FederalDaily - October 14, 2005
Concern Over DoD Property Disposal
Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, recently expressed his concern with planned Department
of Defense (DoD) rule changes regarding disposal of closed military bases.
In a letter to Deputy Undersecretary for Installations and Environment Philip
Grone, Ortiz noted his discomfort was with the emphasis on maximizing returns
to DoD rather than the economic recovery of the affected communities. Because
of the omission of language allowing the sale of facilities to the community “at
or below fair market value” to mitigate the impact of the base closures,
military services will be mandated to simply seek fair market value. Furthermore,
the changes to the regulations would require communities to cover maintenance
costs before bases are actually closed. Ortiz said he is concerned that the
rule changes “will only drive the wedge deeper between the military and
the once-supportive community.”
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Report Suggests Outsourcing at USPTO
A study by Solveig Singleton published by the Progress and Freedom Foundation
outlined suggestions for reforming the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
to improve patent quality. The primary suggestions from the study involve privatization
to allow market forces to influence USPTO actions, and outsourcing. Privatization,
the study says, would provide the necessary accountability to bring internal
changes within the USPTO. Singleton also suggests that privatization would
best succeed with multiple USPTO offices competing against one another, “without
saddling the U.S. economy with a monopoly such as of the U.S. Post Office.” The
USPTO is currently experimenting with outsourcing, and Singleton supported
a continuation of those efforts. Singleton did note that the patent system
as a whole is working, and warned against "throwing the baby out with
the bath water” with patent reform.
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Army Aims to Improve Recruiting
The Army fell 6,600 recruits short of achieving its active duty enlisted recruit
goal for fiscal year 2005. However, changes to the Army’s recruiting
system will make sure the goal of 80,000 new active duty soldiers is reached
during fiscal year 2006, according to Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty. In September,
the Army reached 104 percent of its goal, signing up 8,700 new recruits. Hilferty
said as part of the Special Recruiter Assistance Program, veterans of deployments
to Afghanistan or Iraq may request two-week temporary duty assignments to return
to their hometowns and “get the news, the truth, out to local people,
unfiltered by possibly biased media.” The Army also is seeking congressional
authority to offer referral bonuses from $1,000 to $2,500 for soldiers who
deliver qualified recruits and to increase the enlistment bonus ceiling from
$20,000 to $40,000.
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FBI Names Chief HR Officer
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III announced the appointment of Donald E.
Packham to be the FBI's chief human resources (HR) officer. Effective Oct.
11, Packham is responsible for overseeing the FBI's human capital management
functions, including recruiting, performance management, talent development,
succession planning, compensation, benefits and awards. Packham last worked
for BP (formerly British Petroleum) for 21 years in human resources roles.
He was responsible for 50,000 employees and 50 business units in North and
South America, and was the head of HR for BP's global exploration and production
sector. Packham’s credentials also include serving on the Steering Committee
of Boston University's Human Resources Policy Institute.
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