[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 55 (Thursday, March 29, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4179-S4180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Akaka):
  S. 1047. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude 
from gross income amounts paid on behalf of Federal employees and 
members of the Armed Forces on active duty under Federal student loan 
repayment programs; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce three 
important pieces of legislation that I believe will improve the ability 
of the Federal Government to recruit and retain a world class 
workforce: the Federal Workforce Performance Appraisal and Management 
Improvement Act, the Senior Professional Performance Act, and the 
Generating Opportunity by Forgiving Educational Debt for Service Act.
  As my colleagues know, my interest in the Federal workforce developed 
after working with the Federal Government for 18 years, for 10 years as 
mayor of Cleveland and 8 years as Governor of Ohio. Through my work on 
the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal 
Workforce and the District of Columbia, I continue to observe that 
investing in personnel and workforce management, and management in 
general, struggles to be a priority in the Federal Government. My own 
experience as county auditor, county commissioner, mayor, and Governor 
has taught me that, of all the things in which government can invest, 
resources dedicated to human capital bring the greatest return.
  Effective performance management is fundamental to building a 
results-oriented culture. In fact, the Merit

[[Page S4180]]

Systems Protection Board just published a report entitled, 
``Accomplishing Our Mission: Results of the Merit Principles Survey 
2005.'' In that report, the MSPB found that, ``Nonsupervisory employees 
feel uninformed about performance evaluation, organizational changes, 
and other issues at times.'' The Federal Workforce Performance 
Appraisal and Management Improvement Act that I am introducing today 
will help address that problem. By requiring supervisors and employees 
to have regular conversations about expectations and job performance, 
every employee will understand how their job performance is perceived 
by their boss and, more importantly, how individual work contributes to 
the agency's mission. In addition, this legislation would prohibit an 
employee who receives an unacceptable performance evaluation from 
receiving an annual salary adjustment. Mr. President, I know that 
Federal employees are dedicated and talented individuals. I know some 
may view this as a critique on the contributions of our civil servants; 
however, that could not be further from the truth. This bill recognizes 
their daily contributions.
  As I said last year when I first introduced this legislation, 
employees should receive annually a rigorous evaluation. Pay should be 
determined by an individual's performance. I agree with the observation 
of Comptroller General David Walker that the passage of time should not 
be the single most important factor in determining an employee's pay. 
Instead, it should be determined by the productivity, effectiveness, 
and the contributions of an employee.
  Today I also am pleased to introduce the Senior Professional 
Performance Act. In 2003, Congress enacted legislation to reform the 
pay and performance management systems for the Senior Executive 
Service. The legislation I introduce today would authorize agencies to 
develop and implement similar pay and performance management systems 
for senior level and scientific and professional personnel in order to 
keep these talented and capable employees on equal footing.
  Finally, today I am introducing Generating Opportunity by Forgiving 
Educational Debt for Service Act, or GOFEDS, a bill that will help 
Federal agencies and the Armed Forces recruit talented individuals to 
serve in all areas of the Federal Government and the military. Current 
law--authorizes Federal agencies to pay student loans up to $10,000 a 
year with a cumulative cap of $60,000, but the incentive is taxed. The 
Active-Duty Educational Loan Repayment Program allows the Services to 
repay certain federally guaranteed educational loans for enlistments in 
military specialties designated by the Service Secretary. GOFEDS would 
amend the Federal tax code to allow the Federal Government's student 
loan repayment programs to be offered on a tax-free basis. The 
potential impact of this bill far outweighs its minimal cost.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
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