Management requesting authority to make a specific number of noncareer Senior Executive Service appointments. Subsection (b) (1) charges the Office of Personnel Management with making an annual determination of the number of noncareer appointments to be made available to each agency with the provision that the number of noncareer appointees to the Senior Executive Service, governmentwide, must not exceed 10 percent of the total number of governmentwide Senior Executive Service positions. Subsection (b) 2) provides that an agency with four or more Senior Executive. Service positions may fill such positions only to the extent that the proportions of positions filled as noncareer does not exceed 25 percent or that proportion which was authorized in the agency as of the date of enactment of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, whichever is greater. The committee added this subsection as a further protection against any possible political abuse of the Federal service. It would preclude any Administration from loading up one key agency or department with political appointments. Subsection (c) authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to adjust the number of noncareer positions authorized under subsections (a) and (b) for emergency needs provided the number of noncareer executives, governmentwide, does not exceed 10 percent of the total number of Senior Executive Service positions. Section 3135. Biennial report Section 3135 (a) provides for a biennial report to each new Congress on the Senior Executive Service. The report will include data on the authorized and projected number of Senior Executive Service posi- tions in each agency; exclusions from the Senior Executive Service of any agency or group of executives; percentages of executives at each pay rate; statistical data on the distribution and amounts of performance in each and such other information as the Office of Personnel Management considers appropriate. In order for Congress to be more fully informed about agency plans regarding Senior Executive Service positions, the committee added two additional re- quirements to what the biennial report must contain : the job descrip- tions of Senior Executive Service positions in each agency and an agency-by-agency projection of planned changes of Senior Executive Service appointments from career to noncareer and from noncareer to career status for the two fiscal years after the biennial report. The job descriptions required in the report may be in summary form. . Section (b) provides for an interim report to the second session of each Congress showing adjustments to the biennial report. Aprcvpd Fnr Rala^ca 7007105/14 ? CIA RDPvv cCeC~ nnnn3R000300 n9999 i I [--93999 --- pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1537 Section 3136. Regulations -Subsection-_(a) authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations necessary to carry out the purpose of subchap- ter II. of chapter 31 of title 5, United States Code, and amends the table of chapters for chapter 31 to include new sections regarding the Senior Executive Service. Section 402(b) amends present section 3104(a) of title 5, United States Code, by adding the word "nonmanagerial" after the word "establish" so as to read, when amended, "(a) The head of an agency named below may establish nonmanagerial scientific or professional positions . . ." The word "nonmanagerial" has been added to make clear that the agency head's authority under section 3104(a) does not relate to the Senior Executive Service. Section 402(c) provides that an agency head may not fill Senior Executive Service positions under the authority of section 3109(b) pertaining to temporary or intermittent contracts with experts and consultants. SECTION 403. EXAMINATION, CERTIFICATION AND APPOINTMENT Section 403(a) amends chapter 33, title 5, United States Code, entitled "Examination, Selection and Placement," by adding a new subchapter VIII entitled, "Senior Executive Service Appointment, Placement, Transfer and Development." The new subchapter VIII contains seven sections which-are discussed separately below. Section 3391. General provisions applicable to career executives Subsection (a) provides that qualification standards for career reserved positions shall meet requirements established by the Office of Personnel Management. Subsection (b) requires appointees to meet the qualifications of the career reserved positions to which they are .appointed. Subsection (c) states that the -appointing authority is responsible for determining that a selectee meets the qualification requirements of a particular career reserved position. The result of subsections (a), (b) and (c) is that the Office of Personnel Management will establish general executive requirements for career reserved Senior Executive Service positions. The appointing authority will be responsible for determining that a selectee meets executive standards established for the particular posi- tion. In so doing, the appointing authority may factor in specific cri- teria related to knowledge of and experience in the program for which the executive is being recruited. Subsection (d) prohibits discrimination for nonmerit factors such as age, race, national origin, handicapping conditions, sex, marital status, political affiliation and religion. This subsection merely repeats for emphasis the prohibition de- scribed in section 2302 (b) of this bill. - Subsection (e) provides that career appointees in the Senior Execu- tive Service who accept Presidential appointments requiring Senate confirmation shall continue to be covered by the performance award, incentive award, retirement and leave provisions of the Senior Execu- tive Service during the term of their Presidential appointments. pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1538 Section 3392. Career appointments to the Senior Exeeut. ve Service Section 3392 (a) provides that career recruitment may (1) include all current Federal employees or (2) be open to both Federal employees and to persons outside of Government. Subsection (b) states that the recruitment process must attempt to reach all groups of qualified applicants, including women and minorities. Subsection (c) charges any agency executive resources board with the conduct of competitive staffing, subject to requirements established by the Office of Personnel Management. Subsection (d) requires the Office of Personnel Management to ap- point members of qualification review boards from within and out- side the Federal service to certify the executive qualifications of career candidates for the Senior Executive Service, except that a majority of members of each such board shall consist of career executives. Mem- bers of the qualified review boards from outside the Federal service shall be persons knowledgeable about the field of public management and other occupational fields relevant to the type of occupation for which an individual is being considered. Subsection (d) also provides that the Office of Personnel Management shall set criteria for estab- lishing executive qualifications for appointment as a career executive in the Senior Executive Service, which shall include : (1) demonstrated performance in executive work; (2) successful participation in a cen- trally sponsored or agency career executive development program ap- proved by the Office of Personnel Management; or (3) unique or special individual qualities predictive of success to apply in those cases in which an outstanding candidate would otherwise be excluded from appointment. S. 2640, as introduced, did not contain a requirement that a majority of any qualification review board be composed of career employees. The committee added this requirement in order to ensure that per- sons with experience and knowledge regarding the requirements of executive management in the Federal service play a large role in the recruitment of employees into the Senior Executive Service. Under subsection (d), the recruitment of career appointments to the Senior Executive Service would proceed as follows. A Qualification Review Board, composed of a majority of career executives, would establish a set of general executive qualifications for the position being filled. The criteria would include those set forth in subsection (d). This screening process determines who meets the general execu- tive qualifications test. At this point, an executive resources board from the agency would, in conjunction with the appointing authority, screen the applicants on the basis of criteria more specifically re- lated to the executive position itself. The agency, for instance, might very well add in factors such as substantive knowledge of the program area or years of experience in the particular or similar program areas. The final selectign by the appointing authority would be made from an evaluation of the applicants that takes into account these additional agency programmatic factors. Subsection (e) requires employees with career status from other Government personnel systems to have their executive qualifications Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 approved by the Office of Personnel Management for a career appointment. Subsection (f) states that discrimination on account of political affiliation is prohibited. This subsection merely repeats for emphasis the prohibition de- scribed in section 2302 (b) as added by title I of this bill. Subsection (g) requires a 1 year probationary period for employees entering the Senior Executive Service under career appointments. Subsection (h) requires that the title of each career reserved position be published in the Federal Register. Section 3393. Appointments to general positions in the Senior Execu- tive Service Subsection (a) provides that each agency, after consultation with the Office of Personnel Management, shall establish qualification stand- ards for all general positions. Such standards shall, to the maximum extent practicable, conform to qualification requirements established by the Office of Personnel Management for comparable career reserved positions. The appointing authority is responsible for determining that an individual appointed to a general position meets the qualifica- tions established for that position. Under subsection (a) the recruitment of executives for general posi- tions would proceed as follows if the appointment is open to persons who are not members of the Senior Executive Service. The agency would first consult with the Office of Personnel Management regarding general executive qualification standards. These executive qualifica- tions for the position would, to the maximum extent practicable, con- form with such standards for comparable career reserved positions, but the final determination of the general executive qualifications would be the responsibility of the agency. The agency may appoint a noncareer executive to the position after determining that the indi- vidual meets any general or specific standards the agency has estab- lished for the job. Or the agency may appoint a career executive. In that case, the recruiting process would proceed in a manner similar to that of the recruiting process for career appointments; that is, the Office of Personnel Management would screen a pool of candidates for career appointments to the Senior Executive Service to determine if they met the general executive qualifications test. The agency execu- tive resources board, in conjunction with the appointing authority, would evaluate the applicants on the basis of more specific job-related criteria. The final selection by the appointing authority would be made from an evaluation of the applicants that takes into account . these additional agency programmatic factors. Subsection (b) provides that employees given noncareer appoint- ments do not acquire credit toward career status and may be removed by the appointing authority. Subsection (c) prohibits noncareer appointments to career reserved positions. Subsection 3393(d) provides that appointment or removal of a per- son to a general Senior Executive. Service position in an independent regulatory agency shall not be subject to review or approval by an officer or entity within the Executive Office of the President. The com- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 mittee added this subsection in order to ensure that independent regu- latory agencies are not subject to political control in the appointment of their top noncareer executives. The committee feels that this in- sulation from the White House in appointments is necessary to main- tain the independence of these agencies, as intended by the Congress. Section 3394. Limited appointments to the Senior Executive Service Subsection (a) provides that limited emergency appointments to the Senior Executive Service may only be made when filling new positions established in a bona fide emergency as defined by the Office of Personnel Management regulations; may not exceed 18 months; are nonrenewable; and may be recruited for by the agency without regard to the competitive process. . Subsection (b) provides that limited term appointments may be made only for positions the duties of which will expire in three years or less; are nonrenewable; and may be filled by the agency without regard to the competitive process. Subsection (c) provides that a career Senior Executive Service employee appointed under either type of limited appointment does not satisfy the probationary period requirement for the Senior Executive Service. Subsection (d) requires Office of Personnel Management approval of use of limited appointment authority before making such an appointment. Section 3395. Placement and transfer 'within the Senior Executive Service Subsection (a) permits career appointees to: (1) be reassigned to a Senior Executive Service position within the same agency; (2) volun- tarily transfer to a Senior Executive Service position in another agency; and (3) request assignment outside the Senior Executive Service, provided that the agency shall furnish to the executive at least 15 days before a reassignment under paragraph (h) (1) a written notification of the impending action. The committee added the provision regarding the 15-day notice in order to give the SES executive ample notice of the impending action. It is the committee's intent that the written notification provided by the agency regarding the assignment include an explanation of the reasons for the transfer in terms of the agency's priorities and manage- ment of its executive resources. This provision is not intended to give the employee any new appeal rights. Subsection (b)permits an executive with a limited appointment (limited emergency or limited term) to be reassigned to a position meet- ing the criteria under which the employee was originally appointed. However, continuous service in any one agency under a limited emer- gency appointment may not exceed 18 months, and under a limited term appointment such service may not exceed 3 years. An executive with a limited appointment may not be given a career appointment in the. Senior Executive Service except under the competitive merit staffing process and may not be given another limited appointment in the same agency when the maximum period of service authorized for the original appointment has expired, until 1 intervening year has passed. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Subsection (c) states that an executive with a noncareer appoint- ment may be reassigned or transferred to any general Senior Executive Service position in the same agency or in another agency, and may be appointed to a noncareer position outside the Senior Executive Service. Subsection (d) prohibits involuntary reassignment or removal of a career executive from the Senior Executive Service within 120 days after the appointment of an agency head or after the appointment of the noncareer employee who is closest to the career executive in the supervisory chain of command, except where the reassignment or re- moval is the result of a corrective action involving misconduct, or an unsatisfactory performance rating given to the career executive prior to the appointment. S. 2640, as introduced, merely provided for no removal or reassign- ment within 120 days after the appointment of an agency head. But in most cases it is a lower .level noncareer supervisory employee who makes the decision regarding removal or reassignment. In order to carry out the clear intent of this subsection-that is, to protect Senior Executive Service employees from peremptory removal or reassign- ment during periods of supervisory transition-the committee added the proviso that Senior Executive Service employees could also not be transferred or removed from the Senior Executive Service within 120 days after the appointment of a noncareer employee who is closest to the career executive in the supervisory chain of command. Section 3396. Development for and within the Senior Executive Service Subsection 3396 (a) provides for the establishment of programs by the Office of Personnel Management or by agencies under criteria es- tablished by the Office of Personnel Management, for the systematic development of candidates for the Senior Executive Service and for the continuing development of members of the Senior-Executive. Service. Subsection (b) requires the Office of Personnel Management to assist agencies _ in the establishment of development programs and to direct them to take corrective action if required to bring such programs into conformity with criteria established by the Office of Personnel Man- agement. Subsection (c) requires the Office of Personnel Management to en- courage temporary service in a variety of agencies, in State or local governments, and in the private sector. Subsection d provides for paid sabbaticals for career execut:. for up to 11 months plus travel and per diem costs when it will con- tribute to their career development. The purpose of the sabbatical period is to engage in study or unpaid work experience which will con- tribute to the individual's development and effectiveness in performing his official duties. An individual may not be granted more than one sab- batical.in a 10-year period and must have had a minimum of 7 years prior service in positions with duties and responsibilities equivalent to the Senior Executive Service including at least 2 years of actual membership in the Service. Section 3397. Definition Section 3397 provides for the purposes of his subchapter, the terms "career reserved position", "career appointee", "general position"2 "limited emergency appontment", "limited term appointment", and Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 "executive" have the same meaning as such terms are given in section 3132 of this title. Section 3398. Regulations Section 3398 provides that the Office of Personnel Management may prescribe regulations necessary to carry out the purpose of subchapter VIII of chapter 33 of the United States Code. It also amends the table of sections for chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code. Section 404 amends chapter 35 of title 5, United States Code, which deals with "Retention Preference, Restoration and Reemployment," excluding the Senior Executive Service from subchapter I, and by adding a new subchapter V entitled "Removal, Reinstatement and Guaranteed Placement provisions of the Senior Executive Service." Section 3591. Removal from the Senior Executive Service Subsection (a) provides that career employees can be removed from the Senior Executive Service : (1) During the 1-year probationary period; (2) for less than fully successful performance; or (3) for mis- conduct, neglect of duty, or malfeasance. During the first probationary year in the SES, a career executive could be removed even though the executive had not been given a less than successful rating. The career executive would have no appeal ri hts in this circumstance. Subsection (b) permits removal of limited emergency appointees by the appointing authority prior to the mandatory 18-month separa- tion point. Subsection (c) permits limited term appointees to be removed by the appointing authority prior to the mandatory 3-year separation point. Subsection (d) states that noncareer employees may be removed at any time by the appointing authority. Employees covered by subsec- tions (b), (c) and (d) may be removed at any time by the agency. Section 3592. Reinstatement into the Senior Executive Service This section permits reinstatement of a former Senior Executive Service employee who has career status to any Senior Executive Service position if the individual has successfully completed the Senior Executive Service probationary period, and the separation from the Senior Executive Service was not for misconduct, neglect of duty, malfeasance, or less than fully successful performance as defined in chapter 43. Section 3593. Guaranteed placement -.n other personnel systems Subsection (a) provides that a right to placement in a Federal service position outside the Senior Executive Service to those career status employees who were appointed to the Senior Executive Service from a career or career-type position within the civil service who, dur- ing the one year probationary period are removed from the Senior Executive Service for reasons other than misconduct, neglect of duty or malfeasance, or who, after the probationary period, are removed from the Senior Executive Service for less than fully successful per- formance. 78 Approved For Release 2007/05/14. CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Subsection (b) states that career executives who accept Presiden- tial appointments outside the Senior Executive Service and then are removed (for reasons other than misconduct, neglect of duty, or mal- feasance) are entitled to placement back into the Senior Executive Service, provided they apply to the Office of Personnel Management for such placement within 90 days after the separation from the Pres- idential appointment. Subsection (c) states that under subsection (a) the position in which the employee is placed must be a continuing career position at least at the GS-15 level and be at either the salary held prior to appointment to the Senior Executive Service, or at a salary which is equal to the last Senior Executive Service base pay, whichever is high- er. It also states that placement in a position outside the Senior Ex- ecutive Service shall not cause the separation or reduction in grade of any other employee in the agency. Subsection (d) states that a former Senior Executive Service mem- ber receiving retained pay will receive one half of each comparability increase under section 5305 if any until the employee's pay equals the top rate payable to his current position. Section 3594. Deflnition8 This section provides that for the purpose of this subchapter, the terms "career appointee" and "Senior Executive Service position" have the same meaning as these terms have in section 3132 of this title. Section 3595. Regulations This section provides that the Office of Personnel Management shall prescribe regulations necessary to the administration of this subchapter. Section 404(b) provides for amending the table of sections for chapter 35 of title 5, United States Code, to conform with the provi- sions of this chapter. Section 405 (a) amends chapter 43'of title 5, United States Code,, by adding a new subchapter II entitled, "Performance Appraisal in the Senior Executive Service." Section 4311. Senior Executive Service performance appraisal 8y8teffa Subsection (a) requires each agency to develop one or more per- formance appraisal systems with respect to Senior Executive Service employees. Such systems should : (1) Provide for systematic apprais- als of job performance; (2) encourage excellence in performance; and (3) link performance with eligibility for retention and perform- ance awards. Subsection (b) states that each such performance appraisal sys- tem shall provide: (1) for written appraisals; (2) that the perform- ance requirements be established at the beginning of the rating period and communicated to the employee; and (3) that each employee be shown his performance appraisal and rating, be given an opportunity to respond in writing, and have the rating reviewed by a higher man- agerial level. