[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 152 (Tuesday, October 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2089-E2090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE DIVERSITY ASSURANCE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 9, 2007

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I am pleased that Senator 
Daniel Akaka will be joining me today in introducing the Senior 
Executive Service Diversity Assurance Act. The act addresses the 
extremely important issue of diversity in the Senior Executive Service, 
SES. Senator Akaka and I plan to continue our collaboration in the 
future, introducing additional legislation that will make a difference 
in the lives of Federal employees.
  Our introduction of the Senior Executive Service Diversity Assurance 
Act would not have been possible without the hard work of the African 
American Federal Executives Association, the National Association of 
Hispanic Federal Executives, the Asian American Government Executives 
Network, Federally Employed Women, Blacks in Government, and the Senior 
Executive Association. I applaud them for not only raising the lack of 
diversity in the SES as an issue but for devoting their time and energy 
to work with our subcommittees to rectify it.
  The lack of diversity in the SES has been a longstanding concern of 
mine. As a first step toward doing something about it, I asked the 
Government Accountability Office, GAO, to investigate the situation. 
GAO subsequently issued two reports--in 2001 and 2003. Both reports 
documented a poorly diversified SES. The 2003 report was entitled 
``Senior Executive Service: Enhanced Agency Efforts Needed To Improve 
Diversity as the Senior Corps Turns Over'' (GAO-03-34). As the title 
suggests, this report revealed that while there will be a large amount 
of turnover in the SES in the years ahead due to retirements and 
attrition, it will not result in greater racial diversity. While there 
are numerous minorities in the pipeline ready to be promoted, to few 
are being given the opportunity to advance. Well, you might ask, why 
not, and what can be done about it?

[[Page E2090]]

  In 2003, I joined then Office of Personnel Management, OPM, Director 
Kay Cole James in announcing the creation of OPM's SES Candidate 
Development Program. This program was created to address the lack of 
minority representation in the SES. Yet last July, when I attended the 
program's first graduation ceremony and saw few minority graduates, I 
realized that much more had to be done to effectively change the racial 
and the gender make up of the SES.
  Diversity is valuable because it can bring a wider variety of 
perspectives and approaches to policy development and implementation. 
Minorities and women need to be at the table contributing when 
strategic planning, problem solving and decision making is taking 
place. Our ideas and talents can help strengthen an organization and 
lead to the achievement of results. That is not really happening today. 
What I see as I visit Federal agencies is a senior level workforce that 
is not reflective of the diverse people we serve.

  As chairman of the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal 
Service, and the District of Columbia, I held a hearing in May of this 
year on diversity in the SES. It was after that hearing that I began to 
meet with the Federal minority groups represented here to effect change 
that would help diversify the SES. The subcommittee met extensively 
with these groups and what we heard was that it was not a lack of 
training, experience, or minorities in the feeder pool that caused the 
lack of diversity in the SES. What we heard was that there are flaws in 
the selection process, and that there is a lack of oversight and 
accountability when it comes to promoting and hiring minorities in the 
SES. The Senior Executive Service Diversity Assurance Act aims to fix 
all of that.
  The act establishes SES evaluation panels that are charged with 
reviewing the qualifications of all candidates for career reserve 
vacancies. The evaluation panels must be a diverse group consisting of 
three members. One must be a member of a racial or ethnic group and one 
member must be a woman. The panel will forward the names of the most 
qualified candidates to the Executive Resource Board.
  In addition, the act establishes the Senior Executive Service 
Resources Office, SESRO, within OPM. The purpose of the SESRO is to 
ensure that the Senior Executive Service is reflective of the Nation's 
diversity and to establish and maintain records, to the extent 
possible, on the race, ethnicity, gender and disabilities of employees 
in the SES. This bill aims to create an environment where diversity 
will flourish. And where it does not, Congress will have the tools and 
information to hold agencies accountable.
  Diversity of gender, ethnicity, age and disability, as well as 
diversity of education, thinking, and experience are crucial if the 
Federal workforce is to mirror the communities we live in and serve. To 
stay competitive in an increasingly global economy and recruit the best 
and brightest workforce, diversity is an issue that we must pay close 
attention to. All Americans want to work for organizations where they 
have the opportunity to use their knowledge and skills, develop their 
careers and be promoted to the highest levels. The Senior Executive 
Service Diversity Assurance Act is going to give ethnic minorities and 
women that opportunity; an opportunity that does not broadly exist 
today.
  Please see the attached Washington Post article dated October 5, 
2007, entitled, ``Bill Pushes Diversity Among Senior Executives.''

