[House Report 117-136]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
117th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 117-136
======================================================================
RECOMMENDATIONS TO INCREASE STAFF CAPACITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION,
STRENGTHEN CONGRESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS, AND EXPAND
ACCESSIBILITY TO CONGRESS
_______
October 8, 2021.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Kilmer, from the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
I. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress
(Select Committee) has been charged with the important
responsibility of recommending improvements to the U.S. House
of Representatives to help members of Congress and their staff
better serve the American people. During the 116th Congress,
the Select Committee passed 97 recommendations to make Congress
a more efficient and effective institution. These
recommendations addressed many issues within the Select
Committee's jurisdiction and were detailed in the Committee's
Final Report for the 116th Congress.
The Select Committee met on July 29, 2021, to pass its
sixth set of recommendations. These recommendations are the
first set passed in the 117th Congress and reflect the work of
the Select Committee's new roster of members. The
recommendations are broadly focused on issues connected to
congressional staff and focus on increasing staff capacity,
diversity and inclusion, strengthening the congressional
internship and fellowship experience, and expanding
accessibility to Congress for staff as well as the general
public. The recommendations address issues the Select Committee
took up in public hearings, virtual discussions, member
meetings, and in meetings with stakeholders.
II. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
Increasing staff capacity, diversity and inclusion,
strengthening the congressional internship and fellowship
experience, and expanding accessibility to Congress will
improve the way Congress works on behalf of the American
people. The Select Committee identified the following issues to
be addressed with recommendations:
1. Congressional staff are often promoted based on
their political or policy expertise more so than their
management experience or potential. Moreover, many
staff coming onto the Hill to serve as chiefs of staff
or in other management positions sometimes lack
management experience or prior training before taking
leadership positions. Poor management in an office can
lead to poor office culture, high turnover, less job
satisfaction for employees, and decreased overall
productivity.
2. Without access to the clearest, most accurate
salary data, congressional hiring managers lack the
information they need to offer competitive pay to
employees and employees do not have important
information they need to negotiate salaries. Existing
congressional staff compensation surveys, while
helpful, are done infrequently and are only snapshots
in time. In addition, response rates tend to be low.
For example, it is the Committee's understanding that
past employee surveys captured information for only
about half of the House's employees. The surveys can
also be costly and time consuming to undertake.
3. Congress is an institution that relies on customs
and procedures that can take time for a new staff
member to learn. In addition to a lack of proper on-
the-job training and helpful management, a lack of
mentorship opportunities can make it more difficult for
less experienced staff to quickly learn how the
institution works and how to be effective at their
jobs. Some staff associations run mentorship programs,
but the programs, while valuable, are informal,
inconsistent, and can be difficult to maintain on a
volunteer basis.
4. If congressional offices are prohibited from
paying for training that provides staff with a
certification, staff may not be able to access training
that could bolster their professional skills and
capabilities.
5. The information provided to new congressional
staff when they are hired often does not provide
comprehensive information on available benefits and
resources. Unless an office proactively provides the
information through HouseNet or by other means, staff
must search for it independently, with no knowledge of
what they are looking for.
6. Current processes for recruiting and hiring new
congressional staff are unorganized and inefficient.
Additionally, the large number of applicants that
generally apply to Hill positions can be overwhelming
to hiring managers.
7. The current process for surveying congressional
staff demographics is costly, time consuming, and
provides only a snapshot in time. Moreover,
participation rates tend to be low. Past employee
surveys captured information for only about half of the
House's employees. These challenges prevent Congress
from effectively tracking progress on staff diversity
across the House and efficiently using resources to
improve staff diversity.
8. According to testimony received by the Committee,
the average congressional internship stipend is
insufficient to cover the monthly cost of living in the
D.C. area. Moreover, information on the gap between the
average stipend offered and the actual cost of living
in D.C. is lacking, which makes it difficult for hiring
managers to set appropriate intern stipend rates and
for applicants to financially plan for a potential
internship.
