George Voinovich: “in this important debate on the Fiscal Year 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, I am deeply disappointed that the…”

“in this important debate on the Fiscal Year 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, I am deeply disappointed that the Parliamentarian has ruled irrelevant the amendment which Senator Collins and I planned to offer. Our amendment would establish the National Security Personnel System for the more than 700,000 civilian employees of the Department of Defense. The impact of the parliamentarian's ruling is that the Senate will be silent on one of the most substantial modifications to civil service law in the last 25 years. This is most unfortunate. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this amendment should be considered by the Senate--if for no other reason than the House of Representatives has already acted on a similar measure. Both the House Government Reform Committee and the House Armed Services Committee approved a version of the National Security Personnel System, and it will be included in the Defense Authorization Act that the House sends to Conference. I remind my colleagues that a new human resources management system for the Department of Defense will emerge from Conference. It will be one in which the Senate as a whole has had no voice, and the first time this chamber votes on it will be during the final passage of the Defense Authorization Act later this year. This is regrettable.”