November 07, 2003   SEN. COLLINS ISSUES STATEMENT ON CIVIL SERVICE REFORM   WASHINGTON, D.C.— Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) today released the following statement on the Defense Authorization Conference Report. “The primary goal of the federal personnel system should be the recruitment and retention of the highest quality workforce to serve the citizens of the United States. But unfortunately, the current antiquated system does not always achieve this goal. It has become too cumbersome for agencies to hire good employees, to reward outstanding workers, and to remove poor performers. “Earlier this year, the Department of Defense delivered to Congress a far-reaching proposal to restructure the Department's civilian personnel system. Unfortunately, its proposal went too far and did not include important provisions to protect good employees. “To strike a better balance, I worked hard with several of my colleagues, including Senator Carl Levin and Senator George Voinovich, to craft an alternative that would give the Department of Defense the authority it needs to create a more responsive system, while providing vital protections for its civil servants. “The language in the Defense Authorization Conference Report, while by no means perfect, is a reasonable compromise to the challenge of modernizing an outdated system while protecting employees' rights. For example, employees subject to adverse personnel actions will have an independent appeals process, and a third party will resolve collective bargaining disputes. In addition, the final bill does not include the unilateral waiver authority sought by the Secretary, and the Department's ability to change employee-management relations sunsets in six years. “The Governmental Affairs Committee will closely monitor implementation of this law to ensure a collaborative process that will lead to a modern, effective, and fair personnel system.”   ###   Printable Version   « previous Press Release next Press Release »   1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 November 2003 Press Releases   November 25 - Chairman Collins Calls on SEC to Provide Information About its Investigation of Mutual Funds’ Questionable Activities   November 25 - Sen. Collins Urges President to Coordinate Federal Agroterrorism Preparedness and Response Efforts   November 21 - Senate Approves Sen. Collins’ Bill to Create National Women’s History Museum   November 20 - Sen. Collins Praises DHS for Efforts to Improve Cargo Security   November 20 - Collins Releases GAO Report on Electricity Blackout; Says Findings Emphasize Failings of Proposed Energy Bill   November 19 - Sen. Collins: America’s Agricultural Industry Is Vulnerable To Terrorist Attack   November 18 - Chairman Collins Urges DHS Deputy Secretary Nominee to Make Port Security, Investing in First Responders Top Priorities   November 14 - Collins, Lieberman Urge Administration to Improve Port Security by Funding Key Coast Guard Project   November 13 - Homeland Security Grants Will Help Protect High-Risk Areas, Says Chairman Collins   November 13 - Senator Collins’ Provision to Increase Federal Worker Pay Included in Conference Report   November 13 - Sen. Collins’ Contracting Provisions Included In Defense Authorization Bill   November 7 current Press Release   November 7 - Senator Collins: America Still Vulnerable to Bioterrorist Attacks   November 5 - Sen. Collins to Introduce Legislation to Reform the Postal Service   November 4 - Sen. Collins Comments on Office of Federal Procurement Policy Nominee   November 3 - Sen. Collins Questions Why SEC Has Failed to Detect Mutual Fund Abuses
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