Rep. Hice Spearheads Bill to Protect the Merit Systems Protection Board

Statement

U.S. Representative Jody Hice (R-GA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on National Security, recently introduced H.R. 3357, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) Reauthorization Act. The MSPB is an independent agency within the Executive Branch that plays an important role in the appeals process for federal employees who believe they have been treated unjustly by an agency. H.R. 3357 reauthorizes the MSPB for five years and institutes long-needed reforms to expedite the appeals process, reduce frivolous appeals, and reinforce justified agency personnel actions.

"The mission of the Merit Systems Protection Board is to ensure that federal civil service personnel decisions are made based on merit and competence," said Congressman Hice. "Unfortunately, the MSPB has not been reauthorized by Congress in over a decade while appeals before the MSPB have become painfully slow -- taking between 120 and 499 days. The negative consequences of decades-old federal human resources policies ripple throughout the civil service -- ultimately hurting taxpayers. The MSPB is in desperate need of reform, and H.R. 3357 would enact long-needed changes to speed up the appeals process, decrease frivolous appeals, and instill a greater culture of accountability and transparency in the federal bureaucracy."

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