9. The quality of congressional internships and
fellowships varies from office to office. It is also
difficult and time consuming for congressional offices
to develop and maintain an effective internship and
fellowship program.
10. Congressional fellows and detailees need access
to computers and secure communications devices while
working in congressional offices. The current rules
limiting devices that offices can provide to fellows
and detailees are confusing and may present challenges,
especially to freshman offices that might not have
extra equipment available.
11. Remote internships, which some congressional
offices offered during the COVID-19 pandemic, may
remain a permanent option in other sectors. If the
House does not offer similar remote opportunities, it
could negatively impact the institution's ability to
recruit talented and diverse interns by limiting
opportunities to those who can travel and live in
Washington D.C. At the same time, before the House
considers a policy change that would make remote
interns a permanent fixture in the House, it makes
sense to consider the lessons learned from the remote
internship experience during the pandemic, and whether
sufficient guardrails could be adopted to allow a
permanent remote program to continue in a way that
protects security and maintains the spirit of the
educational component of internships required by House
rules.
12. Currently, there is no designated ADA drop-off
point for House office buildings. For visitors with
mobility impairments, finding a safe location on
Capitol Hill to deploy a ramp or transfer from a
vehicle into a wheelchair is unnecessarily difficult
and a barrier to accessing House offices.
13. For Capitol Hill visitors with disabilities, an
unexpected and invasive security screen is uninviting.
Lack of public information about the security process
can cause disabled visitors to experience anxiety and
to feel like the Hill's security processes treat them
differently. This may discourage visitors with
disabilities from coming to Capitol Hill.
14. Testimony received by the Committee indicated
that inaccessible doorways are one of the top physical
barriers that limit access around the Capitol complex
to persons with disabilities.
15. At the time Committee staff was briefed, more
than 250 existing member and committee web sites did
not meet accessibility compliance standards (as set
forth in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act).
Although Congress is not currently required to comply
with Section 508, the CAO is in the process of bringing
member, committee, and leadership websites into
compliance as a proactive measure. CAO ensured all new
member websites in the 117th Congress began in
compliance. However, once the sites meet compliance
standards, staff maintaining and updating the sites
must know and understand how to post content
appropriately to maintain accessibility standards.
Staff that publish web content often do not follow
these standards, which makes maintaining Section 508
compliance difficult.
16. According to staff surveys, inadequate
opportunities for professional development is among the
top reasons congressional staff leave their current job
or current office. The Student Loan Repayment Program
(SLRP) only pays for qualifying education loans already
incurred and in repayment status but does not cover
tuition and other expenses for staff attending an
ongoing educational program. However, such tuition
assistance programs are widely available in the private
sector and in federal agencies.
17. According to the 2019 House Compensation and
Diversity study, staff in member offices have been in
their positions for 2.5 years on average while staff in
committee and leadership offices average 2.7 years in
their positions. When staff turnover is high, the House
loses valuable expertise. More experienced staff with
the institutional knowledge to properly advise members
on policy and constituent issues can help strengthen
the institution. While staff depart their positions for
a variety of reasons, comparatively low compensation
(including benefits) is often cited as one of the major
drivers of turnover, especially for the mid-career
staff who might not be as interested in the retirement
programs Congress offers.
18. The CAO does not currently require contractors to
offer employee assistance programs comparable to those
provided to congressional employees. The Office of
Employee Assistance (OEA) has indicated that some
contractors do provide some services, but these
services are not universally available for contract
employees. Because contract workers are considered part
of the Capitol community, they should be able to access
mental health services just as congressional staff do.
19. Working on Capitol Hill can be challenging, and
mental health issues can lead to decreased productivity
and job satisfaction, as well as to more serious
issues. While the OEA provides important services to
House staff, there is insufficient awareness among
staff about the resources and support available.
Additionally, OEA needs a diverse workforce that can
provide bilingual services and offer trauma services
that meet the needs of the diverse community it serves.
