Recognizing the Homeland Security Department on Its Sixth Anniversary
Floor Speech
RECOGNIZING THE HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT ON ITS SIXTH ANNIVERSARY -- (House of Representatives - March 04, 2009)
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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security who work diligently to secure our Nation.
I'm proud to introduce this resolution with Congressman Chris Carney, chairman of the Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, on which I serve as ranking member.
Chairman CARNEY, I look forward to working with you this Congress, and I think our subcommittee is getting off to a great start by having this resolution on the floor today.
I also want to thank Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member King, and the other members of the Committee on Homeland Security who joined as cosponsors of my resolution.
My district is home to many of the department's employees, including Transportation Security officers, Customs and Border Protection officers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and Coast Guardsmen. I thank them for the work they do day in and day out to ensure that Florida, and our Nation, is secure.
These employees often do not receive the recognition they deserve. The fact that our Nation has not been attacked since September 11, 2001, is due to their tireless efforts. They work long hours, often sacrificing time with their loved ones, to get the job done.
In 2006 the Department of Homeland Security ranked nearly last in the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Human Capital Survey, showing overwhelming employee dissatisfaction and low morale. Since that time the department, under former Secretary Chertoff's leadership, has worked to address these issues, and I'm pleased to report their efforts are paying off.
The Office of Personnel Management recently released the results of the 2008 Federal Human Capital Survey, and the department showed improvement in nearly every category of the survey, ranking in the top five of most improvement among Federal agencies. The largest increase came in the job satisfaction indices, evidencing a much-needed increase in employee morale.
This is great news, but more work needs to be done, Mr. Speaker. The department will now use the results of this survey to further improve working conditions at the department and within its components. As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, I look forward to working with the department and Chairman Carney to address the concerns of the employees, improve morale, and foster a ``one DHS'' culture, so very important. The department's employees deserve nothing less, in my opinion.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in honoring the hardworking men and women of the Department of Homeland Security by supporting this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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