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National Partnership for Reinventing Government
An Information Sheet for Federal Communicators,Managers, Workers, and Their Partners--Pass It On
At a ceremony on the White House south lawn on September 7th, Vice President Gore presented President Clinton with a report describing what federal workers have accomplished in the second year of reinventing government. "The entire government
has been doing the hard work of changing," Gore told 100 special guests from the private sector and government, including federal workers mentioned in the report.
"We are moving rapidly toward the day when you will be able to go into every office of the federal government and come away being able to tell your family, I noticed a difference today. Something has changed. We're getting better service, and it's
costing less.'"
"Common Sense Government: Works Better & Costs Less," NPR's third report, highlights significant progress made by federal agencies since the initial report was issued exactly two years earlier.
Accepting the report, President Clinton said, "There's nothing quite like our reinvention progress in the history of modern American government." He
thanked federal employees for their contributions, noting "...they have worked very, very hard at this difficult job, and they have done it remarkably well."
Here Are Report Highlights
- A large majority of NPR's original recommendations are implemented or underway.
- More than 200 agencies have published customer service standards.
- Federal workers have created more than 200 reinvention labs to test new approaches.
- Agencies have formed more than 400 labor-management partnerships with their
unions.
- $58 billion of NPR's $108 billion in savings proposed in 1993 are already banked.
- Agencies have put in place $10 billion in reinvention savings beyond earlier
proposals.
- Federal employment has dropped more than 160,000; reductions are nearly one year
ahead of schedule.
- Federal workers are sending 16,000 pages of obsolete regulations to the scrap heap
and reworking 31,000 more pages, of 86,000 pages of regulations reviewed.
- Reduced regulatory and administrative burdens will save the public nearly $28 billion.
- Agencies are closing nearly 2,000 field offices.
- Congress has enacted 36 NPR-related laws, including the biggest procurement
streamlining bill ever, with a second in progress.
The report is on Internet. Send e-mail message to almanac@ace.esusda.gov, then type send npr-progress catalog in the body. The World Wide Web address is http://www.npr.gov/.
VARIATIONS ON A THEME
The NPR annual report is sprinkled with anecdotal evidence to support the theme that
government is indeed changing. Here are a few of the reinventing government subplots:
- CUTTING RED TAPE: Small Business Administration in San Antonio has instituted a fast-track application procedure for loans up to $100,000. Now a simple one-page form is used and the entire process takes three days. Compare that to the earlier 78-page application process and 90-day review. Obsolete regulations are being scrapped, and
pointless paperwork eliminated. SBA contact is Rodney Martin at (210) 229-5900.
- CUTTING BACK TO BASICS: Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Parsippany, New Jersey began reducing penalties by 10 percent if the hazard
is fixed while the compliance officer is present. This policy has been adopted nationwide. OSHA contact is Nelson Reyneri at (202) 219-7725.
- GETTING RESULTS THROUGH EMPOWERED EMPLOYEES: The Defense Personnel Support Center (DPSC) in Philadelphia uses its buying power to get terrific
prices on food, clothing and medicine for millions of military and civilian customers. Using one-stop electronic catalog and advanced electronic ordering technologies, the system delivers needed goods within hours. Before the employee-led reinvention, DPSC's warehouses were overcrowded with items for eventual use...with delivery times measured in months. DPSC contact is Mae DeVincentis at (215)
737-8482.
- PUTTING CUSTOMERS FIRST: Dial 1-800-772-1213 and you are connecting with the best provider of telephone customer service according to a survey conducted by Dalbar Financial Services. Who is it? It s Social Security Administration s hotline, and
they are tops for their courteous, knowledgeable and efficient service--beating out the private sector. SSA contact is Jack McHale at (410) 966-7758.
THIS JUST IN...FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO RECEIVE TRANSITION ASSISTANCE
On September 12th, President Clinton issued a memorandum directing the heads of departments and agencies to establish programs to provide career transition assistance to their displaced employees.
The programs will be developed in partnership with labor and management including collaborating with state, local and other federal employers. The programs will also establish policies for retraining displaced employees and selecting well-qualified
displaced employees to other positions in the federal government.
The President took this action because "We owe a tremendous debt to federal employees who have devoted their careers to public service. Many of these employees have been or are likely to be separated from federal service as we downsize the
government."
Vice President Gore added, "We owe a special thanks to the people who have really made reinventing government work. The real heroes of reinvention are the men and women of the federal government at every rung on the ladder, the folks who work where the rubber meets the road. They have buckled down and made the downsizing process
possible, and now they need our support. We will provide it to them as they take their talents and training to other parts of the federal government or to the private sector."
For more information, contact Pat Wood or Steve Earle, National Performance Review, 750-17th St., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 632-0150; FAX: (202) 632-0390; email: pat.wood@npr.gsa.gov.