FederalDaily - November 28, 2007
OPM Finalizes Retention Bonus Rule
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has published the final rule authorizing the use of retention
bonuses to keep key federal employees from leaving agencies that are restructuring or relocating their
offices. In a rule that will become effective Dec. 17, OPM approved the use of retention incentives
in restructuring situations for employees who would be likely to leave for different positions in the
federal service. The rule, published in the Nov. 16 Federal Register, also offers additional
flexibilities that help agencies retain employees that perform mission-critical work at sites subject
to closure and relocation. The new rule is part of OPM’s implementation of the 2004 Federal Workforce
Flexibility Act and broadens a 2005 interim regulation that had only allowed agencies to offer retention
bonuses to those workers headed for the private sector. Although OPM noted it remains concerned about
potential competition for employees among agencies, the agency concluded that additional pay flexibility
for agencies facing restructuring is a good option. To see more, go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-22490.pdf.
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IRS Board Says Workers Would Be Stressed by AMT Delay
The IRS Oversight Board warned lawmakers that delays in making changes to the Alternative Minimum
Tax (AMT) would stress out IRS workers tasked with processing tax returns and degrade the advice offered
on IRS toll-free customer service phone lines. In a Nov. 26 letter to the leadership of the Senate
Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, the board also said delaying an AMT patch
could hold up $87 billion in tax returns. A central workforce issue, the board noted, is that the IRS
has reduced the number of submission processing sites for handling paper returns with the surge in
electronic filing in recent years. If a large number of taxpayers revert to paper returns—which
is a possibility with the uncertainty of the AMT fix—the few remaining submission sites will
be hard pressed to keep up, the board said. Also, the board concluded that demand would increase on
IRS toll-free customer service lines as more taxpayers felt the need to call the IRS to resolve any
issues about the status of the filing season. “The Oversight Board urges Congress to take quick
action so as to mitigate the risks of AMT changes on taxpayers,” the letter said. To see more,
go to: www.treas.gov/irsob/releases/2007/Congress-Letter-AMT_112607.pdf.
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Air National Guard Begins $52 Million Center Expansion
The Air National Guard last week began a $52 million expansion of the Air National Guard Readiness
Center (ANGRC) at Andrews Air Force Base. The new four-story building will provide a new headquarters
for more than 1,100 airmen and federal employees by the time the expansion project is completed in
September 2011. The project will relocate some Air Guard offices now in Arlington, Va., as part of
a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission recommendation to move government offices at risk
of terrorist attack away from downtown areas. The new ANGRC will also be home for all nine Air Guard
directorate offices. The directorates oversee the Air Guard’s day-to-day operations of 88 flying
units and more than 200 geographically-separated units. “It will give the commander of the ANGRC
a chance to have a span of control over all the people that work for him,” said Air Guard Director
Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley. To see more, go to: www.ngb.army.mil/news/archives/2007/11/112007-expanded_center.aspx
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