FederalDaily - April 14, 2006

Extra Leave Proposed for Feds with New Children

The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act—recently introduced by Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., Tom Davis, R-Va., and others—would give federal employees six weeks of paid leave for the birth of a child or an adoption. In an April 7 press release, Maloney pointed out that, currently, government workers use annual or sick leave to care for a newborn or adopted child. “The federal government is woefully behind the times in its family leave policy,” she said. Davis added that the new policy would give government recruiting efforts a boost. He said, “The federal government can’t necessarily compete for talent with the private sector on a dollar-for-dollar basis, but we can make sure we are competitive in quality of life issues.”

:: Back to Top ::

USPS Plan Concerns Congress

American Postal Workers Union members aren’t the only ones concerned about a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) plan to consolidate processing facilities. In a March 27 letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., as well as Reps. Tom Davis, R-Va., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif., expressed concern that the USPS plan does not take into account recommendations from a 2005 GAO report to improve the realignment and consolidation efforts. The letter calls on GAO to:

• verify how the USPS will study cost vs. savings from the consolidation;
• how the USPS is communicating with stakeholders; and
• what criteria is used to analyze USPS plants for consolidation.

:: Back to Top ::

Senator Asks Forest Service to Halt Outsourcing

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., called upon the U.S. Forest Service to temporarily halt its outsourcing program until a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review could be conducted. Starting in 2002, Bingaman said, the Forest Service began using private contractors in positions usually handled by government employees. Now, according to Bingaman, the agency is putting together a plan to outsource thousands of jobs, such as aviation, law enforcement and research positions. Bingaman and other senators want the plan halted while GAO examines:

• the agency’s ability to manage outsourcing programs;
• actual costs of the outsourcing; and
• the effect the program could have on the agency’s mission.

Bingaman included an amendment in the 2006 appropriations bill requiring the Forest Service to examine the impact of outsourcing.

:: Back to Top ::

Name Change for Department of the Navy

A bill introduced last year, H.R. 34, would rename the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. Now an organization with a Web site at www.dnmc.us is trying to garner support for the bill. The site says, “H.R. 34 simply would codify what has been a practice for the past 230 years: the United States Navy and Marine Corps work side by side as equal partners in protecting our freedoms.” The site notes that the change would give the Marine Corps equality with other military branches; it wouldn’t create a new department. There is a petition for people to sign if they want to support the cause on the Web site, and it has been signed by retired Generals Charles Crulak and Carl Mundy, Jr., both former commandants of the Marine Corps.

:: Back to Top ::