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Subsection (c) states that the Office of Personnel Management shall order corrective action if an agency performance appraisal sys- tem does not meet the. requirements of this subchapter and the regula- tions prescribed thereunder. Section 4312. Criteria for performance apprai8als This section states that executive success in the Senior Executive Service shall take into account both individual performance and organizational accomplishment. The criteria are to be based on such factors as : (1) Improvements in efficiency, productivity and quality of work or service; (2) the effectiveness and productivity of the employ- ees for whom the executive is responsible; (3) cost savings or cost efficiency; (4) timeliness of performance and (5) the meeting of affirm- ative action goal and the achievement of equal employment oppor- tunity requirements. S. 2640 as introduced did not include either the second or the fifth criteria listed above. The committee added criterion number two because of its belief that Senior Executive Service execu- tives should be held responsible for the productivity and efficiency of their employees and that their own performance ratings should there- fore include this specific evaluation. The committee added the equal employment opportunity factor to emphasize the importance of this aspect of the manager's responsibilities. Section 4313. Rating8 for managerial performance appraisal Subsection (a) requires that each performance appraisal system must provide for at least annual ratings reflecting a number of levels of performance including one or more successful levels or ratings, a level which is minimally satisfactory, . and an unsatisfactory level. Subsection (b) requires that the head of each agency shall establish a system to appraise the performance of members of the Senior Execu- tive Service. The system must include an agency performance review board which will evaluate the performance and accomplishments of executives in the agency in light of the specific goals and requirements established for each position. The board will advise the appointing, authority who actually assigns the individual's performance rat- ing. The evaluation must take place at least annually, except that no evaluation can be made of a career employee within 120 days fol- lowing the beginning of a new Administration. Otherwise an unsatis- factory rating may be assigned at any time during the performance appraisal period. The evaluations are not appealable. The result of such evaluation is that: (A) career employees receiving a rating at a fully successful level may be given performance awards as described in section 5384 as added -by this act; (B) an unsatisfactory rating re- quires corrective action such as reassignment, transfer, or separation from the Senior Executive Service. Employees who, twice in 5 years, receive an annual rating of unsatisfactory must be separated from the Senior Executive Service; (C) employees who, twice in 3 years, re- ceive an annual rating reflecting performance which is less than fully successful must be separated from the Senior Executive Service. Subsection (c) (1) provides that a performance review board, be- fore conducting its own appraisal of an executive, shall receive from the executive's supervisor a preliminary appraisal and from the ex- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1545 ecutive-if he chooses-a written response. The Board will conduct such further review as it finds necessary and advise the appointing authority in writing of its own appraisal. Subsection (c) (2) provides that members of performance review boards shall be appointed in a manner to assure consistency and ob- jectivity in performance appraisals and the appointment of members of the boards shall be published in the Federal Register. Subsection (c) (3) provides that when a career executive is evalu- ated a majority of the members of the board shall also consist of career executives. The committee added subsection (c) in order to strengthen and clarify the rights of career Senior Executive Service executives in rela- tion to the Senior Executive Service performance appraisal system. S. 2640, as introduced, did not spell out, in detail the process by which the performance review board and appointing authority would operate. Subsection (c) provides that the board would have before it when it undertakes its own appraisal both a preliminary appraisal by the executive's supervisor and a response from the executive. In addition, subsection (c) (3) provides that a career executive be appraised only by boards whose membership consists of a majority of career execu- tives. S. 2640 as introduced had provided only that such boards contain one member in a career position. The committee felt that career SES executives should constitute a majority of the performance review boards when a career executive was being evaluated. In this way per- sons who are knowledgeable and directly involved in the day-to-day responsibilities of Federal executives will have a large voice in judg- ing their peers. Their.status as career executives will protect the ap- praisal from being unduly influenced by political considerations. Subsection (d) provides that the Office of Personnel Management shall report annually to Congress on the activities of the perform- ance review boards, on the number of individuals removed from the Senior Executive Service for unsatisfactory performance, and on the number of. performance awards granted to Senior) Executive Service executives. Section 4314. Definitions This section provides that for the purpose of this subchapter the terms "agency," "executive," and "career appointee" shall have the same meaning as such terms have in section 3132 of this title. Section 4315. Regulations This section provides that the Office of Personnel Management may prescribe regulations necessary for the administration of this chapter and that the table of sections for chapter 43 of title 5, United States Code, is amended to make it conform with the provisions of this bill. SECTION 406. INCENTIVE AWARDS AND RANKS Subsection 406(a) amends chapter 45 of title 5, United States Code, by adding a new section 4507 entitled, "Incentive Awards and Ranks in the Senior Executive Service." Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Section 4507. Incentive awards and ranks in the Senior F. xecutive Service Subsection (a) requires each agency to forward annually to the Office of Personnel Management information regarding career execu- tives recommended for special rank. The Office of Personnel Manage- ment shall recommend to the President appointments to such rank. The President shall commission those selected. The ranks are (1) Meritorious Executive for sustained excellence and (2) Distinguished Executive for sustained extraordinary accomplishment. Under subsection (b), no more than 5 percent of the members of the Senior Executive Service may be appointed to the rank of Meri- torious Executive in a calendar year and no more than 15 percent of the active Senior Executive Service members may hold the rank at any time. Subsection (c) permits no more than 1 percent of the active Senior Executive Service members to hold the rank of Distinguished Executive. Subsections (d) and (e) provide for cash awards to Meritorious and Distinguished Executives. Meritorious Executives receive $2,500 an- nually for a period of 5 years. Distinguished Executives receive $5,000 annually for a period of 5 years. The annual payment of these awards are conditioned upon the person continuing in the Government em- ployment in an active status in the Senior Executive Service. The com- miltee decided that awards would not be subject to retirement or life insurance deductions and would not be used' in calculating annuity entitlement. Subsection (f) specifically provides that an employee in the Senior Executive Service,, who receives a Presidential appointment outside the Senior Executive Service after receiving such an award, shall con- tinue to receive the annual payments to which he otherwise would be entitled. Subsection (g) provides that the analysis of chapter 45, title 5, United States Code, is amended at the end by adding the following item : "4507. Incentive awards and ranks in the Senior Executive Service." SECTION 407. PAY RATES AND SYSTEMS Section 407(a) amends section 5308 of title 5, United States Code. Section 5308. Pay limitation Paragraph (1) states that executives in the Senior Executive Serv- ice may be paid up to a base rate equal to Level IV in the Executive Schedule. Section 407(b) amends chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, by adding at the end the following new subchapter: "Subchapter VIII- Pay for the Senior Executive Service." Section 5381. Purpose: Defanitione Subsection (a) states that the purpose of the new subchapter VIII is to provide a pay system for the Senior Executive Service which would be established under amended subchapter II of chapter 31 of title 5, United States Code. pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Subsection (b) provides that for, the purposes of this subchapter, "agency", "Senior Executive Service position", and "executive" have the same meanings given these terms by section 3132 of this title. Section 5382. Establishment of rates of pay for the Senior Executive Service Subsection (a) provides that there shall be five or more rates of basic pay for the Senior Executive Service established and thereafter ad- justed by the President. Subsection (b) provides that the lowest rate shall not be less than the sixth step of GS-15 and the highest rate shall not exceed the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule. Subsection (c) provides that the President shall adjust the rates of basic pay for the Senior Executive Service at the same time he ad- justs the rate of pay for other elements of the Federal service under title 5, United States Code. Such adjustments are to be included in the President's report to Congress under title 5, United States Code, 5305 (a) (3) or title 5, United States Code, 5035(c) (1). S. 2640, as introduced, provided that employees subject to the merit pay system (GS--13 through GS-15 managers) would not be entitled to automatic comparability pay increases. S.'2640, as introduced, how- ever, provided that members of the SES could receive full compara- bility pay increases. The committee has equalized the treatment of both groups of employees. This subsection provides that members of the SES should not be entitled to comparability pay increase. The only exception to this would be in establishing minimum and maxi- mum rates of pay. At any time the minimum and maximum rates of pay for SES executives was adjusted to reflect comparability increases, the minimum and maximum rates of pay rates for GS-13 through GS-15 managers will likewise be adjusted. The committee, thus, has eliminated any differences between the way SES executives and the GS-13 through GS-15 managers are treated under the provisions for comparability pay increases. Subsection (d) states that the rates of basic pay referred to in this section shall supersede any prior rates and.shall be printed in the Federal Register. Section 5383. Setting individual executive pay This section states that the pay for an executive is to be set accord- ing to criteria provided by the Office of Personnel Management. Ex- cept for adjustments to the whole rate structure made by the Presi- dent, an executive's pay cannot be adjusted more than once in any 12-month period. Once a year the base pay of the executive may be either increased or decreased by any amount, so long as the new rate of. pay stays within the minimum and maximum levels established by section 5382. S. 2640, as introduced, provided that the sum total of all moneys to an executive for any calendar year. for his base pay, performance awards and special incentive awards should not exceed 95 percent of the rate provided for Executive Level II. The effect of this provision would have meant that Senior Executive Service executives who were near or at the top base rate of pay would have received little or no monetary gain from either the performance or incentive awards. The rnpmved}{-orftrkesr2997fB4/14 ~ ^I/HFA?-2S 00003ROOnznnnonnni-i Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 committee felt that this was inequitable and counter to the purpose of rewarding excellence by instituting performance and incentive awards. It, therefore, deleted this subsection with the intent that Sen- ior Executive Service executives would be able, in the years they re- ceived incentive or performance awards, or both, to be paid the full amounts in addition to their base salaries. In subsection (b), the committee added a provision that if an agency decides to reduce the rate of base pay for a Senior Executive Service executive,'it must notify the person 15 days before the first day of the pay period for which the reduction is to take effect. It is the commit- tee's intent that this notification include an explanation of the reasons for the reduction in terms of the salary resources available to the agency for the jobs to be performed by its corps of Senior Executive Service executives. The provision for notification is not intended to give the executive any new right of appeal concerning the action. Section 5384. Performance awards for the Senior Executive Service Subsection (a) states that the purpose of such awards is to encourage excellence, and that the cash awards shall be in addition to basic pay and not subject to the ceiling limitations placed on Government sal aries. The performance review board will recommend to the appoint- ing authority the amount of award they feel should be given to each executive they recommend rating as fully successful. Subsection (b) provides no awards may be granted to an executive whose last performance rating was less than fully successful. The amount of the award may not exceed 20 percent of the executive's basic pay. Performance awards may not be paid to more than 50 percent of the executives in any agency employing 4 or more members in the Senior Executive Service in any fiscal year. Subsection (c) states that the Office of Personnel Management is authorized to issue guidance to agencies on the proportion of salary expenses that may be appropriately applied to payment of perform- ance awards and the distribution of awards of various amounts. Section 5385. Regulation Subsection (a) directs the Office of Personnel Management to issue regulations necessary for the administration of pay for the Senior Executive Service, subject to such policies and procedures as the President may prescribe. Subsection 407(c) contains two confirming amendments regarding retirements to sections 8331(3) and 8704(c) of title 5, United States Code. Subsection 407(d) amends the chapter analysis of chapter 53 of title"5,-United States Code, so that it will properly reflect the content of the chapter after the bill is enacted. Paragraphs (1) and (2) amend chapter 55 of title 5, United States Code. They amend 5, United States Code, 5504 (a) (B) so as to include Senior Executive Service employees under the standard Government biweekly pay period. Paragraph (2) amends section 5595(a) (2) (i) to permit severance pay for members of Senior Executive Service. pproved for Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1549 SECTION 409. TRAVEL, TRANSPORTATION, AND SUBSISTENCE This section amends section 5723(a) (1) of title 5, United States Code, to permit an.agency to pay the travel expenses of a new member of the Senior Executive Service. Section 5752. Travel expenses of Senior Executive Service candidates This section permits an agency to pay the travel expenses for can- didates for such positions when the expenses were incurred incident to preemployment interviews requested by the employing agency, by adding a new section 5752 in title 5, United States Code. This section amends chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code. This sections amends 5,.United States Code, 6304, by adding a new subsec- tion (f) to exclude employees in the Senior Executive Service from a limitation on the accumulation of annual leave. Currently, employees may generally not carry over more than 30 days of annual leave from year to year. This exclusion would allow executive managers to spend as much time on the job as the job requires without forfeiting their en- titlement to annual leave for later use or to the cash value of that leave upon separation from the Federal service. SECTION 411. DISCIPLINARY ACTION Section 411 (a) amends chapter 75 of title 5, United States Code. Section 7541. De funitions This section sets forth definitions of "employee", "disciplinary ac- tion", "removal", and "suspension." An "employee" is defined as an individual in the Senior Executive Service who has either completed one year of continuous service in such Service or was covered by the provisions of subchapter II of this chapter when appointed to a posi- tion in the Service. "Disciplinary action" is an action based on the conduct of the employee, including but not limited to, misconduct, neglect of duty, or malfeasance. But it does not include less than full successful performance. Disciplinary action may result in involuntary removal, or suspension for more than 30 days. "Removal" is defined as separation from the Federal service. "Suspension" means the placing of an employee in a temporary nonduty nonpay status for disciplinary reasons. Section 7542. Actions covered This section states that this subchapter applies to a disciplinary removal or suspension for more than 30 days of an individual in the Senior Executive Service, but does not apply to a suspension or re- moval under 5 United States Code 7532 (National Security). Subsection 7543. Cause and Procedure Subsection (a) provides that agency disciplinary action against an employee may be taken only for such cause as will promote the ef- ficiency of the service. This subsection also provides for regulations by the Office of Personnel Management, and makes clear that removal for less than fully successful performance is not a disciplinary action. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Subsection (b) sets forth procedures for disciplinary actions. The employee is entitled to : At least 30 days written notice stating any and all reasons, specifically and in detail, for the proposed action, except where there is reasonable cause to believe the employee is guilty of a crime for which a sentence of imprisonment can be imposed; a rea- sonable time to answer, orally and in writing, and to furnish affidavits and documents in support of the answer; be accompanied, represented and advised by a representative; and a'written decision, with support- ing reasons, at the earliest practicable date. Subsection (c) permits the agency to give a hearing but specifically does not require a hearing. Subsection (d) requires that documents pertaining to a disciplinary action be made a part of the agency's records and be furnished to the Merit Systems Protection Board or to the Office of Personnel Man- agement upon request. Subsection (e) provides for an appeal of disciplinary action to the Merit Systems Protection Board under section 7701 of this bill, and that the decision of the agency shall be sustained except as pro- vided for in section 7701 of the bill. The procedures discussed in section 7543 are the same as provided for other Federal employees in title I I of this bill. Subsection 411(b) amends the table of sections of chapter 75 of title 5, United States Code, to make it conform to the bill when passed. SECTION 412 S. 2640, as introduced, contained a section 412 entitled, "Retire- ment." The original section 412 provided an immediate annuity if an executive in the Senior Executive Service were separated from the Senior Executive Service for less than fully successful performance and had completed 25 years of Federal service or had become 50 years of age and had completed 20 years of Federal service. The annuity in such cases would be reduced 2 percent a year for each year the employee was under age 55. The section also provided for a change in the way retirement annuities were to be calculated for members of the Senior Executive Service who have received performance awards. For every year that an award was received the employee's annuity calculation would have included 21/2 percent of his average top 3 salary years in place of any lesser percentage based on years of total service. Several witnesses, including the Government Accounting Office, questioned the wisdom and equity of providing a subsidy to one or more special groups of employees from the general Federal service retirement fund. The committee chose to delete this section especially in light of this testimony. This section provides specific guidance for the conversion period following enactment with respect to agency action in converting cer- tain positions to the Senior Executive Service and also with respect to the various options of the employee-incumbents of such P.O. Subsection (a). charges each agency with the responsibility of pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1551 designating those positions which are to be incorporated into the Senior Executive Service and those positions which are career re- served. Such designations shall be accomplished under the guidance and review of the Office of Personnel Management during the period between enactment and the effective date of this title. The subsection also indicates that positions which are properly classified above the GS-15 level may be designated as Senior Executive Service positions even if they have hitherto been classified at the GS-15 level. Subsection (b) provides that each agency will submit a request for total Senior Executive Service space allocations and for the num- ber of noncareer appointments needed. The Office of Personnel Man- agement will then establish interim authorizations for such appoint- ments. Subsection (c) provides two options to employee-incumbents of positions designated as Senior Executive Service. First, the employee may remain in the current appointment and pay system, retaining the grade, seniority and other rights and benefits associated with career and career-conditional appointment. Furthermore, election of this option shall not cause the separation, displacement, or reduction in grade of any other employee of the agency. In the alternative, the employee may convert to a Senior Executive Service appointment. The conversion of this appointment would be governed by the pro- visions of subsection (d), (e), (f), (g) or (h) of this section, as appropriate. The employee must elect one of these options within 90 days from the date he is notified in writing that his position has been incorporated into the Senior Executive Service. Subsection (d) states that employees who elect automatic conversion and who are currently serving under career or career-conditional or similar appointments shall receive a career appointment in the Senior Executive Service. Subsection (e) states that employees who elect automatic conversion and who are currently serving under an excepted service appointment in a position which is not designated a career reserved position in the Senior Executive Service, shall receive a noncareer appointment in the Senior Executive Service. Subsection (f) provides for excepted employees who are serving in positions designated career reserved in the Senior Executive Service. These employees shall be reassigned to an appropriate Senior Execu- tive Service general position or terminated. Subsection (g) allows those persons listed in (e) whose position is designated as a Senior Executive Service position, but who have re- instatement eligibility to a position in the competitive service, to re- quest from the Office of Personnel Management reinstatement of career status in order to be converted to a career appointment in the Senior Executive Service. The names and grounds for status of all such employees who are converted to career status must be published in the Federal Register. Subsection (h) relates to employees who are under a limited execu- tive assignment under subpart F or part 305 of title. 