[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 63 (Friday, May 7, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5042-S5043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD WINNERS

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, for the past 5 days, I have paid tribute to 
the Nation's public servants during Public Service Recognition Week 
through statements on the floor of the U.S. Senate. As this is the 20th 
annual celebration of public service, it was fitting to focus the 
Senate's attention on public servants and issues affecting Federal 
employees throughout the week.
  Today I would like to recognize those Federal, State, and local 
government programs that received the Public Service Excellence Awards. 
The Public Service Excellence Awards recognize and commend U.S. 
programs and employee teams who represent public service at its best. 
It rewards innovations, raises awareness of exemplary public service, 
and provides public agencies a showcase for outstanding programs. On 
May 3, 2004, the Public Employees Roundtable, a nonprofit coalition of 
organizations representing public employees and retirees, held a 
Breakfast of Champions to honor the award winners for this year.
  This year, the Federal winner was the ``Internal Revenue Service 
(IRS) eLearning Program.'' As my colleagues on the Governmental Affairs 
Committee know, training our Federal workforce is one of the most 
important and most underfunded programs in the Federal Government. Even 
when training programs are funded, agencies must use innovative 
techniques to stretch training dollars and apply training funds 
strategically. The IRS realized that approximately 70 percent of its 
training budget went toward travel to and from the seminars. As such, 
eLearning could save the IRS a significant amount of money by 
converting its training system from a classroom-based to a technology-
enhanced learning and performance support environment. In the initial 
phase of the program, the IRS saved more than $5 million in travel 
costs by using the technology for briefings required of all 120,000 
employees and courses supporting the 28,000 employees of Customer Call 
Center Operations. At full implementation, the eLearning strategy is 
expected to save more than $50 million in annual travel costs and 
reduce training time by up to one-third. This innovative program at IRS 
is an excellent example of the dedicated work and professional 
excellence of federal employees.
  The State winner is the ``Work that Matters'' campaign by the Montana 
Education Association and the Montana Federation of Teachers (MEA-MFT). 
The ``Work that Matters'' public relations campaign was created in 2003 
to prevent the Montana Legislature from freezing salaries of State 
employees. ``Work That Matters'' is about putting a face on the people 
who provide state services and showing them as dedicated, hardworking 
people, who care about the people they serve.
  As my colleagues know, all too often government employees are forced 
to ``tighten their belts'' during times of financial difficulties. That 
trend is no different for State governments across the United States. 
In Montana, the beginning of the 2003 legislative session had State 
employees struggling with hiring freezes, layoffs, staff shortages, and 
salaries far below market value. This public relations program put a 
face to the government employees who carry out the programs and 
services that benefit taxpayers, the State legislature realized the 
importance of public service and passed a pay increase.
  This year's local winner was the City of Chicago's ``311 Service,'' 
which provides a one-stop telephone and online customer service center 
for all non-emergency city services. It is a comprehensive, high-tech, 
customer-focused information and response service. Chicago residents 
can use the system to make service needs known, check on the status of 
earlier requests, file police reports, and get information on city 
programs and events. In addition, the 311 service is synchronized with 
Chicago's 911 emergency service. Such interoperability is commendable 
because all too often the non-emergency services are overlooked when 
developing an emergency response system. ``Chicago 311'' is an 
innovative and effective way for public employees to serve the 
community.
  The Public Service Roundtable also recognized a non-profit 
organization, which was founded by a retired federal employee. Scott 
Dimock and his partner, Sammie Morrison, created Southeast White House 
community center in Washington, DC which has made an incredible impact 
on an area troubled by high unemployment, lack of opportunity, and 
broken promises. Through the use of donated services, time, and money, 
Southeast White House has developed a mentoring program, a Friends of 
Children program, a People's House referral service for services 
throughout the Metropolitan area, and an activities program that 
includes summer camps, field trips, lessons and programs in a variety 
of subjects, Mom's Night Out, and weekly community banquets open to 
all.
  In addition, Southeast White House has adopted an elementary school 
and has developed an intensive mentoring program for at-risk children. 
More than 100 elementary school children

[[Page S5043]]

now receive up to eight hours of mentoring each week. While not 
technically part of a federal, state, or local government organization, 
it is easy to see the dedication public servants, both active and 
retired, bring to their nation and their neighbor.
  I would also like to commend GEICO, the Government Employees 
Insurance Company, for creating the GEICO Public Service Awards which, 
since 1980, recognizes the work Federal employees do to make their 
communities better. The awards recognizes government employees for 
outstanding achievements in one of four areas: substance abuse 
prevention and treatment, fire prevention and safety, physical 
rehabilitation, and traffic safety and accident prevention. In 
addition, one retired Federal employee is honored for his or her work 
in one of those areas. Recipients of the 2003 awards are:
  Charles Whitlock, fire safety project leader for the U.S. Forest 
Service Technology & Development Center in Missoula, MT, for his work 
in fire safety and prevention.
  Amanda Tye, county executive director of the Cleveland County Office 
for the Farm Service Agency, for her work in traffic safety and 
accident prevention.
  Carolyn D. Greene, program support assistant for the Louis Stokes 
V.A. Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, for her work in substance abuse 
prevention and treatment.
  Ralph P. Fowler, a telecommunications specialist for the United 
States Army in El Paso, TX, for his work in physical rehabilitation.
  George S. Klein, a retired general forecaster with the National 
Weather Service Forecast Office in Upton, NY, for his work in physical 
rehabilitation.
  As Public Service Recognition Week draws to an end, I would like to 
once again commend those who have been honored for their dedication to 
public service, as well as those unsung heroes whose daily 
contributions we could not live without. I also want to thank the 
companies, associations, and other employee organizations who work to 
make Public Service Recognition Week such a success and for their 
commitment in honoring our Nation's Federal, State, and local 
government employees.

                          ____________________