20. As the House transitions to offering internship
stipends, committees may be disincentivized from
bringing on interns because the funding to cover
stipends comes out of their committee budgets and
counts against their capped allocation of staff slots.
Providing committees with a separate fund from which
they can offer internship stipends will make it easier
for committees to offer internships just as other House
offices do.
III. HEARINGS
The COVID-19 pandemic compelled changes in committee
operations and procedures, beginning in March 2020. Because
members were unable to meet in person, many committees,
including the Select Committee, continued to meet by
videoconference. The Select Committee held one virtual
listening session with members of the Fix Congress Cohort and
five virtual hearings early in the 117th Congress which helped
shape these recommendations. The hearings included:
``Member Hearing Day,'' on April 15, 2021.
``Professionalizing and Enriching the
Congressional Internship and Fellowship Experience,''
on April 29, 2021. The Select Committee received
testimony from:
Dr. James R. Jones, Assistant
Professor at Rutgers University-Newark on
behalf of themselves
Carlos Vera, Co-Founder and
Executive Director of Pay Our Interns
Audrey Henson, CEO and Founder
of College to Congress
Travis Moore, Founder and
Director of TechCongress
Emily Hashimoto, Director of
Career Content at Idealist.org
Amiko Matsumoto, Senior
Executive Coach and Facilitator at the
Partnership for Public Service
Rod Adams, US and Mexico Talent
Acquisition and Onboarding Leader at
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
``Congressional Staff Capacity: Improving
Staff Professional Development, Increasing Retention
and Competing for Top Talent,'' on May 6, 2021. The
Select Committee received testimony from:
Catherine Szpindor, Chief
Administrative Officer at House of
Representatives
Brad Fitch, President and CEO of
Congressional Management Foundation (CMF)
Aaron Jones, Director of
Congressional Relations at the Wilson Center
Lynnel Ruckert, Former Chief of
Staff to Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA)
Greta Engle, The Society for
Human Resource Management
Dao Nguyen, Former Executive
Director of the Congressional Future Forum
Caucus
Fran Peace, Former District
Director for Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA)
``Recruiting, Empowering and Retaining a
Diverse Congressional Staff,'' on May 13, 2021. The
Select Committee received testimony from:
Kemba Hendrix, Director of the
House Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)
Keenan Austin Reed, Former Chief
of Staff to Congressman Donald McEachin (D-VA)
and Co-Founder of the Black Women's
Congressional Alliance (BWCA)
Gregg Orton, National Director
of the National Council of Asian Pacific
Americans and former Chief of Staff of
Congressman Al Green (D-TX)
Maria Meier, Former Director of
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Senate
Democratic Diversity Initiative
``Making the House More Accessible to the Disability
Community,'' on May 27, 2021. The Select Committee
received testimony from:
Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI),
Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Disability Caucus
Phoebe Ball, Disability Counsel
for the House Committee on Education and Labor
on behalf of themselves
Heather Ansley, Associate
Executive Director at Paralyzed Veterans of
America (PVA)
Judy Brewer, Director of Web
Accessibility Initiative (WAI) at the World
Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
John Uelmen, General Counsel of
the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights
IV. RECOMMENDATIONS
The Select Committee made the following 20 recommendations
to address the problems identified above (see II. BACKGROUND
AND NEED FOR RECOMMENDATIONS):
(1) Recommendation: Supervisors should receive
formal, personalized management training that includes,
but is not limited to, management skills, strategic
planning, cultural competency, and how to support an
inclusive work environment. Training offerings should
also include opportunities for supervisors to receive
ongoing, one-on-one skills coaching.
Specifically . . . Improved management will improve office
culture, increase staff satisfaction and retention, and improve
overall office productivity. While the Congressional Staff
Academy (CSA) recently began offering leadership training
courses, there currently are no formal training programs for
managing a congressional office, mid-level managers, or intern
management. The CAO and other offices have identified the need
for this kind of training and some programs are already in
development. For example, the CSA is on a path to providing
one-on-one job coaching for every position; the Office of
Workplace Rights mandates a supervisory training; and the
Office of Employee Assistance offers leadership coaching. The
recommendation also envisions and supports CSA partnering with
universities to expand management program offerings.
