Washington, D.C. 20530

January 23, 2001 [via E-mail]

MEMORANDUM TO:  Budget Officers Group; JMD Senior Staff; PMO_ExecOfficers; Hall, Keith E.; Bertucci, Theresa; Becraft, Peter M; McKinney, Louie; Justus, Ralph; Fine, Glenn A.; Rooney, Kevin; Simms, Joanne W; Krumsiek, Paul A; Jarcho, Vivian

SUBJECT:      Additional Guidance on Hiring Controls

Component Executive Officers --

Attached you will find a document from Carol Okin at OPM related to White House Chief of Staff Card's memorandum of January 20 concerning Government Hiring Controls.

The Okin memorandum, and some additional information the Personnel Staff received at an OPM briefing on this subject today, flesh out the expectations of the new Administration.

Of particular note and concern is the first bullet of Ms. Okin's memorandum:

For agencies without a department or agency head appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate, these controls apply to all hiring decisions (e.g., appointment, promotion, or reassignment), at all grade levels, from all sources. Agencies may honor official job offers extended before January 20.

[Emphasis supplied.]

That is, the controls extend not only to actions which would increase agency employment by adding a new employee to the rolls; they also apply to internal agency actions which involve a change in position.

According to additional verbal guidance from OPM:

• agencies may continue to bring on board selectees with firm job offers given on or before January 20
• agencies may continue to bring on board selectees with tentative offers given on or before January 20 (i.e., offers contingent on clearances such as drug testing or background investigation).
• verbal offers are sufficient
• agencies may continue to make career ladder promotions, because they do not involve filling a different position

The application of the controls to internal agency personnel actions obviously presents challenges in an agency as large as the Department, where such actions are a daily occurrence. We understand that OMB is drafting additional guidance on the application of the controls, and we have expressed our concerns over the restrictions on promotions and reassignments to OMB in the strongest possible terms.

We will provide you with additional guidance on these hiring controls as soon as it is provided to us.

MEMORANDUM FOR HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTORS

FROM: CAROL J. OKIN (…signed Jan. 22, 2001…)

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

Subject:  Government Hiring Controls

Attached is a copy of the White House Memorandum on Government Hiring Controls issued Saturday, January 20, 2001.

For agencies without a department or agency head appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate, these controls apply to all hiring decisions (e.g., appointment, promotion, or reassignment), at all grade levels, from all sources. Agencies may honor official job offers extended before January 20.

These controls do not apply to agencies where the department or agency head has already been appointed and confirmed. The newly appointed agency head has the authority to establish appropriate mechanisms and delegations to review and approve hiring decisions.

We will keep you informed as we work with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to further define the parameters of these controls as well as exception procedures. In the meantime, HR Directors should address questions to Ellen Tunstall, Assistant Director for Employment Policy, (202) 606-8097.

Attachment

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