Thompson
Introduces Administration’s
Freedom to Manage Package to Reform Government
Says He Will Work to See That the President Gets the Tools He
Needs
To
Reform Government Management
Thursday, November 1, 2001
WASHINGTON -
Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Fred Thompson (R-TN)
introduced legislation today referred to Congress by the Bush
Administration seeking to extensively reform the management of the
federal government.
Senator Thompson, a leading Congressional advocate for government
reform, said, “I will work with my colleagues on the
Governmental Affairs Committee and in Congress to enact this
important package, because it includes comprehensive reforms that
will make government work better.
“The Governmental Affairs Committee has documented the problems
affecting Executive Branch operations for some time, and I am
impressed with the President’s attention to these issues at this
critical time in our nation’s history,” Thompson added.
“The President’s package of management reform proposals
will allow government managers to carry out their critical
responsibilities for the American public more effectively.
It’s obvious the Administration understands how very
important government reform is to ensuring that the government can
accomplish its varied missions.”
The legislation, which includes the Freedom to Manage Act and the
Managerial Flexibility Act, makes
it easier for Executive Branch management to increase
accountability, reduce unnecessary costs, and manage for results.
The Managerial Flexibility Act will help the government
recruit and retain people with needed skills, increase the
flexibility of federal property management, and allow agencies to
budget for results. The
Freedom to Manage Act would allow other reform proposals,
submitted to the Congress by the Administration, to be considered
expeditiously by the Congress.
Transmitted to the Congress on October 15, 2001, the Freedom to
Manage Act and the Managerial Flexibility Act will now be a part
of Senator Thompson’s and the Governmental Affairs Committee’s
efforts to reform the management of the Executive Branch.
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A summary of the legislation follows.
Freedom to Manage Reform Package
A Summary
Freedom to Manage Act of
2001: This legislation establishes a procedure under which
heads of departments and agencies can identify statutory barriers
to good management. Congress, in turn, would quickly consider
those obstacles and act to remove them.
Managerial Flexibility Act
of 2001: This legislation provides federal managers with
increased flexibility in managing personnel; assigns agencies the
responsibility for funding the full government share of the
accruing cost of all retirement and retiree health care benefits
for Federal employees; and gives agencies greater flexibility in
managing property.
Reform Personnel Management:
This proposal gives federal agencies and managers increased
discretion and flexibility in attracting, managing, and retaining
a high quality workforce. It empowers federal agencies to
determine when, if, and how they might offer new employee
incentives, and it enhances the agencies' authority to use
recruitment, retention, and relocation bonuses to compete better
with the private sector. The bill permits agencies to develop
alternative personnel systems to attract and hire employees that
best fit the position, and it will enable managers to offer early
retirement packages. By enacting important changes to the Senior
Executive Service, this proposal also permits high-level Federal
managers to be treated more like their private sector
counterparts, by results-based performance standards that hold
them accountable.
Budgeting and Managing for
Results -- Full Funding for Federal Retiree Costs: This
proposal charges federal agencies the full accruing cost of all
retirement and retiree health care benefits for federal employees.
This proposal is the first government-wide step in linking the
full cost of resources used with the results achieved, which will
make management in the Executive Branch more performance-oriented.
This proposal will not change any of the benefits provided by
these programs, and will not change the level of employee
contributions.
Reform Federal Property
Management: The federal government owns or controls more than
24 million acres of land and facilities, but existing rules
restrict the government's ability to consolidate or release
underperforming property. In many instances, federal agencies lack
the incentives and authority to renovate the property or tap its
equity. This proposal facilitates a total asset management
approach to Federal property issues by: improving life cycle
planning and management; allowing greater flexibility to optimize
asset performance; and providing incentives for better property
management. Modernizing these processes enhances government-wide
property management, bringing the practices federal agencies use
to manage their assets into the 21st century.
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