5, Code of, Federal Regulations, who have elected an automatic appointment conversion, such employees shall be converted to: (1) A Senior Executive Service Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1552 limited term appointment if the position encumbered will terminate within 3 years of the effective date; (2) a Senior Executive Service noncareer appointment if the position encumbered is designed as a Senior Executive Service general position; or (3) a Senior Executive Service noncareer appointment and reassigned to Senior Executive Service general position if the encumbered position is designated as a Senior Executive Service career reserved position. Subsection (i) deals with pay. If the employees' base pay at the time of conversion is more than the base pay of the level to which they are converted, the employees retain their pay. Subsection (1) authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations to carry out the purpose of this section and to provide for an employee appeal to the.Merit Systems Protection Board from improper agency action under this section, under section 395 (d) or section 3593, or who believes that an agency's action has not been timely under section 4313 (b) (2) of this title. This section repeals all preexisting authority for the establishment or pay of positions subject to section 401 of this act. Such repeal can involve total deletion of a provision or the modification of a provision. SECTION 414. SAVINGS PROVISION This section indicates that enactment of this act shall not decrease the pay, allowances, compensation or annuity of any person. This pro- vision governs the initial appointment of employees in the Senior Ex- ecutive Service. The subsequent pay and compensation of the execu- tives will be determined by the performance of the executive. SECTION 415. EFFECTIVE DATE This section sets an effective date for this title of nine months after enactment. The only exception is section 412 (conversion procedures), which takes effect immediately upon enactment. TITLE V-MERIT PAY This title establishes a system of compensation for certain super- visors and managers which would be based, at least in part, on the quality of those employees' work. Under this title, managers would use performance appraisals to document a covered employee's ac- complishments during the review period. Instead of granting almost automatic pay increases, as is now the case, this title would require pay increase decisions relative to comparability increases to be based upon the degree to which an individual met or exceeded performance objectives. The merit pay system would not require additional expenditures of money. The money saved from not awarding full across-the-board comparability increases and automatic step increases would be used to reward those employees who deserve pay raises or bonuses. pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 SECTION 801. PAY FOR PERFORMANCE AMENDMENTS Section 501 (a) amends title 5, United States Code, by adding a new chapter 54, entitled "Merit Pay," to provide for the establishment of a merit pay system for certain Federal employees. Section 5401. Purpose This section states the purposes of the new chapter 54. Section 5402. Merit pay system Subsection (a) directs the OPM to establish a , merit pay system covering managerial and supervisory employees in grades GS-13 through GS-15. Subsection (b) (1) provides that an agency may file with the OPM a request for exclusion from the merit pay system. The OPM shall review the applications and recommend to the President whether the agency or unit should be excluded, and the President may, in writing, exclude an agency or unit from coverage. Subsection (b) (2) provides that any agency or unit so excluded shall make a sustained effort to bring its. personnel system into conformity with the merit pay system. Subsection (b) (3) states that the OPM may at any time recommend that the exclusion granted to an agency or unit be revoked and the President may revoke the exclusion. Subsection (c) provides that the merit ay system established under subsection (a) of this section shall provide fora range of base pay for each grade to which it applies. The minimum and maximum of each grade in which there are employees who are covered by the merit pay system shall be the same as the minimum and maximum for those grades as they apply to employees not covered by the merit pay system. All specific intervening steps in the schedule are eliminated for em- ployees under the merit pay system. Thus, an employee covered by the merit pay system may have a pay rate at any dollar amount from the minimum to the maximum rate for the assigned grade. Subsection (d) (1) provides that when the size of the comparability adjustment under section 5303 of title 5, United States Code, is deter- mined each year, the OPM, in consultation with the OMB, will make a determination as to what portion of that adjustment will be given as a comparability pay increase to employees covered by this merit pay system. Subsection (d) (2) provides language which corresponds to language contained in section 5305(p), title 5, United States Code. This language ensures that any portion of the comparability adjust- ment granted employees in the merit pay system will not require them to start a new waiting period for a within-grade increase should they transfer into a grade or position which is not covered by the merit pay system. Subsection (d) (3) states that no employee may be paid less than the minimum rate of basic pay of the grade of:such employee's position and that no employee shall suffer a reduction in the rate of basic pay as a result of the employee's initial coverage by, or subse- quent conversion to, the merit pay system. Subsection (e) provides that the manner in which an employee's pay may be increased within the pay range of the assigned grade will be prescribed in regulations developed by the Office of Personnel Man- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 agement. The subsection specifies, however, that a determination to. either increase or not increase the pay of an employee : (1) may take into account both individual performance and organizational accom- plishment; (2) shall be based on such factors as improvements in efficiency, productivity, quality of work or service, cost savings, and timeliness of performance (among others) ; (3) shall be reviewable under procedures established by the agency head, but shall not be. appealable outside the agency; and (4) shall be subject to guidelines on the distribution of advances issued by the Office of Personnel Man- agement. Subsection (e) also provides that whatever portion is not granted as a general adjustment shall be used to partly fund the pool with the remaining funding to be determined considering what percent of payroll is generally expended for within-grade increases and quality step increases for employees who are not covered by this system. The Committee added one additional factor to those by which pay increases will be determined : "the quality of performance by the em- ployees for whom the manager or supervisor is responsible." this pro- vision matches similar language for SES executives put into title IV. It emphasizes that employees should be judged in part upon their performance in assuring effective work from employees under them. Subsection (f) establishes authority to grant incentive awards to managers subject to this chapter. The authorization parallels the pres- ent provisions of chapter 45. The only modification of these basic provisions is the increase from $5,000 to $10,000 in the dollar amount which may be granted by the head of any agency. The $5,000 figure has been in the law since 1954 and, through the passage of time and the attendant inflation, the value of this amount has been seriously eroded. Further, it is considered desirable to give individual agencies increased authority to administer their own programs. Under subsection (g), the Office of Personnel Management will develop regulations which give employees covered by the merit pay system, whose continuous service is interrupted in the public interest by service with the armed forces or by service in essential non- government civilian employment during a period of war or national emergency, the opportunity to be advanced within the pay range based upon the quality of their past performance in order that they are not penalized as a result of such service. Subsection (h) provides that increases in basic pay resulting from the merit pay system shall be considered fixed by statute. As such, they are included in the amounts to which cost of living allowances and post differentials under 5 U.S.C. 5941 are applied. Section 5403. Reports S. 2640, as introduced, merely provided for periodic reports to Congress on the merit pay system. The Committee changed this section to require annual reports to Congress until such time as the merit pay system is fully implemented and thereafter periodic reports on the effectiveness of the system and the costs associated with it. This change was made to conform the reporting requirement to the Committee's de- cision that the merit pay system be phased in incrementally (see dis- cussion-in section 503 of this title). pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1555 Section 5404. Regulations. Section 5404 requires the Office of Personnel Management to issue regulations implementing this subchapter. SECTION 502. CONFORMING AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS Subsection (a) of section 502 amends section 4501(2) (A) of title 5, United States Code, by inserting "but does not include an individual paid under the merit pay system established under section 5402 of this title; and". This change recognizes the transfer of the operation of incentive awards for employees covered by the merit pay system to section 5402 in order that it might become an integral portion of their direct compensation plan. This is intended to focus the attention of Federal managers on this portion of the compensation program when developing recommendations for pay increases to employees. Subsection (b) of section 502 amends section 4502(a) of title 5, United States Code, by increasing the maximum cash award from $5,000 to $10,000. The $5,000 figure has been in law since 1954 and through the passage of time and the attendant inflation, the value of this amount has been seriously eroded. Subsection (c) of section 502 amends section 4502(b) of title 5, United States Code, by increasing the maximum cash award which may be anted by the head of an agency without the approval of the Office of Personnel Management from $5,000 to $10,000. Subsection (d) of section 502 is an amendment to section 4506 of title 5, United States Code, striking out "Civil Service Commission may" and inserting in lieu thereof "Office of Personnel Management shall" and imposes a duty to prescribe re lations. Subsection (e) of section 502 amends section 5332(a) of title 5, United States Code, to exclude those employees who will be covered by the merit pay system. This is the section which currently provides that each employee covered by subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, is entitled to basic pay in accordance with the General Schedule. However, because employees covered by the merit pay system will not automatically receive the full comparability adjustment which will be applied to the General Schedule and since the pay ranges under the merit pay system will not contain any step rates, these employees must be excluded from this provision. Subsection (f) of section 502 amends section 5334 of title 5, United States Code, by providing that (1) where a reference is made to a'step' it shall mean any dollar amount within the range for an employee moving to a position covered by the merit pay system and (2) where the reference is made to `two steps' or `two step increases' it shall mean six percent for employees covered by the merit pay system since there will be no steps. Six percent is approximately the size of two within- grade step increases. Subsection (g) of section 502 amends section 5335(e) of title 5, United States Code, to exclude those-employees who will be covered by the the merit pay system. Because these employees will receive individually-determined increases to base pay and?advance within a range which does not contain steps, they are excluded from this section Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 which provides for the system of periodic step increases under the General Schedule. Subsection (h) of section 502 amends section 5336(c) of title 5, United States Code, to exclude employees covered under the merit pay System from the provisions for receiving additional step increases. Subsection (i) of section 502 amends the analysis of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, to conform to the amendments made by section 501 of this bill. This section provides that the provisions of this title take effect on the date of enactment of the Act, except that the provision shall be applied to. positions in accordance with schedules laid down by the OPM. S. 2640 provided that the entire merit pay system for all GS-13 through GS-15 managers would go into effect after 90 days. The Coin- mittee felt, however, that this very short time period for implementa- tion would place too heavy a burden on the OPM and the agencies, and that it was likely to result in hasty and ill-informed decisionmaking regarding the new system. Thus, it decided to give the OPM leeway to implement the system gradually, for instance, on an agency-by-agency basis or grade-by-grade basis. The Committee understands that full implementation, may require three to four years. The Committee be- lieves that incremental implementation will produce a more efficient and equitable system for the Federal employees covered by this title. TITLE VI-RESEARCH, DEI ONSTRATION, AND OTHER PROGRAMS This title (1) authorizes the OPM to engage in research and dem- onstration projects aimed at improving personnel management in the Federal government, and to waive certain provisions of law in the conduct of such experiments, and (2) amends the Intergovernmental Personnel Act to simplify personnel requirements as conditions for State and local government participation in Federal grant programs, and to facilitate increased intergovernmental mobility. This section adds a new Chapter 47 of Title 5, United States Code, entitled "Personnel Research and Demonstration Projects." This new Chapter establishes Research and Demonstration authority for the Office of Personnel Management as follows : Section 4701. Definitions Paragraph (1) defines an "agency" through incorporation by ref- erence of the defnition used to include agencies within "merit system principles" and "prohibited personnel practices" under Section 101 of this Act, including (a) an Executive agency, (b) the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, and (c) the Government Printing Office, but excluding (a) a Government Corporation, and (b). the Gen- eral Accounting Office. Unlike Section 101, however, no general au- thority is provided the President under this title to exempt positions due to their confidential or policy-making character. \pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1557 Paragraph (2) specifically exempts certain agencies or positions in agencies from inclusion under this title, including (a) the Federal -Bureau of Investigation, (b) the Central Intelligence Agency, (c) the Defense Intelligence Agency, (d) the National Security Agency, (e) the Drug Enforcement Authority, and (f) other Executive agencies or units thereof whose principal function is the conduct of intelligence or counterintelligence activities, as determined by the President. Paragraph (3) defines an "employee" as an individual employed in or under an agency. Paragraph (4) defines an "eligible" as an individual who has quali- fied for an appointment to the competitive service, and whose name has been entered on an appropriate register or list of eligibles. Paragraph (5) defines "demonstration project" as one aimed at de- termining whether a specified change in policies or procedures will result in improved Federal personnel management, and is conducted or supervised by the Office. of Personnel Management. Paragraph (6) defines "research program" as a planned study of public management policies and systems, the manner in which they are operating, their effects, comparisions among policies and systems, and possibilities for change. Section 470$. Research, and development functions Section 4702 authorizes the Office of Personnel Management to es- tablish, maintain, and evaluate research and development projects to find improved methods and technologies in Federal Personnel Man- agement. OPM is also directed to establish and maintain a system for collection and public dissemination of such research and development, and to encourage exchange of information among interested parties. OPM is authorized to carry out these activities directly or through con- tract or agreement. Section 4703. Demonstration projects Section 4703 establishes the scope and limitation of OPM's author- ity to conduct experimental demonstration projects aimed at improv- ing Federal personnel management. Because this Section permits OPM to waive certain provisions of law in conducting these projects, the Committee was particularly concerned that adequate safeguards be developed to assure that this power not be abused. Any demonstra- tion project that oversteps these limitations, or does not satisfy the essential definitional intent of such projects is prohibited. Part (a) of this Section authorizes OPM to conduct and evaluate, either directly or through agreement or contract with one or more Federal agencies or other public or private organizations, demonstra- tion projects involving up to 5,000 individuals (not including control groups) and having an active duration of up to 5 years. No more than 10 active demonstration projects may be underway at any one time. The intent of this requirement is to limit to 50,000 the total number of Federal employees that may be involved directly, at any one time, in active demonstration projects. For purposes of this limitation, an "active" project is intended to mean one where the experimental con- dition remains in effect. A project where the experiment is no longer in effect, but where evaluation study is still underway, would not be .considered an "active" project for purposes of this limitation. 93 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 In order to provide OPM with the ability to experiment with new and innovative means of improving Federal personnel management, the Committee agreed to a limited allowance for OPM to either (a) act beyond specific authorities granted to it under Title 5, United States Code, or (b) waive inconsistent provisions of Title 5, United States Code, in creating experimental conditions for purposes of demonstration projects. While the Committee recognized the need to allow OPM adequate flexibility to develop new approaches to Federal personnel manage- ment policies and procedures, it was concerned about the dangers in- herent whenever any Federal agency is given authority to waive pro- visions of law. For this reason, a number of provisions were inserted to assure that demonstration project authorities are not used to abridge employee rights, contravene the express will of Congress, or under- mine the essential purpose of this Act, that is, to create a fairer, more effective, more merit-oriented Federal civil service. For instance, the Committee decided to insert language forbidding any demon- stration project to violate merit system principles or prohibited per- sonnel practices established under Title II of this Act.. Any demon- stration project which does so would be subject to the full range of disciplinary powers accorded the Merit Systems Protection Board and its Special Counsel. Further, no demonstration project may affect leave, insurance, or annuity provisions established under this Title. To provide assurance that demonstration projects are proper, rigor- ous procedural safeguards must be satisfied before any such project may go into effect. A detailed plan must be developed, published in the Federal Register, and submitted to public hearings'as a precondi- tion to implementation. The plan must identify the purposes of the proposed demonstration project, the number, types, and categories of employees and eligibles to be affected, the methodology, the duration, the anticipated costs, the training to be provided, and the methodology and criteria for evaluation of the project. Further, employees who might be affected by the project must be notified and consulted with at least 6 months prior to first implementing the project. Congress also must be provided a detailed report on the proposed project at least 3 months in advance of implementation. No project may be implemented unless the agency involved has approved the proposal. To insure that employees have an active input into the planning and implementation of demonstration projects and are fully appraised of any change which might affect their status or well-being, parts (e) and (f) of this section establish rules for prior consultation with employees before a project may be initiated. Where employees are within an agency unit where an employee organization holds exclu- sive recognition rights, no demonstration project may be entered into (a) if the project would violate a negotiated agreement between the employee organization and such agency unless a written agreement provides for such projects, or (b) if the project is not covered by such a written agreement, unless there has been consultation or negotiation, as appropriate, with the employee organization. It is the intent of this provision that the authority to enter into demonstration projects and to waive certain provisions of law not be construed as license to violate any agreement entered into by an agency and its employees, or Approved For Release 2nn7ln,114 - C'IA-RnPRS-nnnn3Rnnp300090001.1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1559 to bypass the exclusive recognition rights accorded an employee organization. Where employees are within a unit where an employee organization has not been accorded exclusive recognition rights, the requirement for prior consultation with employees must still be adhered to, and part (f) forbids the implementation of any project where consultation has not taken place. Finally, an evaluation is required of all demonstration projects en- tered into under this section, including an evaluation of results and their impact on improving public management. All agencies are man- dated to cooperate with the Director of OPM in the performance of his demonstration project authority, including the providing of infor- (nation and reports. Section 4704. Alloction of Funds Section 4704 allows OPM to allocate funds appropriated to it for the purpose of conducting demonstration or research projects to other agencies, where such other agencies are to be actually conducting or assisting in the conducting of such pro ects. However, to insure con- tinued Congressional control over such funds, allocated funds may re main available only for so long as specified in appropriation Acts. And no contracts may be entered into under this Section unless specifically provide for in advance by relevant appropriations Acts. Section 4705. Reports Section 4705 requires that OPM, as part of its annual report to Congress, include a summary of all research and demonstration proj- ects conducted during the year, the effect of the projects on improving management efficiency, and recommendations of policies and proce- dures which will improve the attainment of general research objectives. Section 4706. Regulations Section 4706 authorizes the OPM to prescribe regulations to admin- ister the provisions of this Chapter. SECTION 802. INTERGOVERNMENTAL PERSONNEL ACT AMENDMENTS This Section amends the Intergovernmental Personnel Act as follows : Subsection 602 (a) amends section 208 of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) to (1) authorize Federal agencies to require State and local governments, as a condition of participation in Federal assistance programs, to have merit personnel systems for the positions engaged in the administration of such programs; and (2) abolish all statutory personnel requirements established as a condition of the receipt of Federal grants-in-aid by State and local governments, except those listed in Section 208 of the IPA, those that prohibit discrimina- tion in employment or require equal employment opportunity or affirmative action, the Davis-Bacon Act, and the Hatch Political Activities Act. Subsection 602(b) amends section 401 of the IPA to extend the au- thority to participate in the mobility program to certain other organizations. Subsection 602(c) amends section 403 of the IPA to make commis- sioned Public Health Service Officers eligible to participate in the IPA mobility program. pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1560 Subsection 602(d) amends section 502 of the IPA to define the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands as a jurisdiction which is eligible to participate in all IPA programs. Subsection 602(e) amends section 506 of the IPA to include the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands in the formula allocation of IPA grants and exclude these jurisdictions from the local government allocation. SECTION 603. AMENDMENTS TO THE MOBILITY PROGRAM This Section amends Title 5 of the United States Code to expand the Intergovernmental Mobility Program as follows: Subsections 603 (a) through (d) amend sections 3371 through 3375 of title 5, United States Code, to extend eligibility to participate in the mobility program to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; to a mil. ti tary department; a court of'the United States; the Administra- ve Office of th e United States Courts; the Library of Congress; the Botanic Garden; the Government Printing Office; the Congressional Budget Office; the United States Postal Service; the Postal Rate Com- mission; the Architect of the Capitol; the Office of Technology Assess- ment; and other organizations such as a national, regional, statewide, or metropolitan organization representing member State or local governments; an association of State or local public officials; or a nonprofit organization, one of whose principal functions is to offer professional advisory, research, development or related services to governments or universities concerned with public management. Fed- eral employees in non-career appointments in the Senior Executive Service and employees in the excepted service who are serving in con- fidential or policy determining positions are excluded from participa- tion in the mobility program. Subsection 603(e) amends section 3374 of title 5, United States Code, to provide technical amendments to assure fairness and equity for persons participating in mobility assignments. If enacted, Federal retirement and other benefits, in the rare cases where such programs apply to certain State and D.C. government employees, would not be lost by such employees while they are. on mobility assignments. Federal agencies would be authorized to reimburse State and local govern- ments and institutions of higher. learning, and other organizations for various fringe benefits (e.g., health and life insurance, retirement, etc.) of employees on detail from such organizations. Subsection 603(f) amends section 3375 of title 5, United States Code, to authorize an executive agency to reimburse mobility assignees for certain miscellaneous relocation expenses related to a geographic move for purposes of a mobility assignment on the same basis such payments are authorized on a permanent change of station (e.g., auto- mobile registrations, drivers' licenses, etc.). TITLE VII-LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS Title VII establishes a Federal Labor Management Relations Au- thority and creates a statutory base for the improvements of labor- management relations in the Federal service. The Authority will carry Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- Fpproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1561 out the duties and responsibilities now being handled by the part-time Federal Labor Relations Council and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor-Management