OPM tells agencies to keep politics out of personnel decisions

The 2004 presidential election season is heating up and the Office of Personnel Management has issued its customary warning to agencies to ensure that political pressure does not enter into the personnel decision-making process.

In a March 19 memo sent to the heads of federal agencies, OPM Director Kay Coles James said federal managers should not allow their hiring practices to be influenced by their political leanings. She said also OPM would be paying close attention to political appointees who attempt to extend their stay in the civil service.

"I wish to remind all agency heads of the need to ensure that agency personnel actions remain free of political influence or other improprieties and meet all relevant civil service laws, rules, and regulations," James said. "All official personnel records should clearly document the continued adherence with federal merit principles and remain free of any prohibited personnel practices."

The memo also included guidelines for transferring political appointments to competitive federal jobs and the rules for issuing awards to political appointees.

In the past, OPM chiefs have warned agency heads to watch out for political appointees who attempt to become career civil servants shortly before a presidential election in an attempt to remain in the executive branch-a practice known as "burrowing in." In the two years before the 2000 election, almost 60 political appointees converted their status to career civil service, according to the GAO. The practice is not banned, but it raises some eyebrows because it could prevent the advancement of a career civil servant, and introduces the possibility of political favoritism in the hiring process.

The OPM chief regularly issues the impartiality warnings and hiring directives before a presidential election season. The directives prohibit agencies from converting political appointments and SES appointments to competitive career civil service positions without review and approval by the OPM. The General Accounting Office has in the past investigated election year personnel moves, but has not uncovered any major scandals.