(2) Recommendation: The House should create a
searchable database of anonymized average staff
compensation information, by position, using available
information on staff salaries and payroll data.
Specifically . . . A database of staff salary information
would provide timely information that would help hiring
managers set staff salaries (and potentially benefits, if the
system is crafted to track that as well), create transparency
for employers and internal job seekers, and provide current
salary data at a lower cost than surveying staff. Current
congressional employees could also use the information when
they are considering a new job or requesting a raise. The
database would be viewable and collated in a way that is most
beneficial to managers and staff, and include comparisons by
region and state delegation, as well as differentiation between
freshman and more senior offices.
For the last few years, the Senate has operated a
voluntary, ``live'' database of staff compensation. The
Committee understands that, based on information received
shortly before this report was completed, the database was used
by approximately 42 offices-30 personal offices and 12
committees.
(3) Recommendation: The House should initiate and
facilitate a formal mentorship program for matching
more experienced staff open to serving as mentors with
less experienced staff seeking mentors.
Specifically . . . Mentorships are an inexpensive and
effective way to share traditions and impart knowledge to more
junior staff, especially those who began their careers on
Capitol Hill without established networks to tap into. While
some mentorships happen informally, a formal program could help
increase mentorship opportunities and the quality of
mentorships, thereby improving training, institutional
knowledge, professional development, office culture, and staff
retention. A formal House mentorship program should support and
utilize best practices already developed by staff association
mentorship programs.
This new program could be run by a variety of entities
within the CAO's office. The CAO's office, or another
appropriate office, could also determine how to best fund and
implement the new program.
(4) Recommendation: The House should allow member,
committee, and leadership offices to pay for certain
professional development opportunities for staff that
include a certification.
Specifically . . . Staff should have more flexibility to
participate in relevant professional training opportunities,
specifically those that directly relate to the employee's job
duties and/or otherwise benefit the office. Examples of
relevant certifications include, but are not limited to, Adobe
Certified Expert, Leadership Essentials, Project Management
Certifications, Budget and Public Finance Certificate, and
Cybersecurity Risk Management. Additional certification
opportunities may evolve organically.
Note: According to the Office of Personnel Management,
federal agencies can pay for training that includes
professional certifications.
(5) Recommendation: The Chief Administrative Officer
should provide offices with an expanded standard
onboarding packet that includes comprehensive
information on available resources and benefits for
staff.
Specifically . . . A standard and comprehensive onboarding
packet is an effective and inexpensive way to ensure new
employees understand all the resources and benefits available
to them as House employees. The information could be presented
in various formats, including through a supplementary
educational video, and at different stages of onboarding--
either in the initial payroll packet or shortly after an
employee has been registered in the system.
(6) Recommendation: The Chief Administrative Officer
should provide access to industry-leading talent
acquisition software to assist House offices in
managing their recruitment and hiring process.
Specifically . . . By providing offices with tools to
methodically track, sort, and score candidates, offices will
create greater efficiency and realize better hiring outcomes.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) will work with the
CAO to ensure that any software offered does not introduce
algorithmic bias into the hiring process.
Note: The CAO has received feedback from chiefs of staff
that they would like tools to assist their hiring processes.
The CAO is thus looking into making commercial, off-the-shelf
talent acquisition software available. The Office of Diversity
and Inclusion has also expressed support for offices to begin
using talent acquisition software to professionalize the
recruitment and hiring process to improve diversity.
(7) Recommendation: The Chief Administrative Officer
should work with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
to improve the collection of anonymized demographic
data through an optional form at staff onboarding that
requests a broad range of data including, but not
limited to race, ethnicity, socio-economic status,
veteran status, geography and disability for House
staff and interns.
