The Introduction of the "Coninuity of Operations Demonstration Project Act"

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE "CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS DEMONSTRATION PROJECT ACT" -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 14, 2004)

SPEECH OF
HON. DANNY K. DAVIS
OF ILLINOIS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2004

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in the late 1990s, the Government Reform and Education and Workforce Committees, held oversight hearings to examine the barriers to telecommuting and federal agencies' development and promotion of telework programs. It was then thought that the primary benefits of telecommuting were reducing traffic congestion and pollution, improving recruitment and retention of employees, reducing the need for office space, increasing productivity, and improving the quality-of-life and morale of federal employees.

These continue to be compelling and valid reasons for implementing agencywide telework programs. Representative FRANK WOLF is to be commended for moving legislation that pushes agencies to increase the number of federal employees who telecommute.

Today, post 9-11, we are again holding hearings on telecommuting. We have another, very compelling reason to push federal agencies, and ourselves, to develop and implement the infrastructure and work processes necessary to support telecommuting. They are emergency preparedness and the continued threat of terrorism.

The question we must ask ourselves is this: In the event of an emergency, are we-this Committee, our staffs, and federal agencies-prepared to serve the American people, if in an emergency situation, our primary places of work are no longer available to us?

You only have to read the General Accounting Office's (GAO) April 2004 report entitled, "Human Capital: Opportunities to Improve Federal Continuity Planning Guidance," to know that the answer is no.
The GAO report notes that the government is better prepared to handle an emergency than it was before 9-11, but there is room for improvement. Federal agencies' continuity of operations plans (COOP) address securing the safety of all employees and responding to the needs of personnel performing essential operations, but essential personnel make up only a small portion of the total federal workforce.

Neither the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) nor the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agencies responsible for providing emergency preparedness guidance in COOP, have addressed workforce considerations related to the resumption of broader agency operations. While COOP efforts should give priority to the safety of all employees and address the needs of those who directly support essential operations, the resumption all other operations is crucial to achieving mission results and serving the American people.

The GAO report states that, "Given that the majority of employees would be associated with resumption efforts rather than essential operations, considering this segment of the organization is an important part of continuity planning." According to GAO, continuity efforts should be guided by two key workforce principles: the demonstration of sensitivity to individual employee needs and the maximization of all employees contributions to mission results.

I introduced H.R. 4797 to push agencies to do just that. The legislation would require the Chief Human Capital Officer Council to conduct and evaluate a 30-day demonstration project that broadly uses employees' contributions to an agency's operations from alternate work locations, including home. The outcome of the demonstration project would provide agencies and Congress with approaches to gaining flexibility and identifying work processes that should be addressed during an extended emergency situation.

This Congress experienced a prolonged emergency situation when, in 2001, congressional office buildings were closed from 2 weeks to 3 months due to the threat of anthrax contamination. Congressional staff stayed home, or they were hastily relocated to nearby federal office buildings. A Congressional Research Report on congressional continuity of operations stated that although alternate office accommodations were in place, office computer and hard copy files in the closed offices, in many cases, were inaccessible.

The number and types of potential emergency interruptions are unknown and we must be prepared, in advance of an incident, with the work processes and infrastructure needed to reestablish agency operations.

In a world where anything is possible, we must be prepared for all the possibilities.

ACT APPLAUDS EFFORTS TO ENSURE CONTINUITY OF FEDERAL OPERATIONS THROUGH TELEWORKING

The Association for Commuter Transportation applauds Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL) in his effort to ensure continuity of Federal operations in the event of an emergency, natural or manmade, by making effective use of telecommuting. The legislation introduced today by Congressman Davis will show that establishing effective telework programs for the Federal Workforce will allow for continuity of federal operations in the event of an emergency.

The events of September 11th showed us that the Federal government needs to be better prepared to operate in the event of an emergency. However, an act of terror is not the only event that prevents the federal government from operating effectively. Recent events such as the anthrax incident, the tractor incident, numerous weather related events, and the events surrounding the passing of former President Reagan have all but shut down the National Capital Region. Despite this fact, the government has a need to function day to day processes even in the event of an emergency.

ACT feels that the legislation introduced today will serve as a test bed on how to operate in the event of such emergencies and provide a pilot for emergency preparedness in the context of natural disasters in other regions as well. The legislation will leave us better prepared to face the next event, and will also highlight the many benefit of telecommuting and will teach us what we need to do better.

ACT urges the Government Reform Committee and the full Congress to pass this legislation into law. We believe that the Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, Tom Davis (R-VA) is true champion of teleworking and we hope that he will align himself with this legislation.

ACT looks forward to working with Congress and with Congressmen Danny Davis (D-IL) and Tom Davis (R-VA) to see passage of this important bill.

The members of ACT represent a broad coalition of organizations-from major private-sector businesses and institutions to transportation agencies-but we all have one thing in common ..... We are all working cooperatively to make transportation work better by making it more efficient and less costly. ACT members understand that addressing the nation's transportation challenges requires investment in a comprehensive multi-faceted approach-not just the way we build our transportation systems, but the way we use our transportation system. Through programs and services that enhance and promote real transportation choices, ACT members and their partners are developing innovative solutions designed to ensure personal mobility, maximize the performance, security and safety of transportation facilities.