[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7093-S7095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MOBILIZATION ACCOUNTABILITY (FEMA) WORKFORCE PLANNING
ACT
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 549, S. 4181.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
[[Page S7094]]
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 4181) to require the development of a workforce
plan for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill
which was reported from the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs with an amendment to strike all after the enacting
clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Emergency
Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act''.
SEC. 2. FEMA WORKFORCE PLAN.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Agency.
(2) Agency.--The term ``Agency'' means the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
(3) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Homeland Security.
(4) Surge capacity force.--The term ``Surge Capacity
Force'' means the Surge Capacity Force described in section
624 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of
2006 (6 U.S.C. 711).
(b) Plan Development.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than once
every 3 years thereafter, the Administrator shall develop and
submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a human
capital operating plan to shape and improve the workforce of
the Agency.
(c) Leading Practices.--The Administrator shall develop the
plan required under subsection (b) in accordance with best
practices outlined by the Director of the Office of Personnel
Management, the Comptroller General of the United States, and
other sources relevant to the Federal workforce.
(d) Contents.--The plan developed under subsection (b)
shall include--
(1) performance measures to monitor and evaluate progress
towards the human capital goals of the Agency, including
filling staffing gaps, closing skills gaps in mission
critical occupations, and implementing workforce training
and, if applicable, progress towards meeting those goals
since the date of submission of the most recent plan under
subsection (b), including--
(A) a process to monitor and evaluate progress toward those
goals;
(B) a discussion of why the Agency has or has not met those
goals, including a description of specific barriers; and
(C) a discussion of the addition or deletion of any
specific performance measures;
(2) details of the types of employees of the Agency,
including by hiring authority and cadre;
(3) a comprehensive analysis of the projected costs
associated with implementing the plan;
(4) strategies and practices designed to increase cost-
efficiency within the workforce operations of the Agency,
including reducing overhead costs, improving resource
utilization, and avoiding unnecessary expenditures;
(5) a detailed analysis of how the Agency determined the
current overall staffing goals of the Agency;
(6) an analysis of the current workforce of the Agency and
possible gaps in the current staffing structure of the Agency
needed to fulfill the mission of the Agency, including an
assessment of--
(A) the critical and emerging skills that will be needed in
the workforce of the Agency to support the mission and
responsibilities of, and effectively manage, the Agency
during the 3-year period following the date of the submission
of the plan, including target staffing numbers by cadre,
region, and office;
(B) the skills of the workforce of the Agency, including
numbers of employees by cadre, region, and office on the date
of submission of the plan;
(C) projected trends in the workforce of the Agency based
on expected losses due to retirement and other attrition,
including any known data for the causes of attrition; and
(D) the staffing levels of each category of employee of the
Agency, including shortages in the workforce of the Agency
and in the projected workforce of the Agency that should be
addressed to ensure that the Agency has continued access to
the critical and emerging skills described in subparagraph
(A);
(7) a plan of action with specific recommendations for
developing and reshaping the workforce of the Agency to
address the gaps in critical and emerging skills described in
paragraph (6)(A), including--
(A) specific recruitment and retention goals by cadre and
mission critical occupations, including the analysis that the
Agency uses to produce those numbers;
(B) specific strategies for developing, training,
deploying, motivating, and retaining the workforce of the
Agency and the ability of the workforce of the Agency to
fulfill the mission and responsibilities of the Agency,
including the program objectives of the Department and the
Agency to be achieved through such strategies;
(C) specific strategies for recruiting and retaining
individuals needed to address workforce gaps within specific
cadres;
(D) specific strategies for the development, training, and
coordinated and rapid deployment of the Surge Capacity Force;
and
(E) any necessary legislative proposals to improve
recruitment and retention; and
(8) a discussion that--
(A) details the number of employees not employed by the
Agency serving in the Surge Capacity Force and the
qualifications or credentials and training of such
individuals;
(B) includes information on annual data relating to the
deployment of the workforce of the Agency following major
disasters or emergencies declared by the President under
section 401 or 501, respectively, of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170,
5191) during the 3-year period preceding the date of the
submission of the plan;
(C) details--
(i) average tenure and attrition data, categorized by type
of attrition, for--
(I) types of Agency employees by hiring authority; and
(II) specific offices, regions, and cadres of the Agency;
and
(ii) any known reasons why some types of Agency employees
or specific offices, regions, or cadres of the Agency may
have higher levels of attrition and strategies to address
those higher levels of attrition;
(D) details--
(i) efforts of the Agency to help prevent and respond to
discrimination and harassment; and
(ii) information on reported cases of discrimination and
harassment within the Agency and the outcomes of those cases;
and
(E) describes, with respect to hiring information of the
Agency, the time between the date on which the Agency
validates a need to hire a new employee for a position and--
(i) the acceptance of an offer of employment for the
position by an applicant; and
(ii) the start date of the employee at the Agency for the
position.
(e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
submission of the plan required under subsection (b), the
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of
the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report
that--
(1) analyzes whether the plan meets the requirements of
this Act; and
(2) includes necessary recommendations to ensure subsequent
plans meet the requirements of this Act.
(f) No New Funds.--No additional funds are authorized to be
appropriated for the purpose of carrying out this Act.
Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the Peters amendment, which
is at the desk, be considered and agreed to; that the committee-
reported substitute, as amended, be agreed to; that the bill, as
amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the
motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 3340) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency to develop strategies for identifying, addressing,
preventing, and mitigating discriminatory actions or decisions based on
political affiliation)
On page 12, line 15, strike ``and'' and all that follows
through ``any'' on line 16, and insert the following:
(E) specific strategies for identifying, addressing,
preventing, and mitigating discriminatory actions or
decisions based on political affiliation; and
(F) any
The committee-reported amendment, in the nature of a substitute, as
amended, was agreed to.
The bill (S. 4181), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
S. 4181
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Emergency
Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act''.
SEC. 2. FEMA WORKFORCE PLAN.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Agency.
(2) Agency.--The term ``Agency'' means the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
(3) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Homeland Security.
(4) Surge capacity force.--The term ``Surge Capacity
Force'' means the Surge Capacity Force described in section
624 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of
2006 (6 U.S.C. 711).
(b) Plan Development.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than once
every 3 years thereafter, the Administrator shall develop and
submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a human
capital operating plan to shape and improve the workforce of
the Agency.
(c) Leading Practices.--The Administrator shall develop the
plan required under subsection (b) in accordance with best
practices outlined by the Director of the Office of
[[Page S7095]]
Personnel Management, the Comptroller General of the United
States, and other sources relevant to the Federal workforce.
(d) Contents.--The plan developed under subsection (b)
shall include--
(1) performance measures to monitor and evaluate progress
towards the human capital goals of the Agency, including
filling staffing gaps, closing skills gaps in mission
critical occupations, and implementing workforce training
and, if applicable, progress towards meeting those goals
since the date of submission of the most recent plan under
subsection (b), including--
(A) a process to monitor and evaluate progress toward those
goals;
(B) a discussion of why the Agency has or has not met those
goals, including a description of specific barriers; and
(C) a discussion of the addition or deletion of any
specific performance measures;
(2) details of the types of employees of the Agency,
including by hiring authority and cadre;
(3) a comprehensive analysis of the projected costs
associated with implementing the plan;
(4) strategies and practices designed to increase cost-
efficiency within the workforce operations of the Agency,
including reducing overhead costs, improving resource
utilization, and avoiding unnecessary expenditures;
(5) a detailed analysis of how the Agency determined the
current overall staffing goals of the Agency;
(6) an analysis of the current workforce of the Agency and
possible gaps in the current staffing structure of the Agency
needed to fulfill the mission of the Agency, including an
assessment of--
(A) the critical and emerging skills that will be needed in
the workforce of the Agency to support the mission and
responsibilities of, and effectively manage, the Agency
during the 3-year period following the date of the submission
of the plan, including target staffing numbers by cadre,
region, and office;
(B) the skills of the workforce of the Agency, including
numbers of employees by cadre, region, and office on the date
of submission of the plan;
(C) projected trends in the workforce of the Agency based
on expected losses due to retirement and other attrition,
including any known data for the causes of attrition; and
(D) the staffing levels of each category of employee of the
Agency, including shortages in the workforce of the Agency
and in the projected workforce of the Agency that should be
addressed to ensure that the Agency has continued access to
the critical and emerging skills described in subparagraph
(A);
(7) a plan of action with specific recommendations for
developing and reshaping the workforce of the Agency to
address the gaps in critical and emerging skills described in
paragraph (6)(A), including--
(A) specific recruitment and retention goals by cadre and
mission critical occupations, including the analysis that the
Agency uses to produce those numbers;
(B) specific strategies for developing, training,
deploying, motivating, and retaining the workforce of the
Agency and the ability of the workforce of the Agency to
fulfill the mission and responsibilities of the Agency,
including the program objectives of the Department and the
Agency to be achieved through such strategies;
(C) specific strategies for recruiting and retaining
individuals needed to address workforce gaps within specific
cadres;
(D) specific strategies for the development, training, and
coordinated and rapid deployment of the Surge Capacity Force;
(E) specific strategies for identifying, addressing,
preventing, and mitigating discriminatory actions or
decisions based on political affiliation; and
(F) any necessary legislative proposals to improve
recruitment and retention; and
(8) a discussion that--
(A) details the number of employees not employed by the
Agency serving in the Surge Capacity Force and the
qualifications or credentials and training of such
individuals;
(B) includes information on annual data relating to the
deployment of the workforce of the Agency following major
disasters or emergencies declared by the President under
section 401 or 501, respectively, of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170,
5191) during the 3-year period preceding the date of the
submission of the plan;
(C) details--
(i) average tenure and attrition data, categorized by type
of attrition, for--
(I) types of Agency employees by hiring authority; and
(II) specific offices, regions, and cadres of the Agency;
and
(ii) any known reasons why some types of Agency employees
or specific offices, regions, or cadres of the Agency may
have higher levels of attrition and strategies to address
those higher levels of attrition;
(D) details--
(i) efforts of the Agency to help prevent and respond to
discrimination and harassment; and
(ii) information on reported cases of discrimination and
harassment within the Agency and the outcomes of those cases;
and
(E) describes, with respect to hiring information of the
Agency, the time between the date on which the Agency
validates a need to hire a new employee for a position and--
(i) the acceptance of an offer of employment for the
position by an applicant; and
(ii) the start date of the employee at the Agency for the
position.
(e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
submission of the plan required under subsection (b), the
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of
the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report
that--
(1) analyzes whether the plan meets the requirements of
this Act; and
(2) includes necessary recommendations to ensure subsequent
plans meet the requirements of this Act.
(f) No New Funds.--No additional funds are authorized to be
appropriated for the purpose of carrying out this Act.
____________________