Relations. Title VII permits labor unions to bargain collectively over personnel policies, practices, and matters af- fecting working conditions within the authority of agency managers. It specifies areas for decision which are reserved to management and may not be subjected to the collective bargaining process. Title VII also provides statutory base for the establishment of griev- ance and arbitration procedures for Federal employees organized in collective bargaining units. Through the statutory establishment of a Federal Service Impasses Panel, it provides for the resolution of impasses between agencies and labor unions. Further, it sets out a grounp of unfair labor practices for both the agencies and the'unions. This section provides that subpart-F of part III of title 5, United States Code, is amended to .add the following chapter. CHAPTER 72-FEDERAL SERVICE LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS Section 7201. Finding8 and purpose Subsection (a) states findings of Congress that the public interest demands the highest standards of employee performance and the con- tinued development of modern and progressive work practices to facil- itate the efficient accomplishment of the operations of the Government. Subsection (b) states findings of Congress that the protection of the right of employees to organize, bargain collectively, and participate through labor organizations of their own choosing in decisions which affect them can be accomplished with full regard for the public interest and contributes to the effective conduct of public business. Subsection (c) states that the purpose of this subchapter is to pre- scribe rights and obligations of employees of the Federal Government and to establish procedures to meet the special requirements and needs of the Federal Government. Section 72,02. Definitions; application Subsection (a) (1) defines "agency-" Subsection (a) (2) defines `,employee." The definition includes a person who was separated from service as a consequence of,-or in con- nection with, an unfair labor practice under section 7174 of this sub- chapter. This language is an adaptation of language in section 2(3) of the National Labor Relations Act. B. its operation under NLRA, and intended by its inclusion in this subchapter, persons determined to have been separated in violation of the unfair labor practice pro- visions of this subchapter. .could vote in representation elections and have access to those provisions, e.g., "It shall be an unfair labor prac- tice ... to interfere with ... an employee in the exercise of rights as- sured by this subchapter." The term "uniformed services" used in sub- section (a) (2) (D) (ii) is intended to have the same meaning as that given the term by section 2101(3) of this title which reads as follows: pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Sec. 2101. Civil Service; armed f orgies; uniformed services For the purpose of this title- (3) "uniformed services" means the armed forces, the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, and the commissioned corps of the Environmental Science Services Administration. Subsection (a) (3) defines "labor organization." Subsection (a) (4) defines "agency management." Subsection (a) (5) defines "Authority." Subsection (a) (6) defines the "General Counsel." Subsection (a) (7) defines the "Panel." Subsection (a) (8) defines the "Assistant Secre- tary." Subsections (a) (9), (10) and (12) define "Confidential employee," "Management official" and "Professional employee," respectively. Ex- ecutive Order 11491 referred to but did not define these terms. The Assistant Secretary defined them in case decisions. Such definitions are now codified in sections 7162(a) (9), (10) and (12). Subsection (a) (11) defines "supervisor." Subsection (a) (12) de- fines "professional employee." Subsection (a) (13) defines "agree- ment." Subsection (a) (14) defines "collective bargaining," "bargaining" or "negotiating" as synonymous terms with references to the mutual obligation of agency representatives and the exclusive representative set forth in section 7215. Subsection (a) (15) defines "exclusive repre- sentative." Subseciton (a) (16) defines "person." Subsection (a) (17) defines "grievance." This term is intended to apply broadly than just to complaints concerning matters covered by a negotiated grievance procedure. For example, "grievance" as used in section 7212(c) refers to a procedure which has not been negotiated by the parties, such as an agency grievance procedure, but does not apply to complaints concerning matters not subject to a grievance procedure such as classification and Fair Labor Standards Act matters. Subsection (b) provides that this subchapter applies to all em- ployees and agencies in the executive branch except for specific exclu- sions set forth below. This subsection tracks the language of Executive Order 11491, section 31a' . Subsection (c) specifies the agencies, subdivisions thereof and per- sonnel to which this subchapter does not apply. It reflects current exclusions under Executive Order 11491. For the purpose of clarity, the National Security Agency, the U.S. Postal Service and the person- nel of the Authority, General Counsel and Panel are specifically listed as excluded. S. 2640 as introduced included among the exceptions the United States Postal Commission. The Committee decided that there was no reason to exclude the Commission because there are no national security issues involved and by statute it is a government agency. Subsection (d) provides. that an agency head may, as deemed in the national interest, suspend this subchapter with respect to an agency or subdivision located outside the U.S. It tracks the provision of Exec- utive Order 11491, section 3 (c). Subsection (e) provides that employees engaged in administering a labor-management relations law (except. for personnel of the Au- thority, General Counsel and Panel, who are excluded by subsection pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 (c) of this section) may not be represented by labor organizations which also. represent other employees covered by that law. A similar provision is contained in Executive Order 11491, section (3) (d), the purpose of which is to avoid conflicts of interest for the employees administering the labor-management relations law. Section 7203. Federal Labor Relations Authority; Office of the Gen- eral Counsel Subsection (a) establishes the Federal Labor Relations Authority as an independent establishment in the Executive Branch of the Govern- ment. This provision conforms with Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978. Subsection (b) provides that the Authority is composed of a Chair- person and two other full-time members, not more than two of whom may be adherents of the same political party, and none of whom, in general, may be employed elsewhere in the Government. The compo- sition of the Authority as an independent, third-party establishment will eliminate the appearance of bias which has inhered in the compo- sition of the Federal Labor Relations Council (consisting of three high-level Government managers) under Executive Order 11491. The full-time nature of membership on the Authority is further responsive to criticism of the Council, the members of which serve on the Council on only a part-time basis. Subsection (c) provides for the appointment and reappointment of the members, and the designation of the Chairman of the Author- ity. It further provides for removal of any member. of the Authority by the President. Subsection (d) provides for five-year terms of office of each member of the Authority, for the dates of expiration of such terms, and for the filling of vacancies. - Subsection (e) provides that a vacancy in the Authority shall not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise the Au- thority's powers. Subsection (f) provides that the Authority shall make an annual report to the President for transmittal to Congress. Subsection (g) creates the Office of the General Counsel in the Authority. It also provides for the General Counsel's' appointment, term of office, reappointment, removal, and full-time service. It is the intent of the Committee that the Office of the General Counsel will be an independent organizational entity within the ?Authority, and thereby maintain a separation between the prosecutorial and adjudicatory functions of the Authority. Section 7204. Powers and duties of the Authority; the General Counsel Subsection (a) provides for the Authority's powers and duties to administer and interpret this subchapter, decide major policy issues, prescribe regulations needed to administer its functions, and dis- seminate intormation relating to its operations. Similar powers and duties are assigned to the r ederal Labor Relations Council under Executive Order 11491. Under this provision, the Authority will not advise or issue policy guidance to agencies, which role will rest with the Office of Personnei Management. Likewise, the Authority is not Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- authorized to advise the President other than the normal role of agencies to suggest necessary and desired changes in legislation. Also, the Authority, like the Council, will not issue advisory opinions. Subsection (b) provides that the Authority shall decide appro- priate unit questions, supervise elections, decide questions concerning eligibility for national consultation rights, and decide unfair labor practice complaints. Similar powers and duties are assigned to the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor-Management Relations un- der Executive Order 11491. Integration of the powers and duties of the Assistant Secretary, except for decisions relating to alleged violations of the standards of conduct for labor organizations, in the Authority will improve coordination and eliminate the fragmented nature of the decision-making under the Executive Order between the Assistant Secretary and the Federal Labor Relations Council. The initial jurisdiction to decide alleged violations of the standards of conduct for labor organizations will be retained by the Assistant Secretary, who administers similar standards in the private sector. The Committee revised subsection 7204(b) (2) to provide ex- plicitly that a labor organization which receives a majority of the valid 'ballots cast in a representation election would be accorded exclusive recognition. Subsection (c) provides for the Authority's powers to decide ap- peals on negotiability issues, exceptions to arbitration awards, ap- peals from decisions of the Assistant Secretary, and other matters it deems appropriate to assure the effectuation of the purposes of this subchapter. Similar decisional powers are assigned to the Federal Labor Relations Council under Executive Order 11491. The power of the Authority, like that of the Council, to consider other matters it deems appropriate to assure the effectuation of the purposes of this subchapter is intended to be used sparingly and to permit the Authority to deal with labor-management issues, and problems with- in the overall scope of its authority, but not set forth expressly in this section of the subchapter. The phrase "may consider" as used in subsection (c) is intended to grant the Authority discretion with respect to the manner and extent, not the scope, of its decisional authority. Thus, it is not intended that the Authority be permitted to eliminate all consideration of matters expressly listed in this sub- section, but that it be empowered, consistent with this subchapter, to establish by regulation procedural requirements, e.g., timeliness, service, etc.; and procedural limitations on the conditions upon which merits decisions will issue. For example, currently the Council will grant a petition for review of an arbitration award only where it appears, based upon the facts and circumstances described in the petition, that the exceptions to the award present grounds that the award violates applicable law, appropriate regulations or the Order, or other grounds similar to those upon which challenges to arbitra- tion awards are sustained by courts in private sector labor-manage- nient relations. Initial review of exceptions to an arbitration award is limited to a determination as to whether this condition has been met; if such condition has been met, a decision on the merits will later be issued. It is intended that the Authority, subject to its own regulations, will operate in a similar manner-reviewing all appeals, but limiting the extent of review where warranted. pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1565 The provision further expressly sanctions appeals to the Authority from final decisions and orders of the Federal Service Impasses Panel. The broad authority of the Council under Executive Order 11491 to interpret the Order, decide major policy issues and take whatever action is required to effectuate the purposes of the Order implies a right to oversee final decisions and orders of the Panel. This subchap- ter specifically sets forth the limited power of review by the central authority to assure uniform application of the legal requirements in the program, but it is not anticipated that it would often be necessary to exercise it except in the unlikely event that the legal requirements of the program are misapplied. The Authority would not otherwise re- view the substance or merits of any final decisions and orders of the Panel. Subsection (d) provides that the Authority shall adopt an official seal which shall be Judicially noticed. Subsection (e) provides for the location of the Authority's office in or about the District of Columbia, for the exercise of the Authority's powers at any time or place, and for the power of its members or agents to make inquiries necessary to carry out its duties. Subsection (f) provides that the Authority may appoint officers and employees, and delegate to such officers and employees authority to perform such duties and make such expenditures as may be necessary. Subsection (g) provides for the E.llowance and payment of the Authority's expenses. Subsection (h) provides for the Authority's power and duty to pre- vent violations of this subchapter.; and for the Authority's powers to hold hearings, subpena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony or depositions of persons under oath, issue subpenas requiring the pro- duction and examination of evidence, and take such other action as may be necessary. It also provides, under certain conditions, that the Authority may request an advisory opinion from the Director of the Office of Personnel Management; that the Director shall have standing to intervene as a party in Authority proceedings; and that the Director may request that the Authority reopen and reconsider its decision. Subsection (i) provides that the Authority, may require an agency or labor organization to cease and desist from violations of this sub- chapter and require it. to take such remedial action as it considers appropriate to effectuate the policies of the subchapter. Subsection (j) provides that the Authority shall maintain a record of its proceedings and make public any decision made by it or any action taken by the Panel under section 7222 of this title. Further sec- tion 552 (public access to information) shall apply with respect to any record maintained under this subsection of this title. Subsection (k) provides that the General Counsel is authorized to investigate unfair labor practice complaints; to make final decisions concerning the issuances of notices of hearings on unfair labor practice complaints; to prosecute unfair labor practice complaints before the Authority; to direct and supervise all field employees of the General Counsel; to perform such other functions as the Authority prescribes, which would include participation before the Authority in unfair labor practice proceedings; and to prescribe regulations needed to administer the functions of the General Counsel under this subchapter. ppr v - Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- The General Counsel is intended to be autonomous in investigating unfair labor practice complaints, in making "final decisions" as to which cases to prosecute before the Authority in its capacity as deci- sion maker, and in directing and supervising field employees of the General Counsel. Specifically, the Authority would neither direct the General Counsel concerning which unfair labor practice cases to pros- ecute nor review the General Counsel's determinations not to prosecute, just as the National Labor Relations Board does not exercise such con- trol over its General Counsel. Subsection (1) provides that the decisions of the authority shall be final and conclusive, and not subject to judicial review except for con- stitutional questions. Access to judicial review, however, for adverse action and discrimination matters would continue under this chapter. Section 7211. Employees' righte Subsection (a) incorporates the policy contained in section 1(a) of Executive Order 11491 concerning the rights of employees to form, join or assist a labor organization and participate in its management or representation; or to refrain from such activity. It further provides that employees have the right to bargain collectively through repre- sentatives of their own choosing subject to limits contained in section 7215 (c) of this subchapter. Subsection (b) incorporates the policy contained in section 1(b) of Executive Order 11491 that participation in the management or representation of a labor organization by a supervisor, or by other employees whose participation would create a real or apparent conflict of interest or would be incompatible with law or the employees' official duties, is not authorized. The same policy is specifically extended to management officials and confidential employees for the same reasons. Section 7212. Recognition of labor organization Subsection (a) provides that an agency shall accord exclusive recog- nition or national consultation rights to a labor organization which meets the requirements of this chapter for such recognition or consul- tation rights. This tracks section 7(a) of Executive Order 11491. Subsection (b) provides that recognition, once accorded, shall con- tinue as long as the organization meets the requirements of this chapter for recognition by preventing the disruption caused by repeated elections. Subsection (c) tracks section 7(d) of Executive Order 11491. Sec- tion 7212(c) (1) creates no new employee rights but provides that recognition of a labor organization does not preclude an employee from exercising grievance or appellate rights already established by other laws or regulations or from choosing any personal representative in such proceedings as may be authorized by the law or regulation creating the grievance or appellate rights. However, where the griev- ance or appeal is covered and pursued under a negotiated grievance procedure as provided in section 7221 of this subchapter, all employees in the bargaining unit-union members and nonmembers alike-must use that procedure to resolve the dispute, and may be represented only by the exclusive representative. Where the negotiated procedure covers adverse. action and discrimination complaints, the employee has an option to use the negotiated procedure of the statutory appeal proce- ArnvPri Fnr Release 900Zm5!1'1 : CIA RDPQa 000038000300000001 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 dure, but not both. If the employee chooses the negotiated procedure, only the exclusive representative of the unit- may act as the employee's representative. However, if the employee chooses the statutory appeal procedure, the employee may also choose his/her own representative, and the union (as exclusive representative of the unit) would have neither a right nor an obligation to represent the employee. Section 7213. National consultation rights This section provides that an agency shall accord national consul- tation rights to a labor organization which qualifies under criteria established by the Authority, describes the duties of an agency which has accorded national consultation rights to a labor organization, and provides further that questions as to the eligibility of labor organiza- tions for national consultation rights shall be referred to the Authority for decision. When a labor organization holds national consultation rights, the agency must give the labor organization notice of proposed new substantive personnel policies and proposed changes in estab- lished personnel policies and an opportunity to comment on such proposals. The labor organization has a right to suggest changes in personnel policies and to have those suggestions carefully considered. The labor organization also has a right to consult, in person at reason- able times, upon request, with appropriate officials on personnel policy matters and a right to submit its views in writing on personnel policy matters at any time. National consultation rights do not include the right to negotiate. Further, the agency is not required to consult with a labor organization on any matter which would be outside the scope of negotiations if the labor organization held national exclusive recog- nition in that agency. Section 7214. Exclusive recognition Subsection (a) provides that an agency shall accord exclusive recognition to a labor organization if the organization has been selected as the representative in a secret ballot, by a majority of the employees as an appropriate unit. The proviso in subsection (a) permits an agency to grant exclusive recognition to a labor organiza- tion without an election when the appropriate unit is established by consolidating existing exclusively recognized units of that labor organization. The Committee revised subsection 7214(a) to make it clear that a labor organization which receives a majority of the valid ballots cast in a representation election would be accorded exclusive recognition. Subsection (b) defines the bases for determining appropriate units as well as certain conditions which are not appropriate for estab- lishing such units. Any question with respect to the appropriate unit may be referred by the agency or the labor organization to the Authority for a decision. The Committee clarified the language of subsection 7214(b) to provide that appropriate units may be established on an agency basis. Subsection (c) provides that all elections conducted under the supervision of the Authority shall be by secret ballot. Elections may be held to determine whether a labor organization should be recog- nized as the exclusive representative in a unit; replace another labor Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- organization as the exclusive representative; cease to be the exclusive representative; and be recognized as the exclusive representative of employees in a unit composed of employees in units currently repre- sented by that labor organization or continue to be recognized in existing .separate units. Subsection (c) also contains an "election bar" rule under which no election may be held in any unit or part of such unit within 12 months of a valid election. This provision is intended to foster stability and certainty as to labor relations issues by preventing the disruption caused by repeated elections. Section 7215. Representation rights and duties; good faith bargaining; scope of negotiations; resolution. of negotiability disputes Subsection (a) provides that a labor. organization accorded exclu- sive recognition is the exclusive representative of employees in the unit and is entitled to act for and negotiate agreements covering all employees in the unit and to be represented at formal discussions between management and employees concerning grievances, personnel policies and practices, or other matters affecting general working conditions of employees in the unit. It also provides that the exclu- sive representative is responsible, for representing the interests of all unit employees without discrimination and without regard to labor organization membership. It further provides that the agency and the labor organization shall negotiate in good faith for the purpose of arriving at an agreement. The parties have a mutual duty to bargain not only with respect to those changes in established personnel policies proposed by man- agement, but also concerning negotiable proposals initiated by either the agency or the exclusive representative in the context of negotia- tions leading to a basic collective bargaining agreement. Where agency management proposes to change established personnel policies, the exclusive representative must be given notice of the proposed changes and an opportunity to negotiate over such proposals to the extent they are negotiable. In addition, a union holding exclusive recognition must be given the opportunity to be represented at formal discussions between management and employees concerning griev- ances, personnel policies and practices, or other matters affecting gen- eral working conditions of employees in the unit. - Subsection (b) defines the duty to "negotiate in good faith" to include approaching negotiations with a sincere resolve to reach an agreement, being represented at negotiations by appropriate repre- sentatives prepared to discuss and negotiate on all negotiable mat- ters, meeting at reasonable times and places, and if an agreement is reached, executing a written document embodying the agreed terms and taking necessary steps to implement the agreement. Subsection (c) provides that. an agency and a labor organization accorded exclusive recognition shall negotiate with respect to person- nel policies and practices and matters affecting working conditions so far as may be appropriate under this chapter and other applicable laws and regulations elaborated below. The scope of negotiations under this section is the same as under section 11(a) of Executive Order 11491. That is, under this subchapter a labor organization is pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 entitled to negotiate on the personnel policies and practices and matters affecting working conditions of employees in the bargaining init. which it represents, but only to the extent appropriate under laws and regulations which are set forth in the Federal Personnel Manual; con- sist of published agency policies and regulations issued at the agency level or level of primary national subdivision for which a compelling need exists (as determined under criteria established by the Author- ity) ; or are set forth in a national or other controlling agreement entered into by a higher unit of the agency. Subsection (d) excepts certain enumerated matters from the obliga- tion to negotiate under section 7215, in effect rendering bargaining on those matters optional or permissive; and recognize that there is an obligation to negotiate over the impact of realignments of work forces and technological change. Excepted from the obligation to negotiate are matters with respect to the numbers of employees in an agency; the numbers, types, and grades of positions or employees assigned to an organizational unit, work project or tour of duty (i.e., the agency's staffing patterns, including job content) ; and the tech- nology of performing agency work. Subsection (e) provides procedures for the resolution of negoti- ability issues arising in connection with negotiations. The procedures correspond exactly to those contained in section 11(c) of Executive Order 11491. Section 726. Unfair labor practices Subsection (a) provides that certain enumerated actions are unfair labor practices for agencies. Similar unfair labor practices are con- tained in section 19(a) of Executive Order 11491. Those unfair labor practices are : (1) interfering with, restraining, or coercing an employee in connection with the exercise of rights assured by this chapter of the United States Code; (2) encouraging or discouraging membership in any labor or- ganization by discrimination with regard to hiring, tenure, pro- motion, or other conditions of employment; (3) sponsoring, controlling or otherwise assisting any labor organization, unless the assistance consists of furnishing cus- tomary and routine services and facilities- (A) in a manner consistent with the best interests of the agency, its employees, and the organization, and (B) on an impartial basis to any organization having equivalent status. In addition, the subsection provides that it is an unfair labor practice for an agency to- (4) discipline or otherwise discriminate against an employee because the employee has filed a complaint., affidavit, petition, or given any information or testimony under the provisions of the subchapter; (5) refuse to accord appropriate recognition to a labor or- ganization qualified for such recognition; or (6) to refuse to consult or negotiate in good faith with a labor organization as required by the chapter. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1570 Subsection (b) provides that certain actions are unfair labor prac- tices for labor organizations. Similar unfair labor practices are con- tained in section 19(b) of Executive Order 11491 except that section 7216(b) (4) codifies the Federal Labor Relations Council's inter- pretation of section 19(b) (4) that it is an unfair labor practice for a labor organization to picket an agency in a labor-management dispute where such picketing interferes or reasonably threatens to interfere with an agency's operations. Specifically, this subsection makes it an unfair labor practice for a labor organization to- (1) interfere with, restrain, or coerce an employee in connec- tion with the exercise of rights assured by this chapter of the United States Code; (2) cause or attempt to cause an agency to coerce an employee in connection with the exercise of rights under this chapter; (3) coerce or attempt to coerce an employee, or to discipline, fine or take other economic sanction against a member of a labor organization, as punishment or reprisal or for the purpose of hindering or impeding work performance, productivity or the discharge of duties by the employee; (4) (A) call, or participate in, a strike, work stoppage, slow- down, or picketing of an agency in a labor-management dispute if the picketing intereferes or reasonably threatens to interfere with an agency's operations or (B) condone any activity described in (A) above by failing to take action to prevent or stop it; (5) discriminate against an employee with regard to the terms or conditions of membership in the organization because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or handicapping condi- tion; or (6) to refuse to consult or negotiate in good faith with an agency as required by this chapter. Subsection (c) provides that it is an unfair labor practice for a labor organization holding exclusive recognition to deny membership to a unit employee except under certain conditions. Those conditions are : (1) the employee's failure to meet reasonable occupational standards uniformly required for admission, or (2) failure by the employee to tender fees and dues uniformly required as a condition of acquiring and retaining membership. Similar language contained in section 19(c) of the Executive Order has been interpreted as an unfair labor practice provision. The subsection does not preclude a labor organiza- tion from enforcing discipline in accordance with procedures under its constitution and bylaws as long as such action is consistent with the requirements of this chapter. It is intended that unfair labor practice complaints will be handled by the General Counsel of the Authority in a manner essentially iden- tical to National Labor Relations Board practices in the private sec- tor. The one deviation from private sector practices is that, it is en- visioned that there be retained the current Executive Order 11491 re- quirement that there be first filed a pre-complaint charge which would provide an opportunity for informal resolution of the issues by the. parties. If a matter is not resolved informally, a complaint may be filed with the General Counsel, who will conduct such investigation as is necessary to determine whether a reasonable basis for the com- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1571 plaint has been established. If so, the General Counsel shall, in the absence of settlement, issue a notice of hearing. If a reasonable basis for the complaint has not been established, absent withdrawal, the complaint will be dismissed. At the formal hearing before an adminis- trative law judge the General Counsel shall prosecute the unfair labor practice for the complainant. After the close of the hearing, the ad- ministrative law judge"will issue a report and recommendation. The Authority shall, subject to its regulations, consider any exceptions filed by the parties and decide the unfair labor practice complaint. Subsection (d) is similar to a provision contained in section 19(d) of Executive Order 11491. Under section 19(d), issues which can be raised under a statutory appeal procedure may not be raised as an un- fair labor practice. This prohibition is preserved in section 7216(d). However, section 7221(d) of this chapter permits a negotiated griev- ance procedure to cover matters for which a statutory appeal proce- dure exists, except for those matters specifically enumerated. Where a negotiated grievance procedure covers a non-excepted matter for which a statutory appeal procedure exists (other than adverse action and dis- crimination matters), the otherwise applicable statutory appeal proce- dure may not be invoked to resolve such matters. Accordingly, the issues involved may be raised either under the negotiated grievance procedure or, where appropriate, in an unfair labor practice proceed- ing. Those matters specifically enumerated in section 7221(d), which cannot be covered in a negotiated grievance procedure must be resolved exclusively under the applicable statutory appeal procedure. Accord- ingly, issues which can be raised under such statutory appeal procedure may not be raised in an unfair labor practice proceeding.. Finally, where discrimination or adverse action matters (including demotion or removal for unacceptable performance under section 4303 of this title) are covered by a negotiated grievance procedure, an employee has the option of using either the negotiated procedure or statutory procedures. The use of either option will preclude the use of the unfair labor prac- tice procedures. The subsection also provides that appeals or grievance decisions shall not be construed as unfair labor practice decisions under this chapter nor as precedent for such decisions. All complaints of unfair labor practices prohibited under this section that cannot be resolved by the. parties shall be filed with the FLRA. Subsection (e) provides that questions concerning whether issues can properly be raised under an appeals, procedure as described in sec- tion 7216(d) shall be referred for resolution to the agency responsible for final decisions relating to those issues. This provision is similar to section 7221 (g) of this subchapter in purpose and effect. Under sec- tion 7216(e), the question is whether a statutory apneal procedure described in 7221(d) precludes an unfair labor practice proceeding whereas under 7221(g) the question is whether such statutory appeal procedure renders a grievance nongrievable or nonarbitrable. Section 7217. Standards of conduct for labor organizations This section nrovides that labor organizations must subscribe to certain standards of conduct and that the Assistant Secretary shall prescribe regulations to effectuate this section. Subsection (a) sets Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1572 forth these standards of conduct, which are the same as contained in Executive Order 11491. An organization does not have to prove that it is free from corrupt influences and influences opposed to basic demo- cratic values if its governing requirements include explicit and detailed provisions requiring it to (1) maintain democratic procedures and practices, (2) exclude persons from office in the organization if they are affiliated with communist or other-totalarian influences, (3) pro- hibit conflicts of interest by its officers and agents, and (4) maintain fiscal integrity in the organization's affairs. Under subsection (b), an organization could still be required to fur- nish evidence of its freedom from corrupt influences or influences op- posed to basic democratic principles if there is reasonable cause to believe that the organization is subject to such influences or that the organization has been subject to a sanction by .a parent or affiliated organization because of its unwillingness or inability to comply with the requirements of subsection (a). Subsection (c) requires a labor organization which has or seeks recognition as a representative of employees to file financial and other reports with the Assistant Secretary. It also must provide for bond- ing of officials and employees of the organization, and comply with trusteeship and election standards. Subsection (d) requires that complaints of violations of this sec- tion be filed with the Assistant Secretary. As noted under section 7204(b), the power and duty to decide alleged violations of the stand- ards of conduct are not being transferred to the Authority because the Assistant Secretary administers similar' standards in the private sec- tor. Further, as noted under section 7204(c), the Authority may re- view the Assistant Secretary standards of conduct decisions as the Federal Labor Relations Council now does under Executive Order 11491. This subsection also empowers the Assistant Secretary to require a labor organization to cease and desist from violations of this section and requires it to take action that he considers appropriate to carry out this section's policies. Section 7218. Basic provisions of agreements This section provides that each agreement between an agency and a labor organization is subject to certain enumerated requirements and mandates that these requirements be expressly stated in any agree- ment between an agency and a labor organization. Subsection 7218 (a) (1) provides that in the administration of. agreements, officials and employees are governed -by existing or future laws, the regulations of appropriate authorities, and certain published agency policies and regulations. Subsection (2) enumerates the rights that, management, officials of an agency must retain, and in effect prohibits negotiating on proposals which would negate management's reserved authority as to the rights involved: to determine the mission, budget, organiza- tion, and internal security practices of the agency; to direct empolyees of the agency; to hire, promote, transfer, assign, and retain employees in positions within the agency; to suspend, demote, dicharge, or take other disciplinary action against employees; to relieve employees from duties because of lack of work or for other legitimate reasons; to maintain the efficiency of Government operations entrusted to the Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA- RDP85-00003 R000300090001-1 1573 agency; to determine the methods (how), means (with what.), and personnel (by whom) by which agency operations will be conducted; and to take whatever actions may be necessary to carry out the agency's mission in emergencies. section 7218(a) (1) and (2) cor- responds to section 12(a) and (b) of Executive Order 11491 except that matters relating to an agency's mission, budget, organization, and internal security practices are prohibited from bargaining under subsection (2) ; and, further, it is specified in subsection (2) that nothing in that subsection shall preclude parties from negotiating procedures which management will observe in exercising its authority to decide or act or from negotiating arrangements for employees adversely affected provided that such negotiations do not result in certain consequences and are consonant with law and regulations as provided in section 7215(c). These principles with respect to the obli- gation to negotiate "procedures" and "impact," while not expressly stated in Executive Order 11491, are established in case law thereunder. Subsection 7218(c) continues the requirement contained in Execu- tive Order 11491 that nothing in the agreement shall require member- ship in a labor organization or require employees to pay money to a labor organization except pursuant to a voluntary, written authoriza- tion -for the payment of dues through payroll deductions. Subsection 7218(d) provides that the requirements of section 7218 must be expressly stated in all agreements between an agency and an organization. Section 7219. Approval of agreements This section provides that a negotiated agreement is subject to the approval of the head of the agency involved or other designated-offi- cial, and provides a time limit (45. days from the date the agreement is signed by the negotiating parties) for the completion of such agency action. The purpose of the provision is to ensure that, agreements con- form to applicable laws (including this subchapter), existing pub- lished agency policies and regulations (unless an agency has granted an exception to them), and regulations of other appropriate authori- ties (such as the Office of Personnel Management). A substantially identical provision is contained in Executive Order 11491. Experi- ence under that Executive Order in. numerous negotiability disputes established that the prision was warranted to accomplish the pur- pose described, and that the time limit imposed was a reasonable one to expedite the review process without sacrificing the quality of such review. Section 7221. Grievance procedures . - Subsection (a) provides that an agreement must contain a procedure for the 'consideration of grievances. The coverage and scope of the procedure is left to negotiation between the parties so long as it does not conflict with statute and so long as it does not cover any of the matters specifically excluded from coverage by section 7221(d). Thus, if the parties choose to do so, they may negotiate into coverage under their grievance procedure many of the matters that are covered by statutory appeal procedures, such as appeal from the withholding of within-grade salary increases and appeal from reduction-in-force actions. With the. exception of adverse actions and discrimination Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- complaints, where a grievance falls within the coverage of the nego- tiated grievance procedure, both union and nonunion members of the bargaining unit must use the negotiated procedure to resolve the grievance. Where the negotiated procedure covers adverse actions or discrimination complaints, under section 7221(e) and 7221 (f) the employee will have an option to use the negotiated grievance proce- dure or the statutory appeal procedure, but not both. Subsection (b) provides for the adjustment of grievances between an employee or group of employees and the agency without the inter- vention of the exclusive. representative. However, in such cases the adjustment cannot be inconsistent with any of the terms of the argu- ment and the exclusive representative must have been given an oppor- tunity to be present at the adjustment. Subsection (c) provides that a negotiated grievance procedure must provide for arbitration as the final step of the procedure. This con- trasts with the provisions of Executive Order 11491 under which the determination as to whether to provide for arbitration was left to negotiation between the parties. However, arbitration can only be invoked by the agency or the exclusive, representative. Thus an ag- grieved employee does not have a right to arbitration. This maintains the right of an exclusive representative to refuse to take to arbitra- tion any grievance which it, in good faith, believes should not be pro- cessed through to arbitration so long as it meets its representational responsibilities under this subchapter. This section further requires the parties to provide in their grievance procedure that, except as provided in section 7221 (g), an arbitrator will be empowered to resolve arbitrability questions. Subsection (d) provides that a negotiated grievance procedure may cover any matter over which an agency has authority so long as it does not otherwise conflict with the provisions of this subchapter, and so long as it doesn't include any matters involving examination, certifi- cation and appointment, suitability, classification,, political activities, retirement, life and health insurance, national security or the Fair Labor Standards Act. Subsection (e) provides employees with an option, in appealing matters covered under 5 U.S.C. section 4303 (demotion or removal for unacceptable performance) or 5 U.S.C. section 7512 (removal, suspen- sion for more than 30 days, reduction in grade, reduction in pay of an amount exceeding one step of an employee's grade or 3 percent of the employee's basic pay, furlough for 30 days or less), of using the sta- tutory appeal procedure under 5 U.S.C. section 7701 or the negotiated grievance procedure if such matters have been negotiated into coverage tinder the grievance procedure. It also provides that matters similar to those listed above which may arise under other personnel systems applicable to employees covered by this subchapter, such as those pro- vided in title 38, United States Code, may, in the discretion of the ag- grieved employee, be raised under either the negotiated grievance pro- cedure or under any appellate procedures which would otherwise be available to the employee if the matter weren't covered by the grievance procedure. Subsection (f) provides employees with an option on discrimina- tion matters listed in 5 U.S.C. section 2302(b) (1) to use either a sta- A prnycd Cnr Ri=h=arn 2007/0511'1 ? CIA ROP E 0uv9vuv i i proved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 tutory procedure or the negotiated grievance procedure to resolve the matter. Selection by the employee of the negotiated procedure would not prejudice an employee's right to request the Merit Systems Pro- tection Board to review a final decision in the matter as provided for in 5 U.S.C. section 7701. Subsection (g) provides that questions as to whether a grievance is on a matter excepted front coverage under the grievance procedure by section 7221(d) shall be referred for resolution to the agency respon- sible for final decisions in those matters. Subsection (h) provides that if an employee exercises the option to pursue a matter covered under 5 U.S.C. sections 4303 and 7512 through the negotiated grievance procedure an arbitrator must apply the same standards in deciding the case as would be applied by an administrative law judge or an appeals officer if the case had been appealed through the appellate procedures of 5 U.S.C. section 7701. Subsection (i) provides that the parties must negotiate the alloca- tion of. the costs of arbitration. It also prohibits an arbitrator from awarding attorney or representative fees, except in matters where an employee is the prevailing party and the arbitrator's decision is based on a finding of discrimination, attorneys fees may be awarded and shall be governed by the standards applicable under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Subsection (j) provides that challenges to an arbitrator's award may be sustained by the Authority on grounds that the award violates applicable. laws, appropriate regulations, or other grounds similar to those applied by Federal Courts in private sector labor-management relations. Challenges are not permitted to the Authority on matters covered by subsection (e). Decisions of the Authority are final, except for the right of an aggrieved employee under subsection (f) . Subsection (k) provides for judicial review of an arbitrator's award in matters covered under 5 U.S.C. sections 4303 and 7512 in the same manner and under the same conditions that apply to matters decided by the Merit Systems Protection Board'. In applying the provisions of 5 U.S.C. section 7702 (Judicial review of decisions of the Merit Sys- tems Protection Board) the word "arbitrator" should be read in place of the words "Merit Systems Protection Board". It further provides for judicial review of an arbitrator's award in matters similar to those covered under 5 U.S.C. sections 4303 and 7512 which arise under other personnel systems in the same manner and on the same basis as would be available to an employee who had not used the negotiated grievance procedure to appeal the matter. The provision for judicial review is. intended to assure conformity between the decisions of arbitrators with those of the Merit Systems Protection Board. Under the terms of this subsection, an arbitrator must establish a record that will meet the judicial tests provided for in section 7702 of this title. Section 72222. Federal Service Impasses Panel; negotiation impasses Subsection (a) (1) establishes within the Authority the Federal Services Impasses Panel. The Panel is composed of the Chairman and an even number of members, appointed by the President.. No Federal employee shall be appointed to serve as a member of the Panel. Sub- pprove QQ(_)(_)2R_0QQ3ppn9nnnj_1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- section (a) (2) provides for staggered appointments of Panel mem- bers, and that the Chairman shall serve for a five-year term. Any mem- ber of the Panel may be removed by the President. Subsection (a) (3) provides that the Panel may appoint an executive secretary. It also provides for the pay rates of members of the Panel. Subsection (b) provides that the Federal Mediation and Concilia- tion Service upon request shall provide service and assistance to agen- cies and labor unions in the resolution of negotiation impasses. Subsection (c) provides if voluntary arrangements fail either the labor union or the agency may request the Panel to consider the matter. Subsection (d) provides that the Panel shall promptly investigate any impasse, and recommend procedures for resolving the matter. If the parties do not arrive at a settlement through means of one of the procedures recommended, the Panel may hold hearings and then take whatever action is necessary that is not inconsistent with the provi- sions of this chapter to resolve the impasse-Notice of the Panel's final action shall be promptly served and shall be binding for the term of the agreement unless the parties mutually agree otherwise. Section 7231. Allotments to repre8entative8 This section provides for agency payroll deduction of labor organi- zation dues pursuant to written employee assignment and for the right to terminate such assignment at intervals of not more than 6 months. A similar provision is contained in Executive Order 11491 except that the Executive Order's requirement that such a payroll deduction be sub- ect to the regulations of the Civil Service Commission has been de- leted. Subsection (b) requires that an allotment for the deduction of dues terminates when the dues withholding agreement between the agency and the exclusive representative is terminated or ceases to be applicable to the employee. The allotment would also be terminated if the employee has been suspended or expelled from the labor organiza- tion