The Federal Hiring Process Improvement Act, I think, will help agencies and job applicants by eliminating the barriers for applying for Federal employment.

Well, it seems to me that if you are looking at the programs, that this cost-benefit should be really looked at.

I look forward to finalizing that bill and to learning about other ways Congress can support work-life programs.

The wages we pay our Federal employees are not subject to collective bargaining. We set that by the statute and that is what it is.

Of all the things that people talk to me about today, they are interested in their job, and they are really worried about where our Federal Government is going in terms of spending.

The Federal Government spends, on average, $100,571 per employee for salary and benefits.

So we can't do that on kind of a pilot basis?

This type of strategic innovation is exactly what Senator Akaka and I hoped would result when we created the Chief Human Capital Officers Council 8 years ago.

I was a little bit disappointed at the look at that at the John F. Kennedy School.

During his confirmation process, I challenged Director John Berry to lead by example and make the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) an employer of choice among Federal agencies.

I think it is important that we examine the extent to which the Federal Government's work-life policies support our need to recruit and retain highly qualified individuals.

Senator Voinovich, I think you, as usual, hit the nail on the head in terms of the lens through which we need to be viewing this.