Federal diary

Federal employees may not recognize the name Samuel J. Heyman, yet he was their very good friend.

Though he might be better known as a shrewd entrepreneur and chairman of the GAF Corp., in many ways he was one with Frankie and Flo Fed, and not just because he was a Justice Department lawyer early in his career.

Heyman died Saturday at age 70. Among his lasting legacies is the Partnership for Public Service, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that focuses on conditions affecting the federal workforce. He founded the partnership in 2001 and was its chairman.

He was a "hard-driving businessman" who was equally devoted to his family and committed to improving government service, said Joel Fleishman, professor of law and public policy at Duke University and a member of the partnership's board of trustees.

Fleishman said Heyman's devotion to public service stemmed from his realization that college graduates "just weren't going into government," as they did when he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1963. "They had come to feel that government was not a place where they could be effective," said Fleishman, who worked with Heyman on the research that led to the partnership.

To help government become a place where prospective and current employees would feel more welcome, the partnership developed numerous programs. One of the best known is the "Best Places to Work" rankings of government agencies. Bosses at the agencies really do pay attention to the rankings that draw on the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Human Capital Survey. At the partnership's urging, that survey now will be done annually rather than every other year.

Public Service Recognition Week and Service to America Medals are partnership programs that draw attention to the fine work of many civil servants. The partnership also tries to improve government recruiting through a large, annual jobs fair and continuing efforts to improve the federal hiring process.

Heyman "believed in the power of good government and the power of talent," said Max Stier, the partnership's president and chief executive.

Job help for veterans

Just in time for Veterans Day on Wednesday, President Obama signed an executive order Monday evening that establishes the Veterans Employment Initiative for the Executive Branch. A White House statement said the order is designed to impress upon federal agencies the importance of recruiting and training veterans, which Obama hopes will increase their employment.

"But this initiative is about more than repaying our debt for their courageous service and selfless sacrifice," Obama said. "It's also about continuing to fill the ranks of federal employees with men and women who possess the skills, dedication, and sense of duty that Americans deserve from their public servants. And few embody those qualities like our nation's veterans."

The order establishes an interagency Council on Veterans Employment to advise the White House and veterans employment programs in many agencies. Those programs will help veterans find jobs and assist those recently employed to readjust to civilian life.

Burrowers, beware

It may soon get much harder for political appointees to "burrow" into their agencies at any time -- not just during presidential election years.

Currently, agencies must only seek permission from the Office of Personnel Management to move a political appointee into a career job during a presidential election year. But starting Jan. 1, OPM will have to approve every transfer of a current or recent political appointee into a career position. The order came in a memo issued late last week by OPM Director John Berry.

By burrowing, political officials earn civil service job protections that make it difficult for managers to remove them. The practice may also deprive an incoming presidential administration of a chance to name its preferred candidates to top jobs.

But in his memo, Berry said "I believe we must hold ourselves and the government to a higher standard, one that honors and supports the president's strong commitment to a government that is transparent and open. OPM's responsibility to uphold the merit system is not limited to presidential election years nor to competitive service appointments."

"While political appointees may not be excluded from consideration for federal jobs because of their political affiliation, they must not be given preference or special advantages," Berry said. Agency requests will be reviewed by OPM's career senior executives.

A 2008 Congressional Research report confirmed that burrowing normally occurs during a presidential transition. Forty-seven Clinton administration appointees stayed put, while the Bush administration approved at least 20 such personnel moves in 2008.

Staff writer Ed O'Keefe contributed to this column.