which is the exclusive representative. Section 7232. Use of official time. This section provides for limitations on the use of official time by employees for labor organization activities. The same limitations are contained in Executive Order 11491. The limitations contained in the first part of this provision concern the use of official time for internal labor organization business and are directed toward restricting to nonduty hours activities which are of primary concern and benefit only to the labor organization. The second part of the provision prohibits employees who represent a labor organization from being on official time when negotiating an agreement, except to the extent that the' negotiating parties agree otherwise within certain specified limits. Under the second part, the negotiating parties may agree to authorize official time for a reasonable number of labor organization negotiators, normally not to exceed the number of management rep- resentatives, for up to 40 hours or one-half the time spent in nego- tiations relating to the negotiation or renewal of a 'basic collective bargaining agreement, as opposed to negotiations which arise out of circumstances during the term of the basic agreement (midcon- tract negotiations). But nothing in the provision prohibits an agency and labor organization from negotiating provisions which provide App rnvnrl Cnr Release 9007-45414 : CIA RQPQF nnnnaonnnnnnnnnnn~ t are oi vv oveoar-oooo pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-000038000300090001-1 for official time for labor organization representatives to engage in contract administration and other representational activities (in- cluding negotiations which arise out of circumstances during the term of the basic agreement) which are of mutual interest to both the agency and the labor organization and which relate to the labor- management relationship and not to "internal" labor organization business. Examples of such representational and contract adminis- tration activities include the investigation and attempted informal resolution of employee grievances, participation in formal grievance resolution procedures, attending or preparing for meetings of com- mittees on which both the labor organization and management are represented and discussing problems in agreement administration with management officials. The types of representational activities described, when the agency determines that such activities are related to the performance of labor-management functions contributing to the efficient administration of. the agency, are consistent with the stated purposes of this chapter and agreement provisions pertaining to the use of official time for such contract administration purposes are of wide application throughout the Federal sector. Section 7233. Remedial action This section provides that remedial action maybe directed by ap- propriate authority, including an arbitartor, in order to effectuate the purposes and policies expressed in this subchapter, so long as such remedial action is consistent with the statute, including the backpay provisions of section 5596 of title 5, United States Code (Back Pay Act of 1966). Section 7234. Subpenaa This section provides for. the issuance of subpenas by any Au- thority member, the General Counsel, the Panel, or any employee designated by the. Authority requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the, production of evidence. It provides that no subpena shall issue requiring disclosure of intra-management guid- ance, advice or training within an agency or between. an agency and the Office of Personnel Management. It also provides for the admin- istration of oaths, the examination of witnesses and the receipt of evidence. In the case of failure to obey a subpena, a United States district court is authorized by this section to issue an order requiring the appearance of witnesses or the production of evidence. Failure to comply with the court's order could be punished as contempt of court. This section also provides that witnesses be paid the same fees and mileage allowances which are paid subpenaed witnesses in the courts of the United States. Section 7235. Regulations This section provides for the issuance of regulations by the Auth- ority, the General Counsel, the Panel, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, to carry out their respective functions. The requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act shall be ap- plicable to the adoption, amendment or repeal of such regulations. This provision is consistent with the practice which obtained in the issuance of regulations under Executive Order 11491. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- Subsection 701(b) of the bill specifies that certain laws, agree- ments, recognitions, policies, regulations, procedures and decisions would not be precluded by the amendments adopted earlier in sec- tion 701. Paragraph (1) sanctions the maintenance of exclusive recognitions, certifications, or lawful bargaining agreements entered into before the effective date of this subchapter, and the maintenance of recognition for units of management officials or supervisors by labor organizations which traditionally represent such personnel in private industry and which hold recognition in an agency on the effective date of this sub- chapter. Similar "grandfather" provisions are contained in Executive Order 11491. Paragraph (2) provides for the continuation of policies, regula- tions, procedures, and decisions established or issued under Executive Order 11491 or any related Executive order, until revised or revoked by law, or until superseded by action of the Authority. Under this provision, cases which arose under Executive Order 11491 shall con- tinue to be processed after the effective date of this subchapter in the same manner as before such effective date, except to the extent other- wise provided by law or by appropriate decision or regulation of the Authority. Subsection 701(c) of the bill provides that the terms of office of members of the Authority, and the General Counsel, which terms are fixed under Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978, shall continue in effect until those terms would expire under the reorganization plan, and that, upon the expiration of those terms, appointments to office will be made for the respective 5-year terms provided in section 7203 of title 5. It further provides that the terms of office of Impasse Panel members, which terms are not fixed under the reorganization plan, shall con- tinue in effect until members of the Panel are appointed for the re- spective fixed terms provided in section 7222 of title 5. Subsection 701(d) authorizes the appropriation of such funds as are necessary to carry out the functions of the Authority, the General Counsel, and the Panel, and the functions of the Assistant Secretary under this section. The next subsection provides for an amendment of the analysis to add to this chapter. Subsections 701 (f), (g), and (h) amend sections 5314-5316 of title 5, United States Code, to add the Chairmen, the Members, and the General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority to posi- tions at levels III, IV, and V (respectively) of the Executive- Sched- ule. Section 702. Remedial Authority This section of the Act amends the Back Pay Act of 1966 to reflect the broader interpretation of the statute that has been given the Back Pay Act in recent years by the Comptroller General and the Civil Service Commission through decision and regulations. It also reflects the 1976 decision of the Supreme Court in United States v. Testan by explicitly exempting reclassification actions from its provisions. This provision would strike out subsections (b) and (c) of section 5596 of title 5, United States Code, and add new subsections (b) and Approved For ReIe is 7007t05/14 : Clo RD1225 000038000300090001 1 vvvvi cvvvvvvv pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 (c). The, new subsection (b) provides for coverage under the Back Pay Act for any employee who is found by an appropriate authority to have suffered a withdrawal, reduction, denial, or denial of an in- crease in, all or part of the employee's pay, allowances, differentials or any other monetary or employment benefits which would not have occurred but for an unjustified or. unwarranted action taken by an agency. Subsection (b) (1) provides that when any of the above-described circumstances are found, the employee is entitled to be made whole for any losses found to have been suffered by the employee, less any in- terim earnings the employee may have earned and would not have earned if the unjustified or unwarranted action had not been taken. It specifically provides that. a make-whole remedy may include rein- statement to the same position that the employee was in before the unjustified or unwarranted action was taken or for restoration to a substantially similar position. It also provides for directing a promo- tion to a higher level position when such an order would effectuate the make-whole pur oses of the Act. Subsection (b) (2) maintains the current provisions of the Back Pay Act regarding annual leave restoration that were added to the Act by Pub. L. 94-172 section 1(a) Dec. 23, 1975, 89 Stat. 1025. It provides that for all purposes an employee is deemed to have performed service for the agency during the period of the unjustified or unwarranted action. Subsection (c) (1) defines an "unjustified or unwarranted action" to include acts of commission as well as omission with respect to non- discretionary provision of law, Executive order, regulation or collec- tive bargaining agreement. Subsection 5596(c) (2) defines administrative determination. The listed agencies and persons are not meant to be all-inclusive. Subsection (c) (3) lists certain agencies and persons who,..for pur- poses of applying the provisions of the Act, are deemed to be an "ap- propriate authority." The list is not meant to be all-inclusive. Subsection (d) provides that the provisions of the section shall not apply to reclassification actions, thus specifically recognizing the Su- preme Court decision in United States V. Testan. It also.provides that in formulating a remedy under the Act an otherwise proper promotion action by a selecting official from a group of properly ranked and certified candidates cannot be set aside. Subsection (e) provides that the Office of Personnel Management shall prescribe regulations to carry out the section. It specifically provides that the regulations do not apply to the Tennessee Valley Authority. Subsection (a) of section 801 provides that all Executive orders, rules, and regulations shall continue in effect except as the provisions of this Act may govern. Such Executive Orders, rules, and regulations, are to continue in effect, according to their terms, until modified, term- inated, suspended or repealed by the President, the Office of Person- nel Management, the Merit System Protection Board, the Equal Em- 33-782 0 - 79 - Vol. II - 20 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 ployment Opportunity Commission, or the Federal Labor Relations Authority as to matters within their respective jurisdictions. Subsection (b) provides that no provision of the Act shall affect any administrative proceedings pending at the time the provision takes effect. Orders. are to beissued in such proceedings and, appeals taken from those proceedings as if this Act has not been enacted. Subsection (c) provides for the continuation of any suit by or against the heads of the Office of Personnel Management and Merit Systems Protection Board or officers or employers of those agencies, as in effect immediately before the effective date of the Act. Such suits, actions, or other proceedings are to be determined as if the Act had not been enacted. SECTION 802. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS This section authorizes to be appropriated out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. It is expected that most of the funds necessary to carry out the provi- sions of this Act will be derived from appropriations under current law. The moneys needed for the Office of Personnel Management, Merit Systems Protection Board, and Office of Special Counsel are largely to be derived from current Civil Service Commission authorizations. The original estimates supplied by the Administration as to the allocation of resources among the new agencies and units, however, needs to be revised. The Committee has substantially increased the authority and responsibilities of the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Special Counsel. The resources allocated to these bodies should therefore be substantially greater than original Administration estimates. SECTION 803. POWERS OF PRESIDENT UNAFFECTED EXCEPT BY EXPRESS PROVISIONS This section makes clear that except as expressly provided in this Act, nothing in it shall be construed to limit, curtail, abolish, or termi- nate any function of, or authority available to, the President which the President had immediately before the effective date of this Act. Nor is it to be construed to limit, curtail, or terminate the President's authority to delegate, redelegate, or terminate any delegation of func- tions which he had immediately before the effective date of this Act. Subsection (a) of this section provides that any provision in either Reorganization Plan Numbers 1 or 2 of 1978 inconsistent with any provision of this Act is repealed. Subsection (b) authorizes the President or his designee to submit to the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Com- mittee on Post Office and Civil Service a draft of any technical and conforming amendments to title 5 of the United -States Code which have not been made by this Act and which are necessary to reflect the amendments to the substantive provisions of law made by this Act and Reorganization Plan Numbered 2 of 1978. Such technical and conform- ing amendments must be submitted as soon as practicable but not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1581 This section provides that the provisions of the Act shall take effect 90 days after the date of enactment. of this Act, except as otherwise expressly provided in this Act. VII. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT Paragraph 5(a) of Senate. Rule XXXIX requires each report ac- companying a bill to evaluate "the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out the bill." S. 2640 is not, a regulatory bill. It does not directly affect private individuals or businesses. The bill will help improve personnel activi- ties within Federal agencies, which, in turn should help agencies regulate more effectively. The economic impact of regulation on such individuals and businesses, likewise, is not changed by anything in S. 2640. The bill will not increase paperwork for the private sector. CONGRESSIONAL BU'IHIET OFFICE, Washington, D.C., July 11, 1978. Hon. ABRAHAM RIBICOFF, Chairman, Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR DIR. CHAIRMAN: Pursuant to section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act, of 1974, the Congressional Budget Office has prepared the attached cost estimate for S. 2640, the Civil Service Reform Act. of 1978. Should the committee so desire, we would be pleased to provide further details on the attached cost estimate. Sincerely, JAMES BLUM (For Alice M. Rivlin, Director). 2. Bill title: Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. 3. Bill status: As reported by the Senate Committee on Government Affairs on July 10, 1978. 4. Bill purpose : S. 2640 reorganizes the federal personnel system. Title I establishes the basic merit principles of the new personnel sys- tem and outlines the authority of the President and agency heads for ensuring that personnel management in the Executive Branch is car- ried out according to those principles. Title II establishes the responsibility of the Merit. Systems Protec- tion Board (MSPB), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and. the Special Counsel. This title also revises adverse action procedures; provides a new system of appraising employee performance; estab- lishes new procedures for removal or demotion based on unacceptable performance; and provides for greater delegation of personnel author- ity to federal agencies. Title III authorizes agencies to accept the services of unpaid student, volunteers and to train employees threatened with separation .due. to a reduction in force. In addition, early retirement, authority is extended to reorganization situations. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Title IV outlines the numbers, distribution, accountability and com- pensation for members of the newly created Senior Executive Service (SES). A limited number of performance and incentive awards would replace longevity pay increases. Title V provides authority to establish a merit pay system for super- visors and managers in grades 13 through 15 of the general schedule. Within-grade salary increases will be replaced by merit increases which will be awarded only in recognition of superior performance. Title VI authorizes OPM to conduct public management research and to carry out demonstration projects to test and evaluate new ap- proaches to personnel management. Title VII outlines the rights and obligations of federal employees and establishes procedures relating to labor-management relations. Title VIII offers miscellaneous amendments and authorizes the ap- propria~tion of such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provi- sions of the bill. 5. COST ESTIMATE [8y fiscal years, in millions of dollars] Title 11______________________________ 4.6 5.1 5.4 5.8 6.1 Title IV______________________________ ? 3.6 28.5 31.9 35.4 37.7 Title VI 3.1 3.1 3.4 3.8 3.9 3.8 Title VII .3 .5 .6 .6 .9 Other administrative costs-------------- 2.0 .4 .4 .5 .5 This estimate does not include the potential costs of the early re- tirement provisions of Section 304, and the unlimited accrual of leave permitted by Section 410. These costs, which could be substantial, can- not be estimated at the present time. In addition, the net cost of the retraining program authorized in Section 302 (including potential savings in severance pay) could not be estimated in the time available. 6. Basis of estimate : For the purpose of this cost estimate, it is as- sumed that this bill will be enacted on or after October 1, 1978. All costs have been adjusted for inflation in future years based on CBO economic assumptions. All sections of the bill with a significant cost impact are discussed below. This section defines the functions of the OPM, and establishes the positions of director, deputy director, and associate directors. Estimated costs-OPM : Fiscal year: Millions 1979 -------------------------------------------------------- $0.5 1980 -------------------------------------------------------- .7 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- .8 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- .8 1983 -------------------------------------------------------- .9 It has been assumed that additional costs will be incurred only for the director, deputy director, and five associate directors, at the au- Aproved For Release 2007/05/14: ('IA-BnPR -nnnniRnn[l3nn0n0001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 thorized salary levels, along with clerical support for each. All other employees of the OPM are assumed to come from the Civil Service Commission (CSC), and the cost of the functions they perform at the OPM would be the same as if performed by the CSC. SECTION 202. MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD AND SPECIAL COUNSEL The MSPB, to be composed of three members, a special counsel, and such other employees as deemed necessary, is to be responsible for the investigation, hearing or adjudication of adverse or prohibited per- sonnel actions, for conducting studies relating to the civil service and other merit systems, and for establishing rules and regulations pertaining to its activities. Estimated costs-MSPB : ear : Miiciona Fi l sca y 1979 -------------------------------------------------------- $0.4 1980 --------------------------------------------------------- .5 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- .5 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- .6 1983 -------------------------------------------------------- .6 The estimated costs for this section are comprised of the difference between the specifically authorized salaries for the members and of- ficers of the CSC and the MSPB. In addition, based on estimates supplied by the CSC, costs for 25 additional persons at an average fiscal year 1978 salary of $17,500 have been added for investigation of complaints regarding prohibited personnel actions, particularly "whistle blower" complaints. All other personnel are assumed to come from the CSC. Each agency is responsible for developing performance policies and regulations for periodic appraisal of job performance of employ- ees. Based on CSC data, it is estimated that costs will be $3.4 million in aggregate in 1979. It is projected that the administration of the merit pay plan will continue to be an integral part of personnel op- erations, with costs increasing to $4.2 million in fiscal year 1983. Estimated costs-performance appraisal : Fiscal year : Miiiiona 1979 -------------------------------------------------------- $3.4 1980 -------------------------------------------------------- 3.6 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- 3.8 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 1983 -------------------------------------------------------- 4.2 The MSPB may require an agency to pay attorney fees incurred by an employee in cases where the Board determines that the agency acted in bad faith, and at all times when the employee is the prevailing party and the decision is based on finding of discrimination. Based on an estimated annual caseload of 4,900, it is projected that there will be approximately 100 cases each year in which the employee prevails and pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1584 it is also determined that the agency acted in bad faith, and that each year approximately 300 cases of discrimination will result in the em- ployee prevailing. Assuming a cost of $750 per case (at 1979 cost levels), the estimated costs for payment of attorney fees are as follows : Estimated costs-attorney fees : Fiscal year : Millions 1979 -------------------------------------------------------- $0.3 1980 -------------------------------------------------------- .3 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- .3 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- .4 '1983 -------------------------------------------------------- .4 While this section makes other procedural or definitional changes affecting the appeals process, these are not expected to have a signifi- cant cost impact. SECTION 301. VOLUNTEER SERVICES This section provides a general authorization to agencies to accept voluntary services performed by students. The volunteers are not to be considered federal employees except for purposes relating to injury compensation and tort claims. Although.the Government could incur some costs as a result of claims by volunteers, no additional costs of this kind have been included in this estimate. Section 301 also changes the regulations governing probation pe- riods in the competitive service and removes the restriction on family members employed in the competitive service. These provisions are not expected to result in any additional costs. Under this section, federal employees who face separation from an agency because of a reduction in force would be eligible to be trained for jobs in other agencies. It is likely that training costs would in- crease as a result of this provision; however, many of these employ- ees would have been eligible for severance pay or unemployment com- pensation. It is not possible at this time to estimate the net cost or sav- ings that may result from this provision. The section allows early retirement for employees whose agencies are undergoing a major reorganization, reduction-in-force, or trans- fer of function. The total number of eligible employees, as well as the number of those who would elect early retirement, cannot be estimated at this time. However, the potential cost of this provision could be significant. SECTION 403. EXAMINATION, CERTIFICATION, AND APPOINTMENT This section establishes the procedures and requirements for ap- pointment of personnel in the SES. It provides for skill development programs and authorizes up to 11 months leave with pay, plus travel and per diem expenses for training of eligible persons. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Estimated cost-personnel .development : Fiscal year : Hilliona 1979 -------------------------------------------------------- $3.5 1980 -------------------------------------------------------- 3.7 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- 3.9 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- 4.1 1983 -------------------------------------------------------- 4.3 Based on information from the CSC, it is assumed that approxi- mately 50-60 persons would take the 11 month sabbatical at an average cost of $50,000 per employee. An additional $0.5 million is assumed to be spent by the OPM for setting up training programs and establish- ing the requirements and procedures for SES personnel. Agencies are required to develop senior executive service perform- ance appraisal systems. Costs for developing criteria and ratings for executive performance appraisal have been included in the costs shown for Section 203. CSC estimates that approximately 9,200 federal employees will be eligible for the Senior Executive Service (SES) in fiscal year 1979, ,and that the number of eligible employees, as well as the amount of the stipend, will remain stable throughout the projection period. It is as- sumed that the maximum of 15 percent of the SES will be designated as meritorious executives and no more than 5 percent in any one year. This designation provides an annual stipend of $2,500 for up to five years. It is also assumed that the specified maximum of 1 percent of the SES members will be appointed as distinguished executives, which offers an annual stipend of $5,000 for up to five years. Estimated costs for these awards are shown below: Estimated cost-incentive awards: Fiscal year : Milliono 1979 -------------------------------------------- ----------- ---- 1980 -------------------------------------------------------- $1.6 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- 2.8 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 1983 -------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 Each member of the SES will receive a base rate of pay not less than the rate for the sixth step of grade GS-15 of the general schedule (now $42,201) and not higher than the rate for level IV of the executive schedule (now $50,000). In addition, up to 50 percent of the executives in an agency may receive performance awards not to exceed 20 percent of the executive's rate of base pay. Agencies are given considerable flexibility as to how the merit pay awards are to -be spread among the executives. It is estimated that when fully operational, approximately 4,000 mertit pay awards at an average size of $6,000, will be distributed in 1980 with the average size increasing with inflation thereafter. The costs of these merit awards would increase if the size of the ?SES or the average award size were to increase. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1586 The increased cost of merit pay awards will be partially offset by the elimination of the present system of step increases. Assuming that the present $47,500 pay ceiling is increased with annual comparability ad- justments after fiscal year 1979, the estimated savings in normal step increases will be approximately $1 million per year. (If the ceiling were totally removed, this offset would be substantially larger). As a result of these performance awards, the unfunded liability of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund will increase. The impact of this provision has been estimated based on CSC projections and the following assumptions: an average of 4,000 SES members receiving performance awards each year; an average salary at retire- nlent of $50,000; the typical executive receiving five performance awards during his career; annuities calculated at 21/2 percent of the average employee's three highest years' salaries; and the present value of the added benefits at the time of retirement equal to 12 times the added benefit. The estimated increase in the unfunded liability will be $60 million with annual installments derived from annuity tables equal to $4 million annually. The following table shows estimated' outlays, which will continue to increase beyond the projection period. Estimated net costs: Fiscal year 1979: Millions Performance awards------------------------------------------ ----- Retirement costs--------------------------------------------- ----- Fiscal year 1980: Performance awards------------------------------------------ $23.0 Retirement costs--------------------------------------------- ----- Fiscal year 1981: Performance awards------------------------------------------ 24.7 Retirement costs--------------------------------------------- 0.3 Fiscal year 1982: Performance awards ----------------------- -------------------- 26.5 Retirement costs--------------------------------------------- 0.6 Fiscal year 1983: Performance awards-..---------------------------------------- 28.3 Retirement costs--------------------------------------------- 1.0 SECTION 409. TRAVEL, TRANSPORTATION AND SUBSISTENCE This section authorizes the payment of travel expenses for potential SES candidates who interview with the federal government. Estimated cost-travel Fiscal year : Millions 1979 -------------------------------------------------------- $0.1 1980 -------------------------------------------------------- .2 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- .2 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- .2 1983 -------------------------------------------------------- .2 Based on information obtained from the CSC, it is assumed that travel expenses will be approximately $135,000 a year (at 1979 cost levels). This section would remove the current limit of six weeks annual leave carry over for USES personnel, allowing them to accumulate as much leave as they wish. Even though this could result in significant in- creases in costs when employees leave the Federal Government, it is not possible to estimate how much additional leave would be accrued. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 This section establishes a merit pay system for federal employees in grades 13 through 15 of the general schedule. Within-grade salary increases will be replaced by merit increases, which will be awarded only in recognition of superior performance. The amount of money available for merit pay will be determined by the OPM, and set so as to equal those estimated amounts which are not being paid through regular step increases. It is assumed, based on CSC data, that the net effect of these changes is neither an increase nor decrease in total per- sonnel compensation, but rather a redistribution of these resources. Section 601 establishes a program to encourage research and demon- stration projects in the area of personnel and public management. It is estimated that approximately four to eight projects, costing approxi- mately $100,000 to $300,000 each, will be required to develop these new theories and approaches to personnel management problems. Estimated cost-research : Fiscal year: Millions 1979 -------------------------------------------------------- $0.8 1980 ------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- 1.2 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- 1.2 1983 -------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 This section authorizes the federal government to make up any dif- ferences in salary when a federal employee is assigned to a state or local government, or a state or local employee is assigned to the federal gov- ernment. Estimated cost-mobility program : Fiscal year: Millions 1979 ------------------------------------------------------- $2.3 1980 -------------------------------------------------------- 2.4 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- 2.6 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- 2.7 1983 -------------------------------------------------------- 2.9 There are currently approximately 1,100 people in the Mobility Pro- gram, divided fairly evenly between federal and state and local em- ployees. The federal employees would receive approximately $3,000 from the federal government per year in salary as a result of this sec- tion, since state and local salaries are generally lower than federal. Although travel costs are already paid, this pay comparability pro- vision is expected to stimulate the transfer of employees, thereby in- creasing travel costs, estimated to be approximately $1,500 per person. Under this section, the Federal Labor Relations Authority and an Office of the General Counsel would be established in order to formu- late and implement management policies in the field of management- labor relations. It is estimated that four executives at a GS-18 level, plus support staff, as well as four technical consultants will be re- pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 quired. This is in addition to existing staff transferred from other agencies to this function. The estimated costs are as follows : Estimated cost-labor-management relations : Fiscal year : Millions 1979 -------------------------------------------------------- $0.3. .1980 -------------------------------------------------------- .5 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- .6 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- .6 1983 -------------------------------------------------------- .7 Estimated costs-general: Fiscal year : Minions 1979 -------------------------------------------------------- $2.0 1980 ------------------------------------------------------- 0.4 1981 -------------------------------------------------------- .4 1982 -------------------------------------------------------- .5 1983 ------------ ----------------- - ------------------------ .5 There are a number of sections of this legislation which authorize or require the development of rules and regulations and require the sub- mission of various new reports, but for which no specific costs have been attributed. It has been assumed that these new requirements will cost an additional $1 million in the first year. Regulation development costs are expected to decrease over the projection period, and reporting costs to remain constant. The actual physical. moving costs resulting from the reorganization have been estimated to be $1 million in fiscal year 1979. 7. Estimate comparison : None. 8. Previous CBO estimate : None. 9. Estimate prepared by: Mary Maginniss and Kathy Weiss. 10. Estimate approved by : C. G. Nucxom For James L. Blum, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. IX. RECORD VOTE IN COMMITTEE June 14, 1978 In compliance with section 133 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, rollcall votes taken during Committee con- sideration of this legislation are as follows : Vote on Eagleton/Javits Amendment on Veterans Preference : 7 yeas-9 nays. YEAS NAYS Eagleton Muskie Sasser Chiles Humphrey Nunn Percy Glenn Javits Stevens Danforth Mathias Ribicoff (Proxy) Jackson Roth Heinz pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1589 Vote on Study on Veterans Preference : 13 yeas-1 nay : Muskie Chiles Nunn Glenn Sasser YEAS NAYS_ Eagleton Humphrey Percy Javits Stevens Mathias Danforth Heinz Ribicoff June 29, 1978 Vote on Javits/Ribicoff Amendment on appellate procedures in mixed discrimination cases : 7 yeas-4 nays : YEAS NAYS Percy Glenn Javits Sasser Danforth Mathias Ribicoff Heinz (Proxy) Jackson Nunn Humphrey FINAL PASSAGE : Ordered reported:' 8 yeas-2 nays : YEAS NAYS Eagleton. Stevens Chiles Mathias Glenn Sasser Percy Javits Danforth Ribicoff (Proxy) Jackson Nunn Humphrey 1 Committee rules provide that on "Final Passage" proxies may be allowed solely for the purpose of recording a member's position on the pending question. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 X. ADDITIONAL VIEWS OF MR. PERCY The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee has acted with both prudence and expedition in favorably reporting S. 2640, the Civil Service Reform Act, to the full Senate. I consider this legislation a significant step forward in making government work better for all Americans who deserve service in return for their tax dollars. I have sponsored this legislative initiative from the start, and. believe the Committee has developed a sound and comprehensive bill. Only if we make the machinery of government more efficient and effective, can we expect Federal programs to succeed. The Federal government currently employs 2.8 million civilian personnel at an annual payroll cost in excess of $46 billion. More than two million of these employees fall within the Civil Service merit sys- tem. For the most part, the Federal government has been able to at- tract a high caliber of competent, productive and hardworking indi- viduals to staff its agencies and Departments. However, far too many Federal employees are incompetent, inefficient, and low in productiv- ity to a degree that would not be tolerated in the private sector. Com- petent Federal employees who do their jobs well resent the fact that others who do not are still virtually guaranteed tenure under a system which makes firing for incompetence a near impossibility, and which assures that the incompetent enjoy equal pay with the highly qualified. The Civil Service Reform Act reported by this Committee will go a long way in correcting these deep-rooted flaws in the Federal bureaucracy. However, I disagree with two provisions of the legislation as re- ported by the Committee that I believe warrant further comment. VETERANS PREFERENCE A central element in the Administration's original proposal to im- prove the Federal Civil Service system concerned modifications of Federal veterans preference laws as they affect hiring and retention in Civil Service. Though a number of problems were found in the orig- inal Administration proposal on this point, Senators Javits and Eagleton presented the Committee with an amendment which would accomplish three significant goals: (a) better focus veterans prefer- ence on those veterans most in need of employment opportunities, that is, disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam Era; '(b) bring us closer to a pure merit system in hiring of Federal civilian employees; and (c) better enable qualified women and other groups to compete on a more equal basis in obtaining Federal civilian lobs. Unfortunately, the Committee voted 9-7 not to accept the Javits-Eagleton amend- ment. I believe this was a mistake. The House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, on other hand, adopted a similar provision by a vote of 16-9. Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1591 Veterans comprise some 48 percent of Federal civilian employees. But less than one in ten is a veteran of the Vietnam Era, despite the fact that Vietnam Era veterans number 8.5 million today, almost one third of the total American veteran population. In some large Federal agencies, the proportion of Vietnam Era veterans is well under 5 per- cent. If the essential purpose of veterans preference is to give veterans tangible assistance in making up for lost time and opportunity re- sulting from military service, the current system defeats this purpose by allowing the older veteran to use his preference to deny the younger veteran that opportunity. Currently, of all veterans now being hired by the Federal Govern- ment, almost half are pre-Vietnam Era. And, of those Vietnam Era veterans hired by the Federal Government, more than 12 percent are retired military personnel, already receiving full pensions and having served a 20-year military career, rather than the young veterans them- selves. Fifty of these so-called "double dippers" receive, on average, in excess of $80,000 per year and another 60 receive more than $60,000 per year from the Federal Government, which is often more than their supervisors or agency heads earn. At the same time, unemployment for Vietnam Era veterans is far greater than that for veterans in the older group. While I strongly agree with the assertion that veterans, who have taken great risks and have sacrified productive years of their lives in defense of their country, are deserving of preference in Federal hiring, the current structuring of the veterans preference system has worked against those veterans most in need. Considering the heavy burden that Vietnam Era veterans in particular have had to suffer, both as a result of their actual military service as well as a result of public atti- tudes toward that war, to leave these veterans shortchanged is grossly unfair. This same unfairness is present with disabled veterans, who must compete with nondisabled veterans who, in addition to their five pref- erence points, have been able to accrue other job advantages because of their health. Veterans who have been injured during service certainly deserve special treatment. Veterans preference was established as a means of helping veterans whose lives had been displaced by military service to make up for lost time and sacrifices upon returning to the civilian economy. Preference was not intended as a mere symbol of military service, but rather a practical form of help to veterans in need. The attitude that has grown up over the years that veterans preference is a "lifelong entitlement right" rubs directly against the need of helping veterans return to civilian life. It creates a system of vested interests under which the older vetera;. competes against the younger veteran, almost always to the detriment of the latter. In an economy of scarce resources, we can- not. afford not to focus our assistance efforts where they would be most effective. The documentation of how veterans preference has affected the op- portunities for qualified women in competing on an equal basis in ob- tainine Federal jobs can be summed up in one statistic: of more than 29 million living American veterans, only about 800,000 are women. What is at stake here is not simply a matter of equal employment op- Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 portunity but also the ability of the Federal Government to hire the best qualified individuals for positions of responsibility. What veterans and veterans' organizations must take into account is that the vast majority of American veterans do not share the vested interests of Federal employees (only 4.9 percent out of 29 million American veterans are employed by the Federal Government). But, as taxpayers and consumers of government services, every veteran suf- fers the brunt of inefficient government and realizes the benefits of improved government service. Veteran and nonveteran taxpayers alike must pick up the tab for a Civil Service system which has resulted in a growing portion of their tax dollars to be squandered by inefficiency and waste. The modification of veterans preference would thus aid vet- erans, not only by targeting preference toward the most needy veterans, but also by improving the condition of all veterans as citizens. Veterans, however, can make a special claim that they have proven their patriotism in a manner above and beyond their fellow citizens. As such, they above all understand the meaning of the common good. For this reason, veterans in particular should rally to this proposal for Civil Service reform. The Javits-Eagleton veterans preference amendment, by limiting preference usage for non-disabled veterans to a single use during a period of 15 years from military discharge, in combination with other changes, is a fair approach to this problem. It would shift the emphasis of preference to where it belongs, on disabled veterans and Vietnam Era veterans, while bringing us closer to a Federal Civil Service based on merit. Hopefully this principle will be established in the course of the legislative process. A cornestone of Civil Service reform has been the creation of greater flexibility among Federal managers to help them better to do their jobs, while at the same time creating strong policing mechanisms to assure that the greater flexibility is not abused or misused. A key to this sys- tem of merit checks and balances is the ability of the Merit Systems Protection Board to bring disciplinary actions against officials who violate the merit system by committing "Prohibited personnel prac- tices." Unfortunately, however, the Committee voted 7-6 to severely weaken this merit enforcement power by exempting Presidential ap- pointees, mainly Federal agency heads, from the disciplinary jurisdic- tion of the Merit Systems Protection Board, including even the ability of the Board to decide whether the Presidential appointee had, in fact, committed the merit violation. Again. I believe this was a mistake. The Presidential appointees covered by this exemption are some 800 individuals appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They are generally agency heads or high ranking officials in Federal agencies, such as Assistant Secretaries. As such, they play an enor- mously influential role in personnel decision-making throughout the government. The Administration has argued that only the President should have the authority to discipline these appointees. Constitutional precedent exists for this assertion concerning removal of appointees. But as the Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 bill has been amended by the Committee, not only would the Merit Systems Protection Board not have authority to exact penalties against appointees, it would not even have the authority to determine whether the appointee had, in fact, committed a "prohibited personnel prac- tice." Without such a determination by the MSPB, the President, in the case of a merit violation by one of his appointees, would. be pre- sented only the unproven allegations of the MSPB Special Counsel. At no point would the President be presented an independent evaluation of allegations. Such a system could place an unfair burden on the President and appointees who would not have opportunities to clear their names. A limited approach of authorizing the MSPB to hear charges of merit violations against Presidential appointees, make findings on the validity of those charges and then leaving the actual imposition of penalties to the President, would greatly improve this situation. Under such a system, the inherent political responsibility of the President for appointees would be an adequate check to ensure that justice is done. The need to establish checks against merit abuse by Presidential appointees is particularly important given the enormous power S. 2640 gives to agency heads and other top officials under the new Senior Executive system. The SES, a managerial corps consisting of the 8,500 highest Civil Service employees, would be subject to broad supervisory discretion in matters of pay, promotion, transfer, removal and bonuses. Improper influences among this body could have a ripple effect throughout the competitive service. Because this group would be quite limited in any one agency, the agency head himself would be in a pivotal decision- making position with regard to personnel matters among the SES. Most fears of potential politicization of the Federal bureaucracy have focused on the SES. A strong enforcement mechanism, I believe, would effectively pro- tect this new innovative program from abuse. However, if agency heads themselves are exempted from any enforcement authority, a serious gap exists in that enforcement mechanism. For this reason, I hope that the exclusion of Presidential appointees from the disciplinary authority of the Merit Systems Protection Board can be corrected in the course of the legislative process. I support and have cosponsored the Civil Service Reform bill as it is reported by the Committee and believe it to be, on the whole, an excellent proposal. I disagree, however, with a major feature of the bill : its apportionment of administrative authority relating to employ- ment discrimination involving federal workers. The Committee bill would create a procedure under which differ- ences between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Merit System Protection Board on Employment discrimination questions would be resolved by the Court of Appeals. As the Committee report. states. "neither agency should have the authority to overrule the view of the other", and, when the matter is certified to the Court of Appeals, neither "agency should be considered as appealing the action of the other". pproved For. Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 An alternative procedure, which I urged the Committee to adopt but which it rejected, would allow both the MSPB and the EEOC to rule on such discrimination questions in a manner similar to that provided by the Committee but would designate the EEOC as the final authority, at the administrative level on such questions. Under this procedure, which was originally proposed by the Administration, the EEOC would review the MSPB's actions insofar as they related to discrimina- tion and render a decision which could be implemented immediately and, if reviewed, treated by the court with the deference normally accorded to final agency actions. The basic difference between the two approaches lies in the respective answers they give to the question : Which agency should be the final administrative authority on issues of. alleged employment discrimina- tion in the federal work force? The Committee's answer is that such final authority should be shared-although the extent of the sharing is ambiguous-between the MSPB and the EEOC. My approach would place that authority clearly in the EEOC. The case for the latter approach rests on the proposition' that the EEC is the Federal Government's central repository of sensitivity and expertise on employment discrimination matters. It is the administra- tive agency that has the responsibility at the federal level for consider- ing employment discrimination disputes arising in the private sector. I see no reason why, where discrimination disputes involve the employ- ment practices of a federal agency, the final administrative authority relating to those disputes ought not also to be centralized in the EEOC. From the beginning three basic arguments have been made against this approach: that it would damage the independence of the MSPB by subjecting its decisions on certain questions to review by an execu- tive branch agency; that the combination of adjudicatorv and advocacy functions within the EEOC would be undesirable; and that such an approach would be administratively unworkable. I am not persuaded by these arguments. With respect to the first, this Committee and the Congress on several occasions have permitted an executive agency to override an independ- ent regulatory commission on questions which were considered best left to the executive branch. Precedents can be found in the existing Presidential. override authority-o a Civil Aeronautics Board and the International Trade Commission ; and in the Department of .Energy Organization Act andci~~V_ie Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978. both of which were i~n_psilered earlier in this Congress by this Committee. It is not the case. as it sometimes has been argued, that the executive branch may exercise these override authorities only in the, foreign policy area. Under the DOE Organization Act, the DOE may veto FERC decisions on "energy actions" and other domestic matters specified in the Act. On the second and third of the arguments put forward, I can see no difference between the Committee's approach and the one I support in the extent to which they are subject to the concerns raised. Apart from that. I believe those concerns to be minor at worst. It is my hope therefore that the Committee's action on this matter will he reversed and the excellence of the remainder of the bill pre- served during further consideration of the legislation this year. JOHw GLENN. pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 1595 ADDITIONAL VIEWS OF MR. HEINZ The plan this legislation embodies is clearly a sound product based on extensive consideration both by the Administration prior to its presentation and in the Governmental Affairs Committee. Overall, reorganization of the Civil Service System will make some needed improvements in the operating of the federal service, based on sound management principles implemented in a generally equitable manner. In my view, however the Committee did make a serious mistake in its failure to adopt the original Glenn Amendment defining the rela- tionship between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Merit System Protection Board. The compromise that was adopted clearly moves too far away from the original conception that was embodied in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commis- sion Reorganization Plan, which was approved and reported out of the Governmental Affairs Committee on April 20, 1978. Beyond that specific issue, however, I also fear that in its restructur- ing of the Civil Service, the Committee may have overlooked what should be one of the most fundamental principles of any substantive reform and what is one of the chief causes of citizen concern and complaint about government. That problem, simply, is size, and the principle-equally simple-is that a responsible reform designed to streamline the bureaucracy and make it more efficient should neces- sarily make it smaller. This is no minor matter in a day when citizens are growing increas- ingly frustrated with the size and reach of their government and are showing their frustrations with growing support for tax and spending cut initiatives. In this climate, caused in part by continual bureaucratic inefficiency, it is incumbent on us to analyze reform from the stand- point of size as well as efficiency, and to act, firmly if necessary, to cut costs. Unfortunately, nowhere in this legislation is there any meaningful effort to place controls on the overall size of the federal work force. We are led to believe that the decentralization and increased effi- ciency created by this restructuring will lead to fewer clerks and "paper pushers," although more trained managers; however, nowhere in the bill.is any effort made to require the attainment of this goal. Indeed it is possible, even likely, given the inevitable tendencies of large bureaucracies, that the "reforms" in this legislation will in fact simply add a new layer of management on top of existing layers without reducing the umber trali ber of employees elsewhere ; that "decen zation" will result in hiring increases in other agencies without a corresponding decrease in the O''Ice of Personnel Management; and that the end result will be more people, more bureaucracy, and more cost, rather than the reverse. (131) Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001 1596 Moreover, the bill actually compounds this problem by increasing the number of top-level employees from 3 to 14, and by increasing the salary level of current executive level employees. The top level employees in the Office of Personnel Management, for example, have been upgraded over their Civil Service Commission counterparts. The net result of this upgrading at the highest levels is an added cost to the taxpayers of more than $125,000 per year. This is a small sum compared to the billions in the federal budget, but it is a proper place to begin, particularly if the public is to have any confi- dence in a reform which through its efficiency should be cutting per- sonnel costs. Obviously, insuring reductions in personnel costs is a difficult task under the best of circumstances. Decisions to hire, retain, or promote are always easier than personnel freezes, reductions in force or grade. However, if this reform is to have any meaning those hard decisions must be made in a way that is fair and firm without being inflexible, and it is the task of this legislation to see that these decisions are made. This bill, unfortunately, does not yet meet that test. H. JOHN HEINZ. Aproved Fnr RPIP^SP 7007/05!14: r RoPe5 0000 80003 000001 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 MINORITY VIEWS OF MR. MATHIAS AND MR. STEVENS This legislation must be rejected by the Senate and returned to this Committee for additional consideration, for it clearly failg to meet the central purpose of needed civil service reform. That purpose is to give the President and Federal managers more discretion and flexi- bility in personnel management while at the same time assuring a civil service system based on merit principles rather than political and personal favoritism. The bill would give the President and his political appointees enormous new power over the civil service. However, it fails to provide prudent safeguards to encourage impartial and effec- tive performance by career employees. The bill does not strike the proper balance between protection of merit principles and manage- ment flexibility in at least three major areas: the organizational struc- ture; competitive examinations; and the senior executive service. The most serious weakness in the Administration's proposals to re- form the civil service is that it increases the possibilities for manipu- lating the civil service for personal or political favoritism. Instead of having personnel policy made by a bipartisan body, it would be made by an administrator serving at the pleasure of the president. Although this change would be accomplished by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978 (which will become effective August 10, 1978, unless disapproved by the Senate or the House of Representatives) it must be discussed here, for many provisions of this bill relate directly to this feature of the Plan. Daily operations of the central personnel agency do need to be the responsibility of a single individual. This is, in fact, what happens now with the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission. He is desig- nated by law as the Chief Operating Officer of the Agency. Everything the Administration wants a new Office of Personnel Management to do under a single administrator can be done under a bipartisan body with the Chairman serving as the Chief Operating Officer. However, under this bill and the Administration's proposal merit would be seri- ously endangered, for a single individual would make personnel policy for the entire Federal civil service work force of more than two mil- lion employees. Administration spokesmen point to some states and cities where re- sponsibility for making personnel policy was recently shifted from a multi-headed agency to a single administrator. The analogy, however, is inapt for none is comparable to the size, complexity, diversity, and power of the Federal government. In addition, no one has studied whether the policies made by these administrators are better or worse, (133) Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-R DP85-00003R000300090001- 1598 or whether they have resulted in more or less political and personnal favoritism in the civil service. The power to make personnel policy includes the power to interpret the laws; to decide the policies for authorizing exceptions to certain laws; to make the policies which determine how job applicants shall be ranked for employment consideration; to take positions out of the competitive service so they can be filled politically; and to set aside almost all civil service laws in Demonstration Projects that would affect many thousands of individuals. The citizens of the United States would have far greater confidence in the wisdom and impartiality of such policies if they were made by a bipartisan body. This is, of course, the primary reason for having established the bipartisan Civil Service Commission in the first place. The 95-year-old civil service system is not without faults; it has gone through many changes to overcome weaknesses as they have been identified. But abolishing bipartisan personnel policy-making will not correct any of these weaknesses. Nor will it improve the quality and performance of the civil service or increase the public's confidence in it. None of the civil service problems identified by the Administration would be solved by having personnel policies made by one person. No rational case has been made for abolishing policy-making by a biparti- san body, while the advantages of having a bipartisan policy-making body are obvious. Another serious weakness relates to the role of the Special Counsel. He would be responsible for investigating prohibited personnel prac- tices and prosecuting those who commit such practices. Appointed by the President with the consent of the Senate to serve during the President's term, he would be, and would be perceived as being, a political appointee serving at the pleasure of the Administration. How then would it be possible for the Special Counsel to initiate, thor- oughly investigate, and then take actions which by their very nature could prove embarrassing to the Administration ? To be effective and to enjoy the confidence of the people, the Special Counsel must be insulated from overt and subtle influences of the President and his appointees. Neither S. 2640 nor Reorganization Plan No. 2 provides this insulation. In addition, the bill denies the Special Counsel the power to disci- pline Presidential appointees who engage in prohibited personnel practices. Such a Special Counsel would be at best a feeble protector of the civil service merit system. S. 2640 authorizes the Director of the Office of Personnel Manage- ment to delegate, in whole or in part, any function vested in the Di- rector, including authority for competitive examinations, to the heads of agencies in the Executive Branch and, other agencies employing persons in the competitive service. This would authorize shifting from the central personnel agency to each agency the authority to examine applicants for jobs in that agency. This was the practice prior to 1965, and there were many com- plaints from all over the country to members of Congress and others pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 that applicants for Federal jobs were not examined fairly, properly, or quickly. When Congress and the President centralized examining in sixty-five area offices of the Civil Service Commission the com- plaints dropped off sharply. No doubt there are problems in the existing system. The biggrest one is that it takes too long to fill jobs. But 85 percent of the time is taken by the agencies, not the area offices of the Commission. Steps can and should be taken to speed the process and make other improvements. But having applicants for Federal jobs examined by the agencies is the wrong way to go if we want a high quality civil service based on open competition. It is the wrong way to go if we want an im- partial civil service, not one selected on the basis of political and personal favoritism. Experience in this decade tells us that honest and able agency officials and staffs need to be insulated from the pressures for patronage-political and personal-in this stage of the employ- ment process. Another compelling reason to exclude competitive' examining from the blanket authority for delegations is the dismal record of agency performance in carrying out the authority given them to establish the proper grade (rryand therefore pay) for white-collar jobs. A recent report of the Civil Service Commission states that 136,000 white- collar jobs are overgraded, in many cases because of pressures from agency managers. If competitive examining is shifted to the agencies there will also be internal and external pressures for personal and political patron- age during that stage of the employment process. In the face of this, extremely poor performance in using the delegated classification powers, it is inconceivable that the Senate would authorize the dele- gation of the important and sensitive competitive examining respon- sibility to agencies. III. SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE Some of the provisions of the bill relating to the proposed Senior Executive Service while desirable, are so seriously flawed that, on balance, they are unsatisfactory. Specifically, the bill would give to Presidential appointees wide discretion to reduce significantly the re- sponsibilities and pay of career executives. There is no restraint against ill-considered, arbitrary, or partisan actions. But even more important, this power in the hands of Presidential appointees will have the effect of denying to the American people the-kind of respon- sible sharp criticism from career executives that over the years has been essential to the public interest. . Based on past experience in both Democratic and Republican Ad- ministrations, we can expect that the Presidential appointees who would exercise this new power will be for the most. part exceptionally able and highly dedicated to the national interest. In our democratic process they are the vital link between the decision of the electorate in choosing a President and the overall direction and management of the agencies. As the pressures and problems test the political-career relationships, it is' important for the public interest that political ap- pointees not have suffocating power over career executives : power that Approve or - - Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001- could be used intemperately, or to satisfy a special interest. We should 'have no doubt that when Presidential appointees have this power, all of them; no matter how well-intentioned and competent, will be sub- ject to pressure from many sides, often irresistible, to use the power to serve special rather than public interests. Career. executives represent an important national resource which the Federal government develops at considerable cost. Their central commitment is to give nonpartisan professional advice and see to the impartial administration of the laws. Both functions would be jeopar- dized lly such a grant of authority to political appointees. The argument is made that this unrestricted discretion to reassign and reduce pay and responsibilities is needed for management flexi- bility. But no evidence has been provided as to the widespread exis- tence of the problems that this extraordinary grant of authority would solve. It has also been argued that the unrestricted authority to reas- sign exists now and-that this therefore is no change. This is specious reasoning. Under this bill, five separate grades (GS-16,17, and 18, and Executive Levels V and IV) would be combined into one Senior Exec- utive Service without grades. Existing law gives Presidential ap- pointees, absolute power to reassign from one position to another only if ..they are in the same grade and rank. The proposed unlimited power would permit a Presidential appointee to reassign a career executive from a position of Deputy Regional Director now at GS-16 and located some hundreds or thousands of miles from Washington. At the same time, the Presidential appointee could reduce the annual pay of the career executive by. up to $8,000. Advocates for this grant of power argue that top executives in large corporations have it, and that Presidential appointees should too in order to encourage responsiveness. But the analogy fails. No corporation could succeed if it lost its top three levels of executives every two to four years as Federal agencies lose their Presidential ap- pointees. This underscores the need for professionalism, objectivity, competence, and continuity of career executives- to assure reasonable stability in the operations of Federal agencies. With rare exceptions, career executives have readhed the top by repeatedly proving their ability to perform well under difficult conditions. They are the glue that holds the government together in times of political transition. They are our ancestral memory. We tamper with their status at our peril. Presidential appointees in the agencies occupy their positions for relatively short periods, and in their eagerness to exercise leadership by making changes in policies and operations, many are often impa- tient with career executives who disagree with them. Such disagree- ment is often taken as evidence of unresponsiveness. The proposed new power for Presidential appointees would send a clear signal to many career executives that if they don't want to be shipped out., they should not question or disagree with the views of their bosses. We would sub- stitute a new veneration of "agreeable" career executives for the con- structively critical and politically neutral professionals who now serve this nation well. Apprehensive silence at the crucial point where po- litical and career appointees should debate proposed policies, pro- grams, and procedures would serve the nation badly. Ap rl F Rinlinage '?n071 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 The public interest would be served far better by including some reasonable statutory restraints, short of full appeal rights for career executives, to prevent arbitrary actions or those based on personal favoritism. For example, personnel actions affecting the thousands of career executives who will be in the Senior Executive Service should be under the jurisdiction of the Special Counsel of the Merit System Protection Board with regard to prohibited personnel practices. Yet Section 2302(a) of the bill specifically limits the Special Counsel in this area by-defining "prohibited personnel practices" in terms of per- sonnel actions with respect to "an employee in, or applicant for, a posi- tion in the competitive service, a career position in the Senior Execu- tive Service." Thus, the elemental protection against arbitrary action that would help provide a reasonable safeguard for the public's inter- est is restricted to that small proportion of senior-career executives who will be in career reserved positions. Extending this safeguard to all senior career executives would help protect the public's interest in developing and retaining first-rate career executives and would make it possible to begin to hold Presidential appointees accountable for their actions in these respects. There is a major related danger in the provisions of the bill that create the Senior Executive Service. Currently there are about 9,000 executive positions in the Federal service (aside from those filled by Presidential appointees). About 10 percent, or 900 of these, are desig- nated as specific positions to be filled politically. The Administration proposes to change this so that most of the 9,000 positions could be filled by political appointment, although at one time no more than ten percent of all executive positions could be occupied by political ap- pointees. Once the impartiality and non-partisanship of a career executive is no longer a requirement for filling these positions, the baser elements of human nature will flourish. Significant numbers of career people in positions in and just below the Senior Executive Service will surely be encouraged to use their official discretion in subtle ways to serve partisan and special interests. Some unfortunately will probably suc- cumb to the temptation in hopes of being looked on favorably as they seek entry into the Senior Executive Service. Of course, with a career appointment, these individuals would not be part of the 10 percent limitation on the number of political appointees. They would remain career appointees who have demonstrated their political reliability. In other words, it would be relatively easy to politicize far more than 10 percent of the positions in this service, particularly so because career executives could be reassigned and demoted without cause. To satisfy ourselves that this scenario is not far-fetched, we need only read the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee's "Final Report on Violations and Abuses of Merit Principles in Federal Em- Testifying in closed session before the Senate Select Com- mittee, John Ehrlichman, Counsel to President Nixon for Domestic Policy, was asked if there was an interest to in- fluence the career service in a partisan manner. Ehrlichman responded to Senate committee staff with the following : Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Mr. EHltracRMAN. It was an itch on our part to get friends in the departments rather than the people that we found there, but that was just a general ongoing de- sire on our part. CoMMrrFEE COUNSEL. Was this in career positions as well as other positions? Mr. EH LICHMAN. Sure. Just like-the Democrats did that. COMMITTEE COUNSEL. And how would something like that be carried out? Mr. EHRLICHMAN. By attrition essentially. You'd get replacements and the people you get in the replacements would be hopefully sympathetic with the politics. It takes very little imagination to predict what would happen if Presidential appointees had the power to create attrition at will. The Bill should be revised so that the only specific positions in the Senior Executive Service designated by the central personnel agency could be filled by political appointment, and, as provided in the bill, the total number of such positions should not at any time exceed 10 percent of the total positions in the Senior Executive Serv- ice. In addition, the criteria for designating positions in the Senior Executive Service as appropriate for political appointment need to be prescribed in law. Despite occasional problems and criticisms, the criteria established by Executive Order during the Eisenhower Ad- ministration. and modified during the Johnson Administration, ap- pear to provide a reasonable balance for management flexibility, pro- tectiort against political and personal favoritism, and most important, the effective continuity of government. Therefore, the bill should also be revised to include the following criteria for designating posi- tions in the Senior Executive Service which may be filled by other than career executives : (1) Incumbents who are deeply involved in the advocacy of Administration programs and support of their controversial aspects; (2) Incumbents who participate significantly in the deter- mination of major political policies of the Administration; or ($) Incumbents who serve principally as personal assistant.to or advisor of a Presidential appointee or other key political figure. An additional criterion was added by Executive Order in the previ- ous Administration to permit taking Regional Director positions out of the competitive service based on a possible future policy advocacy role. This addition is not included became, as it.has been applied,. the national interest has been served poorly by permitting the appointment of politically partisan, minimally qualified indi- viduals as top field managers of Federal programs that are intended to 'provide benefits impartially to, and otherwise impact directly on, millions of citizens as well as state and local governments. The fur- ther politicization of the civil service in the field is now occurring with positions below the Regional Directors being taken out of the Approved For Release 2007/n.9/14 ? CIA-Rf-IPR5-nnnn3R000300090001 1 pproved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 competitive civil service. It would be in the public interest to revise this trend by specifying in law the above criteria and making it clear that they are to be applied faithfully. We believe it would be in the public interest for the Senate to disapprove both S. 2640 and Reorganization Plan No. 2. This will provide the Governmental Affairs Committee and the Administra- tion the opportunity to improve and perfect the legislation and "the Reorganization Plan so that there is at least a reasonable chance of meeting the high expectations of the American people for reform in the Federal civil service. CHARLES MCC. MATHIAS, Jr. TED STEVENS. XI. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW In compliance with subsection 4 of Rule XXIX of the Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill, as re- ported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, and existing law in which no change is proposed shown in Roman) : s s s s s s * proved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 Approved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 proved For Release 2007/05/14: CIA-RDP85-00003R000300090001-1 aM is a~2 ?'o v o 8 ~,t E B Q a ..e " amd8 o~a~ L3 oe?aOI Not A v ? Bo O gc O .:~ IW +~ " F W tl..~yZ3a~~ISo3~i3 ga8~~~~m " A t-aBI Ris