[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 155 (Saturday, September 27, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H10273-H10274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               APPOINTMENT OF CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICER

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 2816) to provide for the appointment of the Chief Human 
Capital Officer of the Department of Homeland Security by the Secretary 
of Homeland Security.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The text of the Senate bill is as follows:

                                S. 2816

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. APPOINTMENT OF THE CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICER BY 
                   THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

       Section 103(d) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
     U.S.C. 113(d)) is amended--
       (1) by striking paragraph (3); and
       (2) redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as paragraphs (3) 
     and (4), respectively.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Daniel E. Lungren) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2816.
  This measure seeks to change how the Chief Human Capital Officer is 
appointed by the Department of Homeland Security. It will bring DHS in 
line with other Federal agencies who are able to choose whether they 
have a Chief Human Capital Officer that is a career employee or a 
political appointee. Granting this authority now is important to 
transition to the next administration.

                              {time}  1930

  The Chief Human Capital Officer serves as the Department's lead 
executive for all matters relating to workforce management. Among the 
responsibilities of the Chief Human Capital Officer are strategic 
planning, training and development, recruitment, compensation, 
benefits, and employee relations.
  The task of serving as the CHCO at DHS is particularly challenging 
when you consider that since DHS' inception, it has faced a series of 
personnel challenges, including; merging 22 separate agencies into one 
cabinet-level agency with a combined workforce of over 200,000 people; 
promoting integration among employees and an appreciation of their role 
within DHS; and confronting ongoing recruitment and retention 
challenges.
  Low employee morale has been a chronic issue for DHS since it was 
established in 2003. In fact, in both its 2004 and 2006 workforce 
surveys, the Office of Personnel Management found that DHS' employee 
morale ranked among the lowest of any cabinet-level department.
  In the 2006 OPM survey, the Department was rated ``dead last'' in job 
satisfaction among its peers and received very low marks on leadership 
and management capabilities.
  Just last year, the Department's own internal Employee Survey 
revealed that poor morale remained a major problem. Workers cited pay, 
performance, and promotion practices as some of the sources of their 
discontent.
  Moreover, documented incidents reveal that the management within some 
of the most prominent DHS components do not value diversity in their 
operations. This, too, contributes to low morale. These results are 
clearly unacceptable in our government. The next CHCO has to make it 
``job-one'' to tackle the underlying causes of the discontent.
  With the change in administration, the next CHCO has an enormous 
opportunity to turn things around. The Department must properly address 
employee dissatisfaction by focusing and implementing career 
development for its employees. DHS should also ensure that its 
employees receive proper training and adequate resources necessary to 
get their jobs done.
  DHS must recruit the best and the brightest because we're asking them 
to do one of the most important jobs in the Federal Government, protect 
this country. These efforts can only be achieved through an effective 
Chief Human Capital Officer. Unfortunately, over the past 5\1/2\ years, 
six people have held this office at DHS. That is a tremendous turnover. 
Stable leadership will help DHS address the magnitude and multitude of 
its workforce management challenges. This legislation will help provide 
that stable leadership.
  I stand in support of this legislation, and urge its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H10274]]

  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it's wonderful to be on the floor here this Saturday 
evening with you and with my colleague on the full committee. And this 
is one of several bills that we are bringing to the floor to finish up 
the work of the Homeland Security Committee for this Congress.
  I rise in support of S. 2816, this bill to provide the Secretary of 
Homeland Security with the authority to appoint the Chief Human Capital 
Officer at the Department of Homeland Security. The bill was introduced 
by Senators Voinovich and Akaka, and it repeals a provision in the 
Homeland Security Act that includes this official among DHS officials 
to be appointed by the President.
  This bill will provide uniformity by allowing DHS to operate under 
the same guidelines as other Federal agencies, where the head of the 
agency has the authority to designate the director of human resources.
  The Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and 
Oversight has held a number of hearings on personnel issues at DHS, and 
we understand, all of us on the full committee, just how important this 
bill is.
  DHS Undersecretary for Management, Ms. Elaine Duke, has informed 
Congress about the need for this legislation. Under Elaine Duke's 
effective leadership and guidance, a number of significant improvements 
have been made at DHS. She is now overseeing the transition of DHS to 
the next administration, which is critical to the continued operations 
of the Department and the security of our Nation.
  As everyone in this Chamber knows, the creation of the Department of 
Homeland Security was the greatest reorganization of the Federal 
Government since the creation of the Defense Department. And it's had 
its ups and downs, but I think now it is generally moving in the right 
direction, and I believe the current Secretary of DHS is to be 
commended for the tremendous work that he has done.
  The Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for fiscal year 
2008 included a number of provisions to strengthen personnel programs 
and systems at DHS. We in the House passed that bill last year, but the 
Senate did not. Unfortunately, the House did not act on a DHS 
authorization bill in 2008. I would hope this would be a priority for 
the 111th Congress early next year. Until then, I would urge passage of 
the bill before us today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, DHS has a lot of room for 
improvement when it comes to managing its workforce, as we know in the 
committee. This bill gives the Secretary the authority to put someone 
into the position that has a career and workforce development in the 
Federal Government. This is an important step.
  I urge passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 2816.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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