Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1531, introduced by
our colleague from Virginia (Mr. Connolly). The Land Management
Workforce Flexibility Act allows certain temporary workers to compete
for full-time positions when vacancies arise.

Many of the Federal Government's firefighters work on a temporary
basis and gain valuable experience as they return year after year to
battle Western wildfires. Current law prevents these experienced
employees from competing for full-time jobs under internal merit
promotion procedures.

This commonsense bill will allow Federal land agencies to fully
consider the applications of experienced workers when they identify the
need for a full-time employee.

Covered agencies include the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land
Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

The bill does not change the total number of Federal jobs available
or the salaries paid to Federal employees; rather, it expands the pool
of individuals eligible for Federal land management positions.

Of course, the bill does impose a few conditions to be eligible to
compete for a full-time position, including length of service and
adherence to performance standards.

I urge support for this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill,
and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source