                           (By Stephen Barr)

       Legislation to promote diversity in the government's career 
     executive ranks was introduced yesterday by the chairmen of 
     the House and Senate federal workplace subcommittees.
       Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) and Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-
     Hawaii) said their bill would address the lack of diversity 
     in the Senior Executive Service, the group of about 6,300 
     career executives who manage the day-to-day operations of the 
     government.
       The bill would establish a Senior Executive Service program 
     office in the Office of Personnel Management. The proposed 
     office would collect and maintain data on the race, 
     ethnicity, gender and any disabilities of people who have 
     been certified as qualified to serve in the SES.
       The bill also would require federal agencies to establish 
     SES evaluation panels to review the qualifications of 
     applicants for SES jobs. Each panel would have three members. 
     One must be a woman and one other a member of a racial or 
     ethnic minority group.
       ``We are doing this really to try to bring about some 
     improvement in the management of the Senior Executive Service 
     and to enhance diversity,'' Akaka said.
       Davis said ``diversity is valuable because it can bring a 
     wider variety of perspectives and approaches to policy 
     development and implementation. Minorities and women need to 
     be at the table to contribute when strategic planning, 
     problem solving and decision making take place.''
       Davis added, ``What I see as I visit federal agencies is a 
     senior-level workforce that is not reflective of the diverse 
     people we serve.''
       Reports by the Government Accountability Office show that 
     ``the numbers of women and minorities are low in the SES,'' 
     Akaka said. Davis said the reports ``documented a poorly 
     diversified SES.''
       Of the 6,349 career SES members, the most recent GAO tally 
     counted 325 African American men, 221 African American women, 
     164 Hispanic men and 65 Hispanic women.
       That demographic profile of the SES, which was released in 
     May, also showed there were 90 Asian-Pacific Islander men, 56 
     Asian-Pacific Islander women, 59 American Indian/Alaska 
     native men and 27 American Indian/Alaska Native women.
       The overwhelming majority of SES members were white--3,900 
     white men and 1,436 white women.
       The GAO tally also included six as ``unspecified.''
       Davis, an African American who represents a Chicago 
     district, and Akaka, a Native Hawaiian, said they want the 
     OPM to track the racial, ethnic and gender diversity of the 
     SES because a significant number of federal executives will 
     soon retire. The OPM estimates that 90 percent of federal 
     executives will be eligible to retire over the next 10 years.
       However, a GAO analysis in 2003 suggested that the 
     projected turnover in the SES ``will not result in greater 
     racial diversity,'' Davis said. ``While there are numerous 
     minorities in the pipeline ready to be promoted, too few are 
     being given the opportunity to advance.''
       Leaders of employee groups were on hand for yesterday's 
     announcement to show support for the legislation.
       They included William A. Brown Sr., president of the 
     African American Federal Executives Association; Jose 
     Osegueda, president of the National Association of Hispanic 
     Federal Executives; Carson K. Eoyang, executive director of 
     the Asian American Government Executives Network; Rhonda 
     Trent, president of Federally Employed Women; and Darlene H. 
     Young, president of Blacks in Government.
       Carol A. Bonosaro, president of the Senior Executives 
     Association, issued a statement in support of increasing 
     diversity in the SES. Bonosaro, who was attending the funeral 
     of a SES member, said her group was pleased to see the bill 
     consolidates policy and program management of the SES at OPM.
       An OPM spokeswoman said the administration is reviewing the 
     Davis-Akaka proposal.

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