Senate panel votes to set up senior research corps at USDA

The Senate Agriculture Committee Wednesday passed a bill that would establish a Senior Scientific Research Service within the Agriculture Department personnel system. The measure was passed as part of the Emergency Agricultural Assistance Act of 2001 (S. 1246). The bill still requires Senate floor action. A House companion measure does not contain the provision. Some version of the bill is likely to be signed soon because it contains fiscal 2001 farm aid that must be distributed by Sept. 30, 2001. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the Senate Agriculture Committee's ranking member, has warned, however, that the bill's $7.4 billion price tag exceeds the $5.5 billion that the Bush administration wants to pay farmers to compensate them for low commodity prices and the President may veto the bill. According to the bill's language, candidates for the service would "have conducted outstanding research in the field of agriculture or forestry," earned a doctoral degree at an institution of higher education and meet the Office of Personnel Management's standards for appointment to a position at level GS-15 of the General Schedule. The Secretary of Agriculture could appoint no more than 100 people to serve as members of the service at any time. The bill also directs the Agriculture Secretary to develop a performance appraisal system for members of the service and says that the rate of pay must not be less than the minimum rate for a position at the GS-15 level, or not more than the rate payable for a position at Level I of the Executive Schedule, unless the rate is approved by the President. If a member of the service was an employee of an institution of higher education immediately prior to appointment and continues making contributions to the institution's retirement system, the Agriculture Secretary may contribute an amount not to exceed 10 percent of the basic pay of the member to that system. If the member chooses to remain in the higher education retirement system, he or she would not be covered or earn civil service credit.