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Personnel Practices: Questionable Personnel Practices at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

GGD-90-43 Published: Jan 23, 1990. Publicly Released: Feb 13, 1990.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the personnel policies and actions of the former director of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should ensure that the assignment of the senior executive to the Coastal Conservation Association in Alabama, including arrangements for sharing salary and benefit costs, and similar assignments made in the future conform with the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970 (IPA) and related Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations and guidance.
Closed – Not Implemented
FWS has reviewed the assignment and decided to allow it to continue until its expiration on August 11, 1990. FWS believes that the determination of cost for the assignment was allowable under current OPM guidance.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should, under IPA guidance, determine what portion of the salary and benefit costs should have been assumed by the American Fisheries Society for the assignment of the senior executive to the Society and recoup such costs from the Society.
Closed – Not Implemented
FWS still maintains that under 16 U.S.C. 661 and 16 U.S.C. 742f(a)(4), authorities exist for cooperation with the Society. These are statutory authorities separate and apart from IPA and OPM detail regulations, according to FWS.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should instruct the Director, FWS, to review existing special assistant positions to determine whether they are necessary to accomplish the FWS mission and, if so, are defined properly.
Closed – Implemented
FWS reviewed the existing special assistant positions and decided to retain 4 of 13 positions. Two of the 4 positions have been proposed for organizational realignment.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should instruct the Director, FWS, to ensure that the actual duties and responsibilities of the positions and approved descriptions agree.
Closed – Implemented
FWS agrees with and supports the concept of this recommendation. However, it maintains that practical considerations must be taken into account to prevent paperwork exercises that require time and resources, but may have little or no real impact.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should instruct the Director, FWS, to determine whether the regional senior biologist positions make the best use of FWS resources.
Closed – Implemented
Regional directors were requested to look specifically into the use of these positions. They advised that the four positions still in use are necessary and will be continued.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should direct the Director, FWS, to ensure that Schedule C appointees' supervisory relationships are the same as those approved by OPM.
Closed – Implemented
FWS believed the Schedule C assignments were in compliance with OPM guidance. The Director, FWS, has proposed organizational changes to the department for several Schedule C positions.
Department of the Interior When changes in the supervisory relationships of Schedule C appointees must be made, as required in OPM guidance, the Secretary of the Interior should instruct the Director, FWS, to request approval from OPM.
Closed – Implemented
The Director, FWS, has requested approval from the Department, which requested OPM approval for organizational changes to the Schedule C positions.
Office of Personnel Management The Director, OPM, should ensure that limited emergency appointment authority is used to meet agencies' bona fide, unanticipated, urgent needs for filling positions.
Closed – Not Implemented
Evidence presented by FWS to OPM did not justify the use of limited emergency appointment authority. However, OPM did not agree with the GAO position and does not intend to take further action.
Office of Personnel Management The Director, OPM, should ensure that limited emergency appointments are not used to accommodate departing political appointees.
Closed – Implemented
OPM stated that it will ensure that documentation from an agency is adequate to support any granting of a limited emergency authority.

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Civil service jobsEmployee promotionsExecutive compensationFederal agency reorganizationFederal employeesStaff utilizationJob classificationPersonnel managementPublic officialsWildlife management