[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 195 (Wednesday, December 19, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S15991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BOARDS

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the accomplishments and 
good work of the Federal Executive Boards, FEBs, across the country. 
FEBs bring together Federal agencies outside of the Washington, DC 
metropolitan area to better serve the community.
  Federal Executive Boards were established in 10 major regions across 
the country by President John Kennedy in 1961 as a way for Federal 
agencies outside of Washington to communicate with each other and 
address local issues affecting the Federal employee community. Since 
then, they have grown to include 28 metropolitan areas and serve 
hundreds of thousands of Federal employees.
  The boards are made up of senior officials from each Federal agency 
in a given geographic region. They are quasi-agencies that receive 
voluntary funding from local Federal agencies in the region. They 
operate with a lean structure of one or two staff members who create 
partnerships between the Federal, State, and local governments to 
achieve common goals. FEBs also offer training workshops, coordinate 
preparedness exercises, and disseminate information on office closures.
  I am very proud to have a strong and active FEB in Honolulu that 
serves the Federal agencies in the Pacific.
  To this extent, earlier this fall, I held a hearing on the role FEBs 
can play in preparing Federal communities for a pandemic influenza 
outbreak. Many public health experts believe that we are overdue for a 
pandemic outbreak, and the question is not a matter of if, but when. In 
this effort, I asked the Government Accountability Office to evaluate 
the work of FEBs in preparing their constituency for a pandemic 
outbreak. What I found was a lot of dedicated individuals building 
partnerships and developing procedures to prepare for a public health, 
natural, or manmade emergency. They are doing important work, but they 
are operating without a lot of resources.
  Because of their natural role in communicating with and coordinating 
Federal agencies, emergency preparedness and response has become a 
central component to the mission and activities of FEBs. For example, 
the Honolulu-Pacific FEB, which serves my home State of Hawaii, is a 
resource for emergency response plans, pandemic influenza preparedness, 
and continuity of operations plans.
  Similarly, the Minnesota Federal Executive Board has taken to heart 
the need for better coordination with State, local, and private 
partners in the event of a pandemic or other emergency, and it has 
organized a number of emergency training exercises that bring together 
these partners.
  Unfortunately, not all FEBs have the resources or support to be so 
active. At the hearing earlier this fall, the representatives from the 
FEBs testified to the instability of their funding and the difficulty 
in planning events without a known budget. The Executive Directors make 
do with what they are given, but often that is not much.
  The Office of Personnel Management oversees the FEBs and has been 
working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a 
strategic plan that would address funding, performance standards, and 
provide guidance to FEBs on their role in the event of an emergency. 
OPM is hoping to produce the plan early next year, and I anxiously 
await its release. The more support we can provide them, the more 
effective our federal agencies will be.
  I would like to commend the work being done by FEBs, especially the 
Honolulu-Pacific FEB, and I will continue to support their efforts to 
build a strong Federal community.

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