WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, August 19, U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) will hold a hearing titled Investing in an Effective Federal Workforce.  The hearing will address the current state of the Federal workforce and the steps being taken to ensure that the Federal government is an effective and efficient provider of services for future generations.

The Federal government currently confronts some of the most serious challenges in our nation’s history. Addressing these challenges during a time of declining agency budgets and an expected retirement wave requires the Federal government to make the proper investments in its workforce and ensure that it is taking the steps necessary to retain its talent. This hearing will examine a number of issues that are of great importance to civil servants including: the hiring process, work-life balance, pay and benefits, retirement processing, non-foreign area locality pay, job training, whistleblower protections, security clearance reform, Senior Executive Service reform, and labor-management relations.

This will be Senator Akaka’s final hearing of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, which he has chaired since 2007, and became the ranking member of in 2005.   

WITNESSES:

• The Honorable John Berry, Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
• The Honorable Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General, U.S. Government Accountability Office 
• Ms. Colleen Kelley, President, National Treasury Employees Union
• Mr. J. David Cox, President, American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO
• Mr. Max Stier, President, Partnership for Public Service
• Mr. William Bransford, Representative, Government Managers Coalition