Evening star., 1932-01-24
Early Hearing Indicated for
Brookhart Measure for
Review of Cases.
COMMITTEE EXPECTED
TO MEET WITHIN WEEK
Proposed Retirement System for
Legislative Employees Also to
Be Considered.

The Brookhart bill to set up board
of civil service appeals, to which Gov
ernment employees or department heads
could 60 for review of questions relat-
ing to efficiency ratings, transfers, re-
ductionS or diSmisSalS, and a bill tc
establish retirement system for en-
ployeS in the legislative branch of the
Government, probably will be amont
the first measures considered by tho
Senate Civil Service Committee at thE
session
Senator Dale, Republican, of Yer
mont, chairman of the committee, sale
yesterday the committee would hold 1t;
first meeting of the session soon, prob
ably within week. =
Although bills have been introduced
in the Senate by Senator Borah of
Idaho, proposing salary cuts for mem
bers of Congress, cabinet members anc
other Government employees who re-
ceive $4,000 or more, they are not before
the Civil Service Committee, having
been referred to the Appropriations
Committee That committee has not
yet considered them.
Changes Made in Bill.
Senator Brookhart, Republican, of
Iowa, has made several changes in the
Civil Service Board of Appeals bill since
he originally proposed it at the last
session. The proposed board would
consist of three members, not more
than two of whom would be from the
same political party and one OF whom
would be a woman. They would be ap-
pointed by the President and confirmed
by the Senate, at salaries of $4,000 a
year.
The bill would abolish the Personnel
Classification Board and transfer its
records to the Civil Service Commission.
One of the new features of the bill this
year is that it would add two members
to the Civil Service Commission, one OF
whom would be woman.
Whenever department head or en-
ploye believes position is not prop
erly allocated, application may be made
to the personnel commissioners. After
the commission renders it's decision
either the department head or the en-
ploye would have go DAYS in which to
appeal to the Board of Civil Service
Appeals. The employe would be en-
titled to be represented by counsel at
the hearing. The action OF the board
would be final.
The bill also would establish uni
form system of efficiency rating. with
lOuI EIOupop as lOAiOWo' =
to 100; good, 80 to SO; fair, IS TO 10,
and inefficient, below IS.
Basis for Increases.
A rating above go would not be re-
garded as inefficient for employees eligi-
Bile to retire within five years, or those
entitled to military preference on &C
count of disability. The efficiency rat
ings would be used as the basis for
increases.
Questions relating to reduction in
compensation within grade, transfer
to lower grade and dismissals for in
efficiency also would be subject to ap-
peals to the proposed new board 1t Is
also provided that appeals by employees
shall be without prejudice to them.
A separate bill is pending in the COM
mittee to establish a retirement system
for employees in the legislative branch
of the Government on Capitol Hill, who
are not under the present civil service
retirement law.
Senator Brookhart also has pending
in the Civil Service Committee bill to
provide for a five-day week for labor
ers, helpers, skilled and semt-skilled
workmen, mechanics, drafting group
and other technicians employed in con-
nection with work performed by the
skilled trades, and supervisors Of such
employees, exclusive of the postal serv-
ice, in the Federal and District Govern
mentS