Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce the Federal Supervisor Training Act to enhance federal employee and manager performance, and, in turn, agency performance.

Our nation's public servants administer a vast array of programs designed to meet the needs of the citizens of this country, and indeed the world.  These employees deserve the support and guidance of trained managers who empower them to perform effectively.  Furthermore, employees must have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.  Training programs help managers and supervisors improve their communication skills and promote stronger manager-employee relationships.

While the federal government encourages management and supervisory training, the development and implementation of training programs is left to the discretion of individual agencies.  This leads to inconsistent guidance on training and sometimes inadequate training due to an agency's other priorities and limited resources.  Meaningful training matters.  Training should not be discretionary for agencies.

Given the growing number of federal managers who are eligible to retire, and the need to attract a robust, well-skilled workforce, it is important that employees, who are expected to manage and supervise, have the tools to do so effectively. 

In January 2007, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released the 2006 Federal Human Capital Survey, which showed that the federal government's employees and senior managers and leaders still face communication problems.  For example, according to the survey:

• only 49 percent of federal employees have a high level of respect for senior leaders in their agencies,
• only 41 percent say they are satisfied with their leaders' policies and practices, and
• only 47 percent of federal employees said they were satisfied with the information they get from management.

Upon the release of the survey, OPM Director Linda Springer wrote, "As many senior leaders retire, the federal government also faces a challenge - and opportunity - to improve the effectiveness of the leadership corps across Government.  We must develop the kinds of leaders who can ensure a talented and committed Federal workforce now and in the future.  Our leaders will need to adapt the workplaces and opportunities they offer to attract the best and the brightest from diverse talent pools."

Good leadership begins with strong management training.  It is time to ensure that federal managers receive appropriate training to supervise federal employees.  I believe the Federal Supervisor Training Act will help us reach that goal.  My bill will bridge the training gap that exists now and help ensure that federal managers have the necessary skills to communicate with and manage federal employees.

The Federal Supervisor Training Act has three major training components.  First, the bill will require that new supervisors receive training in the initial 12 months on the job, with mandatory retraining every three years on how to work with employees to develop performance expectations and evaluate employees.  Current managers will have three years to obtain their initial training.  Second, the bill requires mentoring for new supervisors and training on how to mentor employees.  Third, the measure requires training on the laws governing and the procedures for enforcing whistleblower and anti-discrimination rights.

In addition, my bill will:

• set standards that supervisors should meet in order to manage employees effectively,
• assess a manager's ability to meet these standards, and
• provide training to improve areas identified in personnel assessments.

I am delighted by the support my bill has received from the Government Managers Coalition, which represents members of the Senior Executives Association, the Federal Managers Association, the Professional Managers Association, the Federal Aviation Administration Managers Association, and the National Council of Social Security Management Associations; the American Federation of Government Employees; the National Treasury Employees Union; the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers; the AFL-CIO, Metal Trades Department, as well as the Partnership for Public Service.  I believe this broad support, from employee unions to management associations to outside good government groups demonstrates the need of mandatory training programs and passage of this bill.   I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.