[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 51 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 51
Recognizing the contributions of Federal employees and pledging to
oppose efforts to reduce Federal workforce pay and benefits, eliminate
civil service employment protections, undermine collective bargaining,
and increase the use of non-Federal contractors for inherently
governmental activities.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 6, 2017
Ms. Hirono (for herself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr.
Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Markey, Ms. Warren, Mr. Carper, Mr.
Franken, Mrs. Murray, and Ms. Cantwell) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the contributions of Federal employees and pledging to
oppose efforts to reduce Federal workforce pay and benefits, eliminate
civil service employment protections, undermine collective bargaining,
and increase the use of non-Federal contractors for inherently
governmental activities.
Whereas Federal agencies are tasked with the fundamental responsibility of
serving to protect, promote, and preserve the rights and interests of
the people of the United States;
Whereas the activities of the Federal Government encompass a broad range of
activities, including--
(1) conducting and supporting military operations;
(2) protecting the homeland, including transportation, communications,
financial, and other systems;
(3) preserving and enhancing public health;
(4) supporting the least fortunate;
(5) defending the rights and interests of individuals and consumers;
(6) enhancing and preserving the environment of the United States; and
(7) promoting and facilitating commerce;
Whereas, to achieve these objectives, many Federal agencies conduct operations
24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year;
Whereas, according to the Office of Personnel Management, the Federal Government
directly employs approximately 2,100,000 individuals to carry out the
functions of the Federal Government;
Whereas, in the past 50 years, the population of the United States increased
from approximately 198,000,000 individuals to more than 321,400,000
individuals, while the Federal workforce actually decreased from
approximately 2,200,000 employees to approximately 2,100,000 employees;
Whereas the Federal Government functions most effectively, and the interest of
the public is served, when the Federal Government offers fair
compensation, including pay, health, retirement, and other benefits, to
attract and retain qualified, diverse, and dedicated Federal employees;
Whereas, to ensure the integrity of the Federal civil service, it is essential
that Federal employees have access to constitutionally protected due
process rights and the ability to bargain collectively;
Whereas full- or part-time Federal employees should primarily be responsible for
the activities and functions of the Federal Government;
Whereas the effective functioning of the Federal Government and the integrity of
the civil service have been undermined by efforts to decrease pay and
benefits and reduce rights with respect to due process and collective
bargaining;
Whereas, through these efforts, Federal employees have already contributed more
than $180,000,000,000 to the reduction of the Federal deficit, primarily
in the form of higher retirement contributions and foregone wages;
Whereas reductions to pay and benefits, the removal of collective bargaining
rights, and the elimination or degradation of civil service due process
rights would make it harder for the Federal Government to attract the
best and brightest to public service;
Whereas reinstatement of the ``Holman Rule'' by the House of Representatives as
part of the resolution entitled ``Resolution adopting rules for the One
Hundred Fifteenth Congress'', approved January 3, 2017, presents a
direct threat to the employment and compensation of Federal employees,
will not result in substantial savings to the Federal Government, and
serves primarily to undermine the morale of the Federal workforce;
Whereas the Federal hiring freeze ordered by the President on January 23, 2017,
will impact the ability of the Federal Government to provide services
across the United States, including the ability to process the payment
of Social Security and other benefits and conduct workplace, food, and
product safety inspections; and
Whereas it is in the interest of Congress and the United States for the Federal
Government to be able to attract a diverse, dynamic, and dedicated
workforce in order to serve the people of the United States: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate will deny the passage of any legislation,
and challenge any action of the executive branch, that--
(1) erodes fair compensation for Federal employees,
including by reducing wages, unjustifiably raising health
insurance premiums, and unnecessarily or irresponsibly reducing
the overall Federal workforce, such as an appropriations bill
passed by the House of Representatives that contains a
provision adopted by the House of Representatives under section
3(a) of the resolution entitled ``Resolution adopting rules for
the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress'', approved January 3, 2017;
(2) undermines the value of employee retirement programs,
including by reducing earnings on retirement savings, unjustly
increasing employee contribution levels, or seeking to
transition fully to a private-sector styled plan consisting
solely of cash or deferred arrangements described in section
401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(3) diminishes the ability of Federal employee unions to
effectively represent and protect the rights of employees;
(4) reduces fundamental protections for civil servants,
including the right to due process; or
(5) increases the use of nongovernmental contractors to
perform inherently governmental functions.
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