Comment Number: OL-8500000
Received: 2/14/2005 12:58:24 PM
Subject: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment
Title: National Security Personnel System
CFR Citation: 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901
No Attachments

Comments:

1. Overall, the proposal looks like a sensible improvement to the current system, more in line with the civilian non-military jobs as pay is based on performance, not time. 2. I wondered if this new system would address the following issue in the hiring process: when someone was prior federal service, left the govt, worked in non-govt sector for 15 years, and then returns to federal govt again, that amt of experience SHOULD count and therefore apply toward equivalent skills and pay level. I just came back to federal service 3 months ago and none of my time in between "counted." 3. If one has the experience, whether in federal service or else where, one should be able to apply for any job, without having had to be in one grade for a certain required time. 4. If someone's responsibilities increase over time and therefore the scope of the job changes, there should be a reasonably simple way to augment the "grade" or pay of that position, provided there is budget to supplement. 5. All in all I think the proposal makes sense. Seems like it would entice people to give their best in their performance rather than the notion that "I'll get promoted to the next step, regardless of my performance." Plus, by having this system, hopefully, people would not take the priviledge of being employeed for granted -- there should be clear, practical and implementable policies for discipline and for "letting go" of dead-weights. Having been a supervisor, my opinion is that merely having a federal job should not equate to a tenure in service. 6. Anything that can be done to make it more like the civilian world, in terms of being hired, promoted, paid competitively, and fired is, in my opinion, a very good thing. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. And thank you for improving our system.