The Bush administration has decided not to seek any legislation this year to improve civil service. That was the announcement made by Office of Management and Budget officials June 14.

Language in the 2002 budget, which the administration submitted in April, describes the possible legislation as a means of upgrading civil service.

"The administration will seek legislation to provide program managers new and expanded workforce restructuring tools," the budget states.

OMB Director Mitch Daniels said any civil service reform legislation will only be considered after a review of the current workforce analysis effort, which OMB has directed agencies to submit by June 29.

"Those analyses will serve as the basis for the five-year restructuring plans included in the agencies’ fiscal 2003 budget submissions," Daniels said. "Legislation is something we don’t need to seek right now."

That mindset sits well with the national president of the Federal Managers Association, Michael B. Styles.

"FMA is encouraged by the direction taken by the administration to ask agencies to submit reports on workforce planning and restructing before moving forward with any government rightsizing," Styles said.

In testimony before the General Accounting Office’s commercial activities panel June 11, Styles said that excessive outsourcing is detrimental to the government.

"As we have witnessed over the past decade, arbitrary reductions, including cutbacks in managerial and leadership positions, without mission analysis, serve to undermine the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of government," he said.

More than 40 individuals appeared before the panel to share their views on the principles and policies that should govern outsourcing decisions.

FMA member Patricia Armstrong, in her testimony to the panel, highlighted other concerns outside of cost that have had a negative effect on the civil service workforce as a result of too much privatization.

"There are many issues that impact the activity aside from just cost, such as morale, downgrading of employees, loss of experienced workers and the training costs of new employees," she told the 12-member panel.

Armstrong said that rather than seek civil service reform legislation the panel should adopt some legislation already on the table for civil service.

"As a start, FMA urges support for legislation introducted by Congressman Albert Wynn, the ‘Truthfulness, Responsibility and Accountability in Contracting Act,’ that will correct longstanding inequities in the contracting-out process," she said.

Styles said that any future restructuring of the federal workforce must include a true analysis of program costs.