[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 87 (Thursday, June 13, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H6404-H6405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THE RETRAINING AND OUT- PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITY ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the Retraining and 
Outplacement Opportunity Act, legislation to help retrain Federal 
employees who are about to be separated by detailing them to the 
private sector or other agencies.
  In light of the streamlining goals of the administration and the 
additional budget cuts proposed by the Congress, Federal workers are 
facing difficult times and are bracing themselves for more to come. 
Retirement and attrition will not add up to the 272,000 jobs mandated 
to be cut by the Workforce Restructuring Act of 1994. Agencies have 
been downsizing, and Federal workers know more reductions in force 
[RIF's] are imminent. Federal workers and Federal agencies are anxious 
about their future and the ramifications of further work force 
reductions.
  I am a firm believer that loyalty must be repaid with loyalty. The 
Federal work force has provided outstanding services to this Nation, 
and now the Federal work force needs Congress' help. We must take this 
responsibility seriously and devise strategies that will help our 
Federal employees through this difficult transition.
  Our strategies must center around two fundamental concepts: creating 
incentives for retirement and retraining displaced workers for jobs in 
the private sector.
  Reform must allow for greater partnerships with the private sector, 
including extending the administration's idea of nonreimbursable 
details to the private sector. The legislation I introduced today would 
focus on retraining employees for the private sector through 
nonreimbursable details.
  This legislation would permit an agency to allow an individual who 
has received a specific notice of separation or a certificate of 
expected separation to be placed on a nonreimbursable detail in another 
agency or private company for a period of up to 90 days while the 
Government pays his or her salary. After the 90-day period, the private 
sector would begin paying the salary. Unlike other details, the goal of 
this initiative is to place employees in these agencies and companies.
  This bill would provide an employee and his or her agency to 
determine whether a potential match exists. The employee would have the 
opportunity to demonstrate his or her skills and ability, and the 
agency or company could evaluate the employee's likelihood of success.
  This retraining opportunity would first be established as a 
demonstration project at the Department of Energy's Germantown, MD, 
facility. The DOE has been particularly hard hit by downsizing over the 
last 3 years. Recent cuts in the Department of Defense authorization 
threaten to impose substantial cuts of highly trained personnel and 
create a chaotic situation resulting from a massive RIF. These cuts 
would also divert time from critical cleanup programs, and I am 
actively fighting against these cuts. Regardless of whether these cuts 
occur, DOE is a good place to establish this demonstration project.
  Within the current law, the administrators of this program would 
outline the plan, define the population, establish the selection 
criteria of candidates, and determine the agencies and companies that 
would be involved in the program.
  If the detail occurs in the private sector, the employee would be 
considered an employee of the Federal Government and would retain all 
rights and privileges of a Federal employee until separated officially. 
The date of separation could be extended in the event that the employee 
would be separated before the detail ended. During the detail, the 
employee's compensation would be based on the employee's rate of pay 
before the detail. Private companies involved would set up an escrow 
account to store funds that would have been used for compensation had 
the employee been hired initially. If the employee is retained by the 
private company and remains for 2 years, the company would be required 
to transfer the money spent during the detail to the Treasury.
  If the individual's work is satisfactory as defined under the 
agreement made by all parties, the individual would be given an offer, 
or, in the event that an offer could not be extended, the money would 
be reimbursed to the Government. If the individual is not satisfactory 
and not hired, the agency or company would not be forced

[[Page H6405]]

to reimburse the Government. If the individual is extended an offer, he 
or she would become an employee of that agency or company on the day 
after the detail ends, at which time the former agency's financial 
obligation would end. Multiple details would be allowed, but the 
combined days for all details could not exceed 90 days.
  This change could help Federal agencies be more proactive in the 
retraining of their employees for private sector jobs. This legislation 
provides an important window of opportunity for Federal employees who 
are facing the uncertainty and anxiety of losing their jobs.

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