Specifically . . . By collecting data during the onboarding
process, the House can increase the amount of information
gathered, reduce costs, and provide more accurate and up-to-
date demographic information, which will in turn help the
institution more efficiently target efforts to diversify the
workforce and ensure it is broadly representative of the
American people. The data collection form should be developed
in conjunction with the ODI, or use already available
information and forms, and gathered during the employee
onboarding process. Consistent with previous compensation and
diversity reports produced by the CAO, all data collected
through the form will remain strictly confidential and
anonymized. Data is not to be used to identify or evaluate
individuals or specific offices and should not be reported by
party or office. All data will be aggregated for reporting
purposes.
Note: The FY2022 Legislative Branch Appropriations report
directs the Office of Payroll and Benefits to work with ODI to
identify the best method for inserting a voluntary question on
demographic diversity to employee onboarding paperwork for all
employees. The report directs implementation by January 2022.
(8) Recommendation: The Chief Administrative Officer
should provide information to congressional offices on
the cost of living for interns to help inform intern
stipend levels.
Specifically . . . Internships are on-the-job training that
can provide a pathway to a full-time position on the Hill. With
more data, managers will be able to better align stipend levels
for interns with the cost of living in the D.C. area, thereby
allowing Congress to recruit the most talented and diverse
applicants. In gathering cost of living information, the CAO
might also consider evaluating other similar internship
programs in the D.C. area as a helpful reference point for
living costs and comparative compensation levels.
Member offices are currently provided a separate allotment
of $25,000 annually to compensate interns, and there is a
monthly cap of $1,800 per intern. By House rules, internships
are primarily of educational benefit and interns may not be
employed by the member for more than 120 calendar days. Intern
compensation is intended to help interns cover the cost of
living while residing temporarily in the D.C. area during their
internship. Assessing the cost of living for an internship is
different than assessing the cost of living for a full-time
employee, and any cost analysis should cover those differences
(for example, short term versus long term housing costs).
Note: The FY2022 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill
would increase the member office allocation to $35,000 but
would not change the monthly cap of $1,800 per intern.
(9) Recommendation: The House should establish an
Intern and Fellowship Program Office or Coordinator
that helps with onboarding, training individual office
internship and fellowship coordinators, developing
educational curriculum, and providing professional
development opportunities for interns and fellows.
Specifically . . . This office or coordinator would help
professionalize and standardize congressional internship and
fellowship programs, alleviate some of the burden on offices,
and ensure a more consistent and high-quality educational
experience for interns and fellows. The onboarding and
management of interns and fellows is currently the
responsibility of the individual employing office. While many
offices offer robust programs, very little guidance or
additional resources are provided by the House to assist
offices with their programs, including orientation, onboarding,
and educational programming.
Note: Language in the FY2022 Legislative Branch
Appropriations report directs the Office of Diversity and
Inclusion, working in coordination with the Chief
Administrative Officer, to conduct a study on the feasibility
of creating a centralized House internship and fellowship
office to provide support services to congressional interns as
well as act as a resource hub for standing committees,
leadership offices, and House member offices.
(10) Recommendation: Congress should clarify rules
and regulations to allow fellows and detailees to
receive the same resources (phones, laptops, etc.) as
professional staff.
Specifically . . . This would align House rules regarding
fellows and detailees with office needs and ensure they are
using devices that are secure and up to date.
Current rules in the Members' Congressional Handbook state
that fellows are only able to use ``existing office resources''
that were already purchased and used by another staffer. Rules
clarifying the use of House resources by fellows and detailees
should tie resource access to a bona fide agreement to provide
formality and additional details, as well as other precautions
to ensure that House security protocols are being followed.
(11) Recommendation: The House should study the
feasibility of permanently allowing remote internships.
This study should include recommendations for meeting
internship educational requirements (including through
robust online programming), procedures for maintaining
an inventory of equipment, and ensuring proper
cybersecurity protocols.
