Federal Workforce: New Authority to Make and Extend Temporary Appointments

摘要

In January 1985, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) delegated a new authority allowing agencies to greatly expand their employment of temporary workers without prior OPM approval. By letter of March 29, 1985, the authors were asked to monitor the implementation of the new authority. There was concern that agencies could abuse the authority by using it for political patronage or as a substitute for competitive hiring. In a subsequent meeting with Committee representatives, it was agreed that the authors would initially concentrate on how agencies planned to use the authority, its perceived merits and drawbacks, and how OPM and the agencies were assuring that the authority was implemented properly. The report provides the results of the review.