Congressional Public Service Caucus

The Congressional Public Service Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral Member organization committed to building public and congressional support for a well-trained, high-performing federal workforce and advancing policies that will help the government attract and retain talented Americans.

The goal of the Congressional Public Service Caucus is to ensure that lawmakers have the information they need to develop sound policy on federal workforce issues. The Caucus hosts programs of interest to both Members and Congressional staff in order to provide an opportunity for them to exchange ideas on these important issues and allow Members to demonstrate their commitment to a world-class civil service.

Caucus Members

Senator Daniel Akaka (Co-Chair, D-HI)
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Representative Tim Bishop (D-NY)
Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX)
Representative Dan Burton (R-IN)
Representative Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN)
Representative Danny K. Davis (Co-Chair, D-IL)
Representative Tom Davis (Co-Chair, R-VA)
Representative Thelma Drake (R-VA)
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Representative Steny Hoyer (Co-Chair, D-MD)
Representative Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Senator Joseph Lieberman (Co-Chair, ID-CT)
Representative Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
Representative John McHugh (R-NY)
Representative Michael McNulty (D-NY)
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Representative Jim Moran (D-VA)
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
Representative James Oberstar (D-MN)
Representative Thomas Petri (R-WI)
Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
Representative Jon Porter (R-NV)
Representative Adam H. Putnam (R-FL)
Representative Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD)
Representative Christopher Shays (R-CT)
Representative Adam Smith (D-WA)
Senator Ted Stevens (Co-Chair, R-AK)
Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Senator George V. Voinovich (Co-Chair, R-OH)
Representative Jim Walsh (R-NY)
Senator John Warner (R-VA)
Representative Henry Waxman (Co-Chair, D-CA)
Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Representative Frank Wolf (Co-Chair, R-VA)

Caucus Events

The Caucus holds events to keep Members and staff engaged and up to date on federal workforce issues. Highlights include:

Meeting the Intelligence Workforce Gap
Caucus staff members participated in a briefing on November 6th, 2007, entitled “Meeting the Intelligence Workforce Gap.” The briefing was sponsored by “Security for a New Century”, a bipartisan study group for Congress affiliated with the Henry L. Stimson Center, and featured Tom Fox, Director of the Annenberg Leadership Institute at the Partnership for Public Service, and Ronald Sanders, Chief Human Capital Officer at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.  The speakers discussed the state of the intelligence workforce, current efforts to recruit, train and retain new talent, and the need to measure progress in these areas.

Best Places to Work Briefing
The Congressional Public Service Caucus hosted a briefing on the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government  on May 9, 2007. The briefing was held during Public Service Recognition Week (May 7-11, 2007) and provided congressional staff with a unique window into federal agencies and the factors that drive employee satisfaction.  
 
Max Stier from the Partnership for Public Service presented the Best Places data which is based on the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Human Capital Survey. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion with representatives from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Social Security Administration and the Department of State.  
 
The Best Places rankings provide Members of Congress and the general public with unprecedented insight into federal agencies and what the people who work in those agencies say about leadership, mission and effectiveness. Ideally, the Best Places rankings can aid Congress in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities by highlighting the federal government’s high-performing agencies and raising a red flag when agencies suffer from conditions that lead to low employee engagement and poor performance.  
 
For more information about the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings, you can visit bestplacestowork.org.

Foreign Language Briefing
In May of 2006, the Partnership invited Caucus members and their staffs to a forum entitled, “Securing the Nation: Recruiting and Retaining Critical Foreign Language Skills in the Federal Government.” Senator Daniel Akaka gave opening remarks and Partnership President Max Stier moderated a panel which included Dr. Laura K. Murray, ODNI Senior Language Officer, Dr. Robert Slater, National Security Education Program Director, and Dr. Galal Walker, Director of the National East Asian Languages Resource Center at The Ohio State University. The event generated a new exchange of ideas around increasing America’s foreign language capabilities.

Welcome Back Happy Hour
On February 1st, 2006, the Partnership for Public Service and the Federal Managers Association co-sponsored a happy hour event for caucus staff covering federal workforce and management issues.

9/11 Commission Report Discussion
On September 9th, 2004, the Partnership held an event for the Congressional Public Caucus called “Conversation on the Federal Workforce and the 9/11 Commission Report” to discuss human capital challenges implicit in the Commission findings. Commission member Rep. Timothy Roemer addressed staff and Members present about the importance of investing in training, development, resources, and people.

Caucus Launch Event
On March 3rd, 2004, the Partnership hosted a reception to celebrate the launch of the Congressional Public Service Caucus. Held in the United States Capitol Building, more than 100 people attended the event, including many Members of Congress and their aides. Samuel J. Heyman, the Partnership's founder, opened the reception by ticking off the achievements that have been made in the area of civil service reform and recruitment and expressing his satisfaction with the strides made.

Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), George Voinovich (R-OH), Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL), Jo Ann Davis (R-VA), Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) – all original Caucus co-chairs – as well as Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James and Clay Johnson, Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget, discussed the importance of the Caucus and its agenda for the coming year.

Those who addressed the group commended the bipartisan efforts that have occurred up to now on behalf of the federal force and identified ways in which they can work together to achieve more. “We've come a long way,” said Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), “but we still have work to do.”

 

© 2007 Partnership for Public Service