Federal Daily - February 26, 2009

House Examines Moving Forest Service to Interior Dept.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies on Feb. 24 held a hearing to examine the possibility of moving the U.S. Forest Service from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the Department of the Interior. Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, spoke in support of the move. “In an era of climate change, I can see potential great benefit in consolidating the land management agencies by moving the Forest Service to the Department of the Interior,” Grijalva said. Grijalva noted that a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report suggested that a move could increase the overall effectiveness of some of the agencies’ programs and policies. Moving the Forest Service into Interior could potentially improve federal land management by consolidating into one department key agencies with land management missions, the report said. However, a consolidation would provide few efficiencies in the short term, and could diminish the role the Forest Service plays in state and private land management—a mission the agency has in common with USDA, but not with Interior, GAO said. To see more, go to: http://grijalva.house.gov/?sectionid=13&sectiontree=5,13&itemid=300.

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OPM Should More Broadly Disseminate Retention Techniques

To cope with the anticipated workforce retirement wave, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) should more broadly disseminate promising practices that agencies use in recruiting and retaining talented workers, including older workers, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggested. The report, released Feb. 24, looked at the challenges that agencies are facing with the projected burst of retirements that could strip agencies of their most experienced workers. The proportion of those eligible to retire varies across agencies. In four agencies—the Agency for International Development, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Transportation—46 percent of the workforce will be eligible to retire by 2012, well above the government-wide average of 33 percent, the report said. While these eligibility rates suggest that many will retire, the federal government has historically enjoyed relatively high retention rates, and GAO looked at ways that agencies could enhance these rates. Some federal agencies also have developed practices that other agencies might find useful in tapping older workers to meet short-term needs. For example, the State Department has developed databases to match interested retirees with short-term assignments requiring particular skills. However, agencies may not be aware of what other federal components are doing, the report said, because OPM’s Web site does not provide information on agency-developed practices. GAO recommended that OPM broadly disseminate these promising practices. To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/highlights/d09206high.pdf.

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Senators Seek Overhaul of Military Drug Treatment System

Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., on Feb. 24 introduced a bill that would—if it becomes law—overhaul the alcohol and drug abuse treatment programs used throughout the armed forces. The bill would authorize an independent review of drug abuse by an outside agency, and help improve the military’s method for treating servicemembers with drug and alcohol problems, McCaskill said. McCaskill said she introduced the bill after a whistleblower alerted her to problems with the existing program at the Fort Leonard Wood Army Base in Missouri. Many servicemembers suffering from substance use disorders are likely not receiving treatment for a variety of reasons, McCaskill said. And commander notification and the lack of confidentiality in treatment of substance abuse probably discourages many servicemembers from seeking treatment, she said. McCaskill said the Army Substance Abuse Program has struggled to manage the increased number of soldiers needing treatment following the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. “It is time for the military to face the problem of substance abuse head on–that requires command emphasis, resources and a treatment focused plan,” said McCaskill. To see more, go to:
http://corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.
NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=a8d58fb1-9eab-6d4a-d81a-
794ee5efdb38&Region_id=&Issue_id=.

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