A Senate committee on Wednesday passed legislation to make public a list of senior executives and political appointees in government, with advocates saying it will bring new transparency to federal agency leadership.
The 2020 Periodically Listing Updates to Management (PLUM) Act seeks to model and repurpose the Plum Book, a listing published every four years of more than 9,000 government positions subject to noncompetitive appointment. The bill, approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday, would require the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration to maintain the list on a publicly available site with monthly updates displaying the names of individuals holding each position. The posting would include Senate-confirmed presidentially appointed positions, other appointees and non-career members of the Senior Executive Service.
The online publication would also include GS-14s and above appointed through non-competitive means due to the “policy-determining nature of the position duties.” OPM’s website would include the individuals’ agency, position, pay system, salary and other information, including whether the position is vacant.
“It’s pretty simple: the American people deserve to know who is serving at the highest levels of our government,” said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who introduced the measure. “The individuals who fill these positions are often making consequential decisions that affect the lives of millions, and it is just common sense that the public should be able to more easily find out who the president—in any administration—has appointed to make those decisions.”
The bill would require OPM to establish an easily searchable website for the information and, in conjunction with the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office, ensure the accuracy of information twice per year. Currently, the Plum Book is published o ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