Specifically . . . Allowing interns to telework could
expand opportunities for individuals who cannot travel to and
live in Washington, D.C. A study will provide information on
whether the House should make remote internships a permanent
option by addressing the following concerns: (1) Ensuring the
educational requirements of House internships are being met,
which may be more challenging in a remote situation; (2)
Oversight of program participants; and (3) Providing, tracking,
and accounting for House resources and equipment, and ensuring
security and confidentiality, including network security.
Note: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee
on House Administration temporarily authorized all compensated
House interns to be eligible to telework in the event of a
disaster, pandemic or other emergency. This authorization
allows offices to lend House resources (laptops, phones) to
compensated interns who telework.
(12) Recommendation: As part of ongoing security and
accessibility studies, the House should designate a
drop-off and pick-up zone near an accessible entrance
for members of the public with mobility impairments and
develop a well-understood process for accessing and
utilizing the new drop-off point.
Specifically . . . Providing a designated drop-off or pick-
up zone near an accessible entrance, and a well-understood
process for utilizing it, would help to mitigate this barrier
to entry and help people with disabilities more easily plan
their visits to the Capitol.
The House is currently engaged in separate studies,
including an ongoing ``Transportation and Mobility Study'' as
well as a security study, which should prioritize the
establishment of an ADA drop-off and pick-up zone that balances
and incorporates security and other transportation needs. The
zone must be accessible to the public and allow for vehicles to
park long enough to transfer passengers into and out of a
vehicle. In addition, a process should be developed for how the
public can access and utilize the new drop-off point, including
information on whom to call with questions or requests for
additional information. The Office of Accessibility Services
should be consulted as various options for the drop-off zone
itself, and the process for accessing it, are considered.
(13) Recommendation: Visitors and staff with
disabilities should have access to information on the
standard security screening techniques they will
encounter upon entering the Capitol complex.
Specifically . . . Providing more information about the
security screening techniques that visitors and staff with
disabilities can expect when entering the Capitol complex would
increase public awareness, ensure visitors are informed and
prepared, and potentially improve consistency in visitors'
experiences.
(14) Recommendation: The House should improve
accessibility around the Capitol complex by
prioritizing the installation of additional automatic
or power-assisted doors and replace door hardware that
cannot be grasped easily with one hand or that requires
tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist to
operate.
Specifically . . . Prioritizing door improvements to ensure
accessibility will allow members, staff, and visitors with
disabilities to easily access and move more freely around House
offices and the Capitol complex without assistance.
A joint accessibility report from November 2020 identified
a number of doors for remediation where ``existing door
hardware cannot be grasped easily with one hand or requires
tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist to
operate.'' For example, the round historic knobs require users
to `grasp and twist' to open the door, which does not comply
with accessibility codes and standards. The report also
identified doors that have insufficient clear width for a
wheelchair. Further, some doors are designed for fire
protection and therefore inordinately heavy and completely
inaccessible to individuals in wheelchairs. While each door
requires an individual solution, some of these doors may be
made accessible with an automatic door operator.
(15) Recommendation: The House should promote
awareness of accessibility requirements for member and
committee websites and provide training and tools for
staff to help them properly maintain and update those
sites.
Specifically . . . CAO identified a need for office content
managers to have a greater understanding of compliance issues
and best practices for how to ensure the websites they manage
are accessible.
If staff are knowledgeable about website access standards
and tools are put into place to encourage compliance, House
websites are more likely to remain accessible as staff learn to
follow and implement compliance best practices when updating
the websites they are responsible for maintaining. Staff should
also be made aware of training at the time they are granted
authority to publish to a House website.
(16) Recommendation: The House should expand the
Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) to include a
Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) that assists House
employees in paying for higher education programs.
Participation in a House TAP should include a retention
requirement set by the participant's employing office.
Specifically . . . The program should be modeled after the
House's SLRP which has a service commitment built into the
agreement and requires payments to be recouped if the employee
is terminated or involuntarily separates before the end of the
term. However, that provision can be waived at the discretion
of the office. Existing SLRP annual ($10,000) and lifetime
($80,000) caps would apply to the TAP. Most private sector TAP
programs are capped at $5,250 per year because an amount over
this threshold is considered taxable income. Staff should be
fully informed about the annual income tax implications of
receiving benefits above a certain level.
