Federal Daily - November 2, 2009
Pay for Performance Haunted by NSPS Failure
Federal Computer Week—From the day the Federal Civil Service was created in 1872, the government has made it a goal to get the federal workforce to operate more like a private enterprise, with pay and advancement based on merit rather than patronage or spoils. The General Schedule system, which formalized federal employee pay scales in 1949, was once the solution, but now it is the problem because it puts a premium on longevity rather than performance. The next logical step—linking pay directly to performance—has been the tantalizing goal for more than 30 years, and in recent years, numerous agencies have conducted experiments with so-called pay-for-performance systems. But that goal seems more elusive than ever now that Congress is about to jettison the Defense Department’s National Security Personnel System, a three-year-old project that would have put more than 700,000 employees under a pay-for-performance system. To see the rest of this article, go to www.fcw.com/Articles/2009/11/02/FEATURE-NSPS-Pay-for-Performance.aspx.
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Federal Protective Service Moves Out of ICE
The Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 29 announced the transfer of the Federal Protective Service—which provides physical security for federal buildings—from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the National Protection and Programs Directorate. The move was long-sought by FPS employee unions, which complained FPS was a bad fit for ICE, which is primarily charged with immigration enforcement. The move was endorsed by President Obama and authorized via the DHS appropriations bill Obama signed into law on Oct. 28. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said the realignment allows FPS to focus on its primary mission—securing General Services Administration-owned and leased federal buildings—while enabling ICE to focus on enforcing immigration and customs laws. FPS and NPPD already work together on various initiatives, including the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, under which FPS leads the protection activities of the Government Facilities Sector. FPS will maintain its current responsibilities to secure federal facilities, and no workforce or employment changes are expected, Napolitano said. To see more, go to: www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1256829032272.shtm.
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DHS Secretary Meets with Vets, Highlights Hiring Goal
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Oct. 29 met with leaders of several veterans service organizations and reiterated the department’s goal of hiring 50,000 veterans by 2012. The forum—hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars—was designed to discuss DHS’s ongoing engagement and collaboration with vets on recruitment and other key DHS initiatives. During the meeting, Napolitano highlighted DHS recruitment efforts, and pointed to ongoing improvements to the department’s Web site dedicated to promoting employment opportunities for vets. Napolitano said the hiring strategies have resulted in a DHS civilian workforce of about 25 percent veterans. To see more on the outreach and career opportunities for vets, go to: www.dhs.gov/veterans.
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New Cybersecurity Center Debuts
Federal Computer Week—The Homeland Security Department on Friday opened a new cybersecurity center near Washington to house some of the department’s computer defense programs, DHS announced today. The facility, the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, will be a unified operations center, DHS said in a statement. NCCIC is located in Arlington, Va. DHS said the new center will improve national efforts to deal with threats to critical information technology and cyber infrastructure. The center will be a watch and warning center for cybersecurity coordination, DHS said. Under the government’s overall computer security strategy, the department is responsible for protecting the federal government’s civilian .gov domain as well working with industry on cybersecurity efforts. NCCIC will include the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, the National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications, and the National Cyber Security Center, DHS said. To see more from Federal Computer Week, go to: www.fcw.com.
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