House Oversight Committee Advances Workforce Reform Legislation
Greg Nash | The Hill
Last week, the House Oversight and Reform Committee advanced legislation aiming to resolve key federal workforce and benefits issues for interns and first responders. Among the bills moving to the House floor are the Building the Next Generation of Federal Employees (NextGen Feds) Act (H.R. 6104) and the Federal First Responder Fair RETIRE Act (H.R.521).
Federal Internship Program
In December, Rep. Connolly introduced the NextGen Feds Act (H.R. 6104). In its current form, the bill directs agencies to appoint internship coordinators; and instructs OPM to develop an online platform for internship opportunities, establish a pilot program to recruit applicants from underrepresented communities, and boost federal interns in the hiring process.
In his testimony, Rep. Connolly's stated the objective is to attract interns to full-time civil service, given the federal workforce's recruitment issues and the growing number of employees approaching retirement age.
During the Committee’s consideration of the bills, Ranking Member Rep. James Comer (R-KY) noted the legislation does not account for broader recruitment issues in the federal workforce. He cited a need to enhance the appeal of civil service careers, hold those with poor performance accountable, and opposition to granting federal interns the same hiring preferences as veterans. To address these issues, Ranking Member Comer proposed an amendment with stipulated pay for all federal interns. The amendment also removed provisions of the original bill. The Committee ultimately voted against the amendment.
“While this bill seeks to improve federal internship programs, it does not improve accountability for federal interns or the workforce,” Ranking Member Comer said, “It tries to put a fresh coat of paint on the front door of federal agencies but ignores the mess inside.”
Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) also presented his revised version of the Accountable Feds Act (H.R. 7095), as an amendment to Rep. Connolly’s legislation.
“Under this bill, the next generation of federal employees is going to look exactly like the current. The problem is not in recruitment, but is in the federal workforce itself,” Rep. Hice stated. “Unless we deal with the broader issue, recruit[ment]…is not going to attract the caliber of people the bill intends.”
Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Andrew Clyde (R-GA) voiced approval of Rep. Hice’s amendment for its increased accountability measures for poor performers. However, Rep. Connelly contented that accountability with the federal workforce exists, citing OPM data that noted the termination of 88,643 federal employees for cause over the past two fiscal years.
Despite some opposition efforts, the NextGen Feds Act advanced to the House without Rep. Hice’s amendment.
The bill now moves to the full House for consideration.
Benefits for First Responders
Rep. Connolly introduced the Federal First Responder Fair RETIRE Act (H.R.521) in early 2021 with wide-spread support from law enforcement and federal employee stakeholders. In its current form, the bill allows federal first responders who are disabled to receive the same retirement benefits as they did not have a disability and further incentivizes them to remain federal employees in a civilian position.
At present, federal first responders with a disability lose their accrued retirement benefits if they sustain an injury that prevents them from returning to their law enforcement duty.
“Given the hazardous nature of the job required of federal first responders, Congress created an accelerated retirement system for those positions and established a mandatory retirement age of 57 with entitlement to an annuity after serving for 20 years,” stated Rep. Connolly. “Unfortunately, not all federal first responders are able to complete their 20 years of service.”
Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) endorsed the legislation and listed the federal employees covered, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, air traffic controllers, nuclear materials couriers, and selected Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Diplomatic Security Special agents.
“It is unconscionable to think that because a first responder gets injured in the line of duty, their retirement system should penalize them for their service and sacrifice,” stated Larry Cosme, National President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. “The Fair RETIRE Act rectifies this error in the law and provides law enforcement the recognition they have earned after injury.”
The Fair RETIRE Act passed with unanimous support and now advances to the full House for consideration.
