[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 48 (Thursday, March 12, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF A BILL TO ENSURE FAIR ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY TO FEDERAL 
                         JOBS FOR ALL AMERICANS

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 12, 2020

  Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to 
ensure fair access and opportunity to federal jobs for all Americans.
  For close to two decades now, I and many of my colleagues have been 
fighting to increase diversity in the international affairs and 
national security sector. I have called for a diversity plan from the 
Director of National Intelligence, as well as for the Department of 
State and USAID. Last year, the House Armed Services Committee held a 
hearing entitled, ``Diversity in Recruiting and Retention: Increasing 
Diversity in the Military--What the Military Services are Doing.'' And 
only last week, Senators held an event bringing attention to the 
February Report: ``State Department: Additional Steps are Needed to 
Identify Potential Barriers to Diversity.'' My colleagues and I have 
been engaged in these efforts not because they are nice or correct, but 
because they are what is in the best interest for the survival of our 
nation.
  The U.S. workforce is becoming more racially, ethnically, and 
otherwise diverse, with estimates that by 2050 over half of the 
workforce will be made up of Americans from diverse populations. Jobs 
across our government, whether they are in the military, intelligence, 
foreign service, health or education sectors, will require that we not 
only hire, but also retain a more diverse federal workforce to sustain 
the needs of our country and remain a stable democracy.
  To do so, we must have a plan. My bill calls for a government-wide 
diversity and inclusion plan that ensures that all branches of 
government are engaged in multi-year strategic planning that recruits, 
hires, promotes, retains, and supports leadership from America's 
diverse talent pool in the federal workforce for the good of our 
country. It also calls for a review of diversity in government 
contracting and grantmaking, as both are often also pathways to 
government jobs.
  Diversity and inclusion are the underpinnings of democratic 
societies. It is time that we enforce democratic values by ensuring all 
segments of our society have equal access and opportunity to contribute 
to a vibrant workforce that is at the heart of our democracy for the 
future of our nation.

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