(17) Recommendation: The House should establish and
maintain a ``Task Force on the House Workforce,'' led
by the Chief Administrative Officer and comprised of
the Office of House Employment Counsel, the Office of
Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Employee
Assistance, the House Wellness Center, and any other
House office as may be necessary to make ongoing policy
recommendations on updating staff benefits for the
purpose of increasing staff retention.
Specifically . . . Providing benefits that are more
competitive with the private sector and executive branch can be
a cost-effective way to encourage mid-career, highly qualified,
and more experienced staff to remain in Congress. With less
turnover, particularly at the mid-career level, Congress will
see an increase in policy specialization and institutional
knowledge. Diversity in senior staff positions will also
increase. Fundamentally, a more highly skilled, experienced,
and diverse staff will make Congress a stronger institution,
better positioned to fulfill its Article I responsibilities and
more effectively serve the American people.
With a broad representation of House offices responsible
for various workforce benefits and other issues important for
staff retention, the Task Force can approach the issue of staff
benefits wholistically, examine surveys and studies already
done or in progress, and make specific, actionable policy
recommendations each Congress. In addition to considering
updates and improvements to better align House staff benefits
with the workforce practices in the Senate, executive branch,
and private sector, the Task Force should also consider the
advantages of providing individual offices greater flexibility
in determining specific benefit offerings.
Note: The FY2022 Legislative Branch Appropriations report
contains language that similarly directs the establishment a
Task Force on a Diverse and Talented House Workforce to
regularly study and make policy recommendations that improve
human resources management practices throughout the House.
(18) Recommendation: Where feasible, the House should
work with contractors to ensure they provide Capitol
campus employees with services comparable to those
offered by the House through the Office of Employee
Assistance.
Specifically . . . Ensuring the health and well-being of
everyone who works on the Capitol campus, including
contractors, will make for a better working environment.
Contract workers are part of the Capitol community and should
be able to access the same mental health services available to
congressional staff.
(19) Recommendation: The Office of Employee
Assistance (OEA) should seek to retain a diverse
workforce, offer access to bilingual services, and
retain staff capable of providing various forms of
trauma services. The OEA should be allocated additional
resources to provide outreach and awareness of
services.
Specifically . . . A diverse OEA workforce that can provide
bilingual services and offer trauma services that meet the
needs of all staff is better positioned to serve a diverse
community with various mental health needs. In addition,
providing increased resources to improve awareness will help
staff know and better understand the OEA and the services it
offers, thereby improving utilization. Taken together, this
will improve mental health, create a more resilient Capitol
Hill community, and improve overall staff productivity and
retention.
The OEA provides confidential assistance to members,
employees, and their family members for personal and work-
related problems. The OEA's caseload more than doubled in the
first half of 2020, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon
request, the OEA is currently able to connect employees to
bilingual support services but the office currently does not
have in house capacity to do this.
(20) Recommendation: Committees should be provided a
program allowance, separate from their budgets, for
compensation of interns.
Specifically . . . Unlike personal and leadership offices,
committees currently have no separate fund for providing
internship stipends, and interns count against their capped
allocation of staff slots. Committees are thus disincentivized
from bringing on interns. This fund would be separate from
committee budgets and will provide additional slots for
committee interns.
Note: The FY 2022 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill
allocates $2.3 million to compensate up to 106 committee
interns.
V. COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION AND VOTES
Consideration
On July 29, 2021, the Select Committee held a Business
Meeting, a quorum being present, and reported favorably the
recommendations herein contained in this report.
Votes
In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, there were no recorded votes
taken on these recommendations. The recommendations herein
contained in this report were adopted by voice vote, two-thirds
being in the affirmative. A motion by Chair Derek Kilmer of
Washington to report these recommendations to the House of
Representatives was adopted by voice vote, two-thirds being in
the affirmative.
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