[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 184 (Tuesday, September 23, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 49589-49590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-25301]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 184 / Tuesday, September 23, 1997 /
Rules and Regulations
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MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD
5 CFR Part 1200
Board Organization
AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Merit Systems Protection Board is amending its
organization and functions statement to reflect changes in the Board's
headquarters organization and assignment of functions. These changes
have been made to further streamline the Board's headquarters
operations, enabling the agency to continue performing its functions
effectively at the reduced budget and staffing levels expected through
fiscal year 2000.
EFFECTIVE DATE: September 23, 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert E. Taylor, Clerk of the Board,
(202) 653-7200.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In response to the second phase of the
Administration's Reinventing Government initiative (REGO II), the
Chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board appointed a REGO II Task
Force to review all Board operations and to make recommendations for
changes in organization, functions, and procedures that would enable
the agency to continue performing its functions effectively at the
reduced budget and staffing levels expected through fiscal year 2000.
In response to the recommendations of the Task Force, certain
organizational and functional changes have been effected. This
amendment to 5 CFR part 1200 reflects the following changes:
The Office of the Administrative Law Judge and Regional Operations
has been separated into two offices, the Office of the Administrative
Law Judge and the Office of Regional Operations.
The Administrative Law Judge will continue to hear all Special
Counsel complaints for disciplinary action, including Hatch Act cases,
and proposed actions against administrative law judges. The
Administrative Law Judge will also hear other assigned cases.
The Office of Regional Operations will manage the adjudicatory and
administrative functions of the MSPB regional and field offices.
References to the number of such offices have been removed.
The responsibility for preparing proposed decisions for the Board
in original jurisdiction cases has been reassigned from the Office of
the General Counsel to the Office of Appeals Counsel. As a result, most
processing of cases that are decided by the 3-member Board is now
centralized in the Office of Appeals Counsel. The Office of the General
Counsel remains responsible for preparing proposed decisions for the
Board in cases that the Board assigns.
Most of the Board's information services have been consolidated in
the Office of the Clerk of the Board. Requests for non-case related
information from the White House, Congress, and the media will continue
to be handled by the Office of the General Counsel, and requests for
information concerning the Board's studies will continue to be handled
by the Office of Policy and Evaluation.
The Office of Planning and Resource Management Services has been
abolished, and its three divisions now report to the Chairman through
the Chief of Staff.
The Board is publishing this rule as a final rule pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 1204(h).
List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 1200
Organization and functions (Government agencies).
Accordingly, the Board amends 5 CFR part 1200 as follows:
PART 1200--[AMENDED]
Subpart B--Offices of the Board, consisting of Sec. 1200.10, is
revised to read as follows:
Subpart B--Offices of the Board
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 1204 (h) and (j).
Sec. 1200.10 Staff organization and functions.
(a) The Board's headquarters staff is organized into the following
offices and divisions:
(1) Office of Regional Operations.
(2) Office of the Administrative Law Judge.
(3) Office of Appeals Counsel.
(4) Office of the Clerk of the Board.
(5) Office of the General Counsel.
(6) Office of Policy and Evaluation.
(7) Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.
(8) Financial and Administrative Management Division.
(9) Human Resources Management Division.
(10) Information Resources Management Division.
(b) The principal functions of the Board's headquarters offices are
as follows:
(1) Office of Regional Operations. The Director, Office of Regional
Operations, manages the adjudicatory and administrative functions of
the MSPB regional and field offices.
(2) Office of the Administrative Law Judge. The Administrative Law
Judge hears Hatch Act cases, disciplinary action complaints brought by
the Special Counsel, actions against administrative law judges, appeals
of actions taken against MSPB employees, and other cases that the Board
assigns.
(3) Office of Appeals Counsel. The Director, Office of Appeals
Counsel, prepares proposed decisions that recommend appropriate action
by the Board in petition for review cases, original jurisdiction cases,
and other cases assigned by the Board.
(4) Office of the Clerk of the Board. The Clerk of the Board enters
petitions for review and other headquarters cases onto the Board's
docket and monitors their processing. The Clerk of the Board also does
the following:
(i) Serves as the Board's public information center, including
providing information on the status of cases, distributing copies of
Board decisions and publications, and operating the Board's Library and
on-line information services;
(ii) Manages the Board's records, reports, legal research, and
correspondence control programs; and
(iii) Answers requests under the Freedom of Information and Privacy
Acts at the Board's headquarters, and answers other requests for
information
[[Page 49590]]
except those for which the Office of the General Counsel or the Office
of Policy and Evaluation is responsible.
(5) Office of the General Counsel. The General Counsel provides
legal advice to the Board and its headquarters and regional offices;
represents the Board in court proceedings; prepares proposed decisions
for the Board in cases that the Board assigns; coordinates legislative
policy and performs legislative liaison; responds to requests for non-
case related information from the White House, Congress, and the media;
and plans and directs audits and investigations.
(6) Office of Policy and Evaluation. The Director, Policy and
Evaluation, carries out the Board's statutory responsibility to conduct
special reviews and studies of the civil service and other merit
systems in the Executive Branch, as well as oversight reviews of the
significant actions of the Office of Personnel Management. The office
prepares the Board's reports of these reviews and studies, submits them
to the President and the Congress, and makes them available to other
interested individuals and organizations. The office is responsible for
distributing the Board's reports and for responding to requests for
information or briefings concerning them.
(7) Office of Equal Employment Opportunity. The Director, Office of
Equal Employment Opportunity, manages the Board's equal employment
programs.
(8) Financial and Administrative Management Division. The Financial
and Administrative Management Division administers the budget,
accounting, procurement, property management, physical security, and
general services functions of the Board. It also develops and
coordinates internal management programs and projects, including review
of internal controls agencywide.
(9) Human Resources Management Division. The Human Resources
Management Division develops policies and manages the Board's human
resources programs, including staffing, classification, employee
relations, performance management, payroll, personnel security, and
training and development functions.
(10) Information Resources Management Division. The Information
Resources Management Division develops, implements, and maintains the
Board's automated information systems.
(c) Regional and Field Offices. The Board has regional and field
offices located throughout the country (See Appendix II to 5 CFR part
1201 for a list of the regional and field offices). Judges in the
regional and field offices hear and decide initial appeals and other
assigned cases as provided for in the Board's regulations.
Dated: September 18, 1997.
Robert E. Taylor,
Clerk of the Board.
[FR Doc. 97-25301 Filed 9-22-97; 8:45 am]
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