I have always questioned the assumption, prevalent in some circles, that too many government workers are not up to their jobs. More often than not, my experiences with federal employees have been positive.

Two weeks ago, the Federal Office of Personnel Management released a study which confirms what I always have believed. In contrast to the popular misconceptions, only 3.7% of the 3114 employees reviewed were identified as poor performers.

It is important that we recognize that 96% of all federal employees work hard and serve us well every day. Despite our ongoing political debates about the proper role of government, most federal workers perform essential roles in our complex and competitive society.

If we are to "reinvent" government in an era of disciplined federal spending, it will be the competent and caring women and men of our civil service who will be the primary architects of those reforms. It is in the public interest, therefore, to afford civil servants the respect which they have earned.

It also is the fair thing to do. Studies and statistics tend to overshadow the very real people who are at work on the job for us every day. We should never forget their service above and beyond the call of duty.

I have been privileged, for example, to work with good people like Ms. Suzanne Kaufman, who has been helping our veterans for more than 20 years. When I think about our senior citizens and their crucial social security and Medicare issues, I am grateful to all of the solid SSA professionals like Ms. Rose Kaplan and Mrs. Mary Lash. When constituents complain to me about the I.R.S., I remind them that Ms. Rosalee Hall did not create their tax problems. She is there to help people solve them.

The people who have dedicated their working lives to serving us deserve our support. For too long, federal employees have been told that they are not working up to the minimum requirements of their jobs. Now, we have solid evidence which confirms their performance and effectively refutes their critics.

It is my own experience with competent, caring federal employees, however, which guides my work as Ranking Member of the House Civil Service Subcommittee. When we debate how our government should respond to the employment and retirement issues of federal employees, I remember how much we owe to caring people like those I have mentioned.

I think about the professionals on my Congressional staff - people like Ms. Lenora Briscoe, who has served Maryland’s 7th Congressional District for nearly 25 years. As was true with former Congressmen Parren J. Mitchell and Kweisi Mfume, I often receive expressions of gratitude from the many people Ms. Briscoe has aided.

It is only fair that I publicly acknowledge her service. Ms. Briscoe seldom receives public affirmation, but like so many other career civil servants, she deserves our nation’s highest respect.

When others question how rapidly the Congress should make good on its 1990 commitment to bring federal pay into line with private sector wages, I want my colleagues to know about Lenora Briscoe. They should consider the six months in 1994 when Ms. Briscoe came to work every day, her dedication to the people of Baltimore unshaken by the automobile accident which had nearly killed her son, David.

When others in the Congress resist our proposal to make child care more affordable and accessible to parents in our federal workforce, they should hear about Lenora Briscoe’s struggle to earn a living while caring for a child afflicted with cerebral palsy.

When others challenge the idea of reducing the cost of long-term nursing care by negotiating group rates for families of federal employees, they should think about the people who take care of the rest of us - people like Lenora Briscoe.

I am a strong supporter of a "reinvented" federal government. Committed civil servants like Lenora Briscoe have taught me a very important lesson, however, an insight about government which the Office of Personnel Management has now confirmed.

The most important and lasting foundation for governmental reform is the dedication and hard work of our federal employees.