Today is the second day of our hearing on the federal workforce and legislative proposals offered by Senator George Voinovich and Senator Fred Thompson. For those lucky enough to be with us yesterday, you know that we had a stimulating discussion, which was enhanced by the diverse views expressed on how we should proceed with civil service reform.

We have only one panel today in order that our distinguished group of experts will have ample opportunity to share with us their knowledge and experience. I am delighted to be joined by Senator Voinovich again. He and I have sat through many hearings on how we can best attract, retain, and motivate federal employees.

We share the same concern that with about half of the federal workforce eligible for retirement within a few years, we must look toward new employees. Unless we're able to convince sufficient numbers of young people to seek careers in public service, our government will be unable to meet the needs of the American people. However, we must also ensure that our current workforce has the tools they need to perform their jobs. There must be sufficient resources devoted to their training and enhancement of skills; better utilization of their institutional knowledge; and the commitment from the highest levels of government to show them that their contributions are appreciated.

Although our witnesses in yesterday's session approached these issues from different perspectives, they all agreed that solving these problems lies at the heart of enhancing the federal workforce.

I'm very interested to hear your testimonies because I believe your cumulative years of experience investigating and understanding the issues we're grappling with today will assist us tremendously. Although I have asked you to analyze the legislative proposals offered by Senator Voinovich and Senator Thompson, I am also interested in knowing what you think the government and Congress should do based on your intimate involvement with our civil service system. While funding is key, another question to consider is what actions agencies should take to utilize existing flexibilities.

Every administration comes into office with specific agendas, and I believe that we must separate policy from politics. Therefore, I want to know how we can best achieve balanced reform of the civil service system without imposing changes dictated by political considerations.