Connolly looks to block OPM merger in NDAA

An amendment from Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) to the National Defense Authorization Act would block the planned merger of the Office of Personnel Management into the General Services Administration.

Floor debate is expected on the measure, which was co-sponsored by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) More than 400 amendments were deemed in order by the House Rules Committee, setting up one of the busiest NDAA debates in recent memory.

The amendment, the latest of Connolly's multiple legislative efforts to block the OPM merger, would prevent the president or other officials from merging or consolidating or transferring programs, authorities, personnel, record or fund from OPM to GSA or the Executive Office of the President. Part of the merger plan calls for the establishment of a White House-based personnel policy office.

Another amendment from Connolly and Beyer would require the government to furnish Congress with regular updates on security clearances, the size of the backlog of individuals awaiting investigations and the average length of time for processing.

Also on the workforce front, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) has an amendment that would allow federal employees furloughed or not getting paid as a result of a government shutdown to make enrollment changes in their Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan insurance.