Federal Emergency Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act
The Federal Emergency Mobilization Accountability (FEMA) Workforce Planning Act would require FEMA to created and maintain a formal workforce plan. The plan must be developed within one year after enactment and updated at least every three years. It must include detailed analyses of staffing needs, skills gaps, costs, recruitment and retention strategies, and how to deploy and train the Surge Capacity Force (FEMA’s reserve or surge workforce). The plan should also address efficiency, discrimination issues, and legislative proposals to improve recruitment and retention. A Comptroller General review would assess whether the plan meets requirements and provide recommendations within 180 days of plan submission. Importantly, the bill does not authorize new funds; FEMA would operate within existing resources to implement the plan.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a mandatory, regularly updated FEMA workforce plan due within one year of enactment and every three years thereafter, with submissions to key congressional committees.
- 2Requires the plan to follow leading practices from the Office of Personnel Management, the Comptroller General, and other Federal workforce sources; ensures the plan is evidence-based and aligned with best practices.
- 3Mandates extensive plan contents: performance measures, progress monitoring, barriers to meeting goals, detailed staffing by cadre and hiring authority, cost analyses, cost-efficiency strategies, and an assessment of gaps and future needs (including 3-year projections by region/office).
- 4Requires a comprehensive action plan to address gaps with specific recruitment/retention goals, training and deployment strategies, Surge Capacity Force development and deployment plans, anti-discrimination measures, and potential legislative proposals.
- 5Includes detailed reporting requirements on Surge Capacity Force participation, deployment data, attrition and tenure, discrimination/harassment issues and outcomes, and hiring timelines; followed by a GAO/Comptroller General review within 180 days of plan submission.
- 6No new funds are authorized for the Act; FEMA must implement the plan using existing resources.