Senate Backs Plan to Help Recruitment for National Security Jobs

[MORTARDUDE]

Senate Backs Plan to Help Recruitment for National Security Jobs

Stephen Barr


Worried that the government cannot compete for experts in science, math and foreign languages, the Senate has approved a bill aimed at strengthening recruitment for national security jobs.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), would create a pilot project to repay student loans for employees in national security positions who agree to serve in the government for at least three years. The bill also would create a rotational assignment program to provide training and professional development opportunities for mid-level federal employees in the national security workforce.

Recent studies, General Accounting Office reports and testimony before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee have warned that the government faces a shortage of linguists in Arabic, Farsi and Korean and is struggling to hire and keep science, engineering and technology experts.

"These shortfalls have real consequences that hamper our ability to monitor exports of military-sensitive technology, prepare defenses to biological and chemical agents and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Akaka said.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he said, the FBI had only 40 Arabic and 25 Farsi speakers and was unable to quickly translate surveillance tapes of suspected terrorists collected through national security intercepts.

Because of "increasing globalization and a changing security environment, we need to develop new ways to recruit and retain employees possessing these critical skills," Akaka said.

Under the bill, employees in national security positions would be eligible to receive $ 10,000 in loan repayments per year, up to $ 60,000 in a lifetime. (Congress recently sent President Bush a measure that would raise reimbursements in the government's regular student loan repayment program to those same amounts.)

The Akaka bill would establish "national security fellowships" for graduate students in math, science, engineering and foreign languages. Students receiving fellowships would agree to work for the government.

The bill also would set up a "national security service corps" designed to provide mid-level federal employees with the chance to serve in rotational assignments to widen perspectives within the national security community.

Eligible employees would be drawn from the departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury, Energy and Justice as well as the National Security Agency.

Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) were among the bill's cosponsors.

Rep. Chris Van. Hollen (D-Md.) plans to sponsor a similar bill. "I've been following this closely," he said yesterday. "I intend to introduce some version of it in the House."

The House Government Reform Committee approved legislation yesterday that would allow the General Accounting Office to revamp its personnel system, including how the agency provides pay raises to employees.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jo Ann S. Davis (R-Va.), was approved on a voice vote. Similar legislation was approved by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee last month.

In a statement, the House panel said the bill "removes the guarantee of pay raises for employees who do not reach minimum performance standards" while giving GAO managers more authority to reward their best employees.

The bill also would change the agency's name to the Government Accountability Office.