James Comer: “Extending the probationary period is not a new idea. Federal manager groups have advocated for an extended probationary…”

“Extending the probationary period is not a new idea. Federal manager groups have advocated for an extended probationary period for more than a decade. The Government Accountability Office completed a study on the probationary period in February of 2015. In that study, chief human capital officers told GAO a longer probationary period could help supervisors make a performance assessment for those occupations that are particularly complex or difficult to assess. GAO also recommended considering, ``extending the supervisory probationary period beyond 1 year to include at least 1 full employee appraisal cycle.'' As far back as 2005, the Merit Systems Protection Board completed a study and recommended longer probationary periods when an agency deems it necessary to fully evaluate a probationer. It is not necessary to wait for more studies on this issue. This amendment strikes the entire bill, meaning the current probationary period would remain the same and the problems that GAO and others have identified would persist. This amendment undermines the entire purpose of the bill, which is to allow managers' employees more time to conduct a fair and complete assessment of probationary Federal employees. Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.”