Federal Daily - June 5, 2008

Nunn: ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Deserves Second Look

Former Sen. Sam Nunn, a congressional architect behind the 1993 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military as long as they do not disclose their sexual orientation, said June 3 that it is time to take a second look at the rule. Nunn, a former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the comment following a seminar in Atlanta on national service. Fifteen years ago, Nunn opposed President Clinton’s proposal to allow gays to serve openly in the military, but supported a so-called Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Under the rule, as long as gay and lesbian servicemembers do not reveal their sexual orientation, commanders are not permitted to open investigations into what the military otherwise might find to be illicit conduct. “I think [when] 15 years go by on any personnel policy, it’s appropriate to take another look at it—see how it’s working, ask the hard questions, hear from the military,” Nunn said. Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network—an advocacy group that focuses on the policy—pointed out that 143 House members have co-sponsored a bill (H.R. 1246 ) to repeal the rule. House Armed Services Subcommittee Chairwoman Susan Davis, D-Calif., has scheduled a hearing on the policy for this summer. To see more, go to: www.sldn.org/templates/press/record.html?section=2&record=4838.

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House Approves SES Diversity Bill

The House on a voice vote June 3 approved a bill that would increase the number of women and minorities in the Senior Executive Service (SES) by creating diversity recruiting programs and a mentoring support system. Sponsored by Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., H.R. 3774 would create an office within the Office of Personnel Management tasked with improving SES diversity. The office would track and publish statistics on the makeup of the SES and set standards and policy for SES performance. The bill also would create three-person evaluation panels to review the qualifications of SES candidates and forward recommendations to each agency’s Executive Resource Board. The panels are to be composed of at least one woman and at least one other person who is a member of a minority. A companion bill, S 2148, awaits action in the Senate. Federally Employed Women (FEW) applauded the measure. “We are so happy to see it come to fruition and urge the Senate to follow suit and approve the measure,” said Rhonda Trent, FEW president. To see more, go to: www.few.org.

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House Clears Fed Telework Measure

The House has passed a bill that would expand telework options for the federal work force, allowing eligible employees to work 20 percent of their two-week pay period from home or a telework center. On a voice vote, the House on June 3 approved H.R. 4106, the Telework Improvements Act, sponsored by Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill. The bill would require agencies to develop programs to offer employees the 20 percent telework option. The bill would also compel agencies to designate a senior-level employee to serve as a telework managing officer, and would require agencies to incorporate telework into their continuing operational planning. Agencies would not have to offer the 20 percent option to employees whose duties involved daily access to classified information, or those who have daily face-to-face contact with the public. The bill’s Senate counterpart, S. 1000, was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and now awaits the action of the full Senate. President Colleen Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union, which supports the measure, called the House action welcome news. “It is simply old-fashioned and outdated to think that employees cannot and will not be productive if they are at a work site other than their office,” Kelley said. To see more, go to: www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1281, or http://thomas.loc.gov/.

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