Elimination of the Apportionment of Appointments in the Departmental Service in the District of Columbia

H.R. 5054, which would eliminate the requirement to apportion appointments in the departmental service in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area should be enacted. The Civil Service Act provided that appointments to the competitive civil service in the District of Columbia be apportioned on the basis of population, as ascertained at the last census among the states, territories, and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia. For the 50,000 or more jobs where the apportionment requirement is applied, the relative balance among the states, territories, and the District of Columbia in the number of positions occupied has remained the same for many years; comparable representation has not resulted from apportionment. The apportionment requirement severely restricts highly qualified eligibles, who are from states in excess of their apportionment quotas, from being certified to agencies for apportioned positions, and due to requirements for veterans' preference, has a particularly harsh impact on the employment potential of women applicants. Apportionment also has a particularly harsh impact on the employment opportunities of the large minority population residing in the Washington area.