Mr. President, today I rise on behalf of myself and Senators Durbin, Allen and Voinovich to reintroduce the Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act. This bill is similar to legislation Senator Durbin, Senator Thompson, and I introduced in the 107th Congress. Like S. 1800, this bill is designed to strengthen the federal government's recruitment and retention efforts in the areas of science, mathematics, and foreign language where there is a growing absence of qualified personnel.

In the weeks following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, FBI Director Mueller made a plea on national television for speakers of Arabic and Farsi to help the FBI and national security agencies translate documents that were in our possession but which were left untranslated due to a shortage of employees with proficiency in those languages. The General Accounting Office has reported that agencies have shortages in translators and interpreters and an overall shortfall in the language proficiency levels needed to carry out their missions.

The federal government also lacks personnel with scientific and engineering skills. On February 25, 2003, William Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering, noted that the supply of talented engineers in government is not keeping pace with growing demand. A recent poll found that a mere 24 percent of job seekers believe that the best engineering job opportunities are in the federal government compared to 52 percent for the private sector. In another example, a 1999 report of the National Research Council found significant science and technology weaknesses throughout the Department of State. These shortfalls have real consequences that hamper our ability to monitor exports of military-sensitive technology and preventing proliferation of biological warfare expertise from the former Soviet Union.

Now more than ever, we must make sure we have the right people with the right skills in the right place. On January 9, 2003, the Washington Post reported that six major agencies moving into the Department of Homeland Security could lose roughly a quarter to one-half of their employees to retirement over the next five years. The data shows that about twice as many employees at these six agencies will be eligible to retire by the end of 2008 than are currently eligible. According to the data, the following percentages of employees will be eligible to retire:

• 59 percent at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

• 54 percent of the Coast Guard.

• 46 percent of the U.S. Customs Service.

• 44 percent of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

• 32 percent of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

• 22 percent of the Secret Service.

An alarming 26,363 employees out of 67,166 in the six agencies would be eligible to retire in 2008. Unfortunately, the numbers for other federal agencies are not any better.

We need programs to recruit personnel with the skills necessary to protect our country. The Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act will do just that. Today, agencies are forced to decide between funding programs and investing in their workforce. This is a no-win situation and has prevented many agencies from fully utilizing the federal student loan repayment program which is intended to be a powerful recruitment and retention tool. The Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act expands the existing student loan repayment program by authorizing funds for key national security agencies. The Act establishes a separate fund to be administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to repay student loans for employees in national security positions who pledge to serve in the government for a minimum of three years.

In addition, our legislation would establish a National Security Service Board to oversee and implement the new National Security Fellowship Program and the National Security Service Corps. The National Security Fellowship Program is designed to fund graduate education for selected students learning skills critical to national security who agree to enter federal service on the completion of their degree.

Current employees would not be neglected. Twenty percent of fellowship slots would be reserved for federal employees to enhance their education and training. In addition, more training opportunities would be provided to current federal employees through the National Security Service Corps. This program is designed to provide opportunities for mid-level federal employees in agencies with national security responsibilities to serve in rotational assignments to build experience and widen perspectives within the national security community.

Last March I chaired a hearing in the Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation, and Federal Services of the Governmental Affairs Committee on this bill. Witnesses commented on the additional benefits this legislation could have on the ability of government recruitment and retention efforts. My former colleague, Representative Lee Hamilton, now the Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, noted that, "Enactment of these proposals would encourage more people to enter national security positions by easing the financial sacrifices often associated with graduate study and with government service."

The creation of the Department of Homeland Security once again raised concerns over the recruitment and retention of skilled employees in national security positions. To address these needs, Senator Voinovich and I successfully added an amendment to the Homeland Security Act to help alleviate problems associated with the workforce crisis facing the federal government. However, we must focus our efforts on recruiting and retaining employees with the technical and language skills the federal government needs the most. This legislation helps fill the holes in our recruitment and retention efforts.

As the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century (also known as the Hart-Rudman Commission) concluded in 2001, "...the maintenance of American power in the world depends upon the quality of U.S. government personnel, civil and military, at all levels... The U.S. faces a broader range of national security challenges today, requiring policy analysts and intelligence personnel with expertise in more countries, regions, and issues." The Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act will meet this challenge.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that the federal government has the tools to put the right people with the right skills in the right place to protect our great nation.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD following this statement.