FederalDaily - May 16, 2007
AFGE Applauds Measure to Dismantle NSPS Rules
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) applauded a House measure—tucked inside
the FY 2008 defense authorization bill—which would dismantle rules for the National Security
Personnel System (NSPS). The House Armed Services readiness subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Solomon Ortiz,
D-Texas, passed an amendment to the spending bill that would roll back the NSPS. The Ortiz amendment
would restore bargaining and appeal rights for civilian DoD employees, which were sharply curtailed
in 2005 when DoD issued the new NSPS rules. Pentagon officials at the time said the rules would make
it easier to reassign employees and more quickly respond to national security threats. But major portions
of the NSPS later were set aside by the courts. AFGE President John Gage noted the spending bill also
includes an amendment by Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., which dramatically reforms the current Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) privatization process. To see more, go to: www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=PressReleases&PressReleaseID=740
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Death of CBP Agent Under Investigation
The death of a 37-year-old Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent remains under investigation,
but it was most probably an accidental drowning, CBP officials said. The body of Agent Richard Goldstein
was found May 11 in a canal near Niland, Calif., east of the Salton Sea and about 40 miles north of
the U.S.-Mexico border, officials said. CBP officers patrol the canal searching for smugglers trying
to sneak into the United States. Officials became suspicious on May 11 when they couldn’t contact
the five-year CBP veteran. Searchers found Goldstein in the water and his truck idling nearby. Goldstein’s
K-9 patrol dog was found near the vehicle when the rescue team pulled up, officials said. “The
Border Patrol family has suffered a great loss with the death of Border Patrol Agent Richard Goldstein,” said
Carl L. McClafferty, chief of the CBP El Centro Sector where Goldstein worked. Goldstein is survived
by his wife and two children. To see more, go to: www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/05142007.xml
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Groups Increase Pressure for Whistleblower Reforms
A coalition of about 40 groups is meeting in Washington, D.C., this week to urge lawmakers to adopt
new whistleblower legislation overhauling a 1989 law designed to protect government employees from
retaliation for reporting government abuse and waste. A series of court rulings since 1994 has weakened
the safeguards Congress intended in the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA), making it extremely difficult
for whistleblowers to protect themselves when they speak out to protect the public, said Joan Claybrook,
president of the advocacy group Public Citizen. Despite a veto threat by President Bush, the House
voted 331-94 to pass HR 985—which would make essential reforms to the WPA, Claybrook said. A
similar bill, S. 274, is under consideration in the Senate. “Federal employees should not have
to sacrifice their careers and livelihoods to do the right thing by disclosing information to protect
public health, reduce fiscal abuse or secure the nation.” Claybrook said on May 14. To see more,
go to: www.publiccitizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2433
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