Evening star., 1943-02-27
0'Mahoney Drafts Bill
To Control Policy Jobs,
Protect Merit System
Plans to Offer Substitute
Monday Defining Posts
Requiring Confirmation
BY J. A. OLEARY,

Senator OMahoney, Democrat, OF
Wyoming is preparing to offer il
the Judiciary Committee Monday a
substitute for the McKellar bill
which he believes will enable the
Senate to confirm policy-making
officials Of the Government with
out weakening the civil service
merit system.
AS originally introduced by Sena-
tor McKellar, Democrat, OF Tennes-
see, the bill sought to require Senate
confirmation of all persons in the
Government receiving $4,000 or more
but subcommittee that held hear
ings modified it several days ago to
exclude all incumbents appointed
prior to January l, 1896.
Senator Wheeler, Democrat, of
Montana, leading advocate of the
Mcclellan measure in the committee,
asserted today, however, that he
does not believe efforts to limit the
bill to "policy-making" jobs will be
satisfactory because of the difficulty
of defining who are and who are
not policy makers.
Date Would Spare Many.
The January l, 1886, date would
save from the confirmation require
ment many of the veteran employees
OF old-line agencies who have
reached the $4,000 salary level, but
would not 60 as far as the
O'Mahoney substitute in exempting
those in the classified civil service
from the bill.
Indications, therefore, are that
the main battle in the committee
Monday will be over whether to con-
fine the bill more directly to policy
making jobs. Explaining his substi-
tute today, Senator O'Mahoney said
MY judgment is that whatever
bill is passed should not endanger
the merit system. We don't want
to tear down the civil service struc-
ture. Therefore, the constitutional
process Of confirmation should be
exercised, not with respect to ap-
pointments heretofore put under
civil service, but only to those ap-
pointed without regard to civil
service and who exercise a directing
power with respect to policy"
Senator O'Mahoney cited regional
and State directors of various Fed
eral agencies, and heads of divisions
or bureaus, as examples of what he
regards as policy-making jobs. He
said he would try over the week
end to write definition that would
require confirmation of all such Jobs,
regardless of salary in place of the
arbitrary $4,000 salary yardstick In
the original bill.
Would Screen" Policy Makers.
He said he did not believe the
policy-making jobs should be put
into politics, but that they should
be screened through" the Senate
for confirmation as means of
giving Congress an opportunity to
know who are the policy makers in
the Government.
Under his substitute, Senator
O'Mahoney said, all those appointed
IN accordance with civil service laws
after competitive examination would
be exempt. He would exempt also
appointments in the FBI and any
whose compensation is paid from
White House appropriations, so that
the Senate would not pass on the
administrative assistants given the
President. under the reorganization
program several years ago.
In recent years, Senator OMa-
honey said, Congress has authorized
appointments without regard to
civil service because it recognized
the need for speed in organizing
staf1s for war agencies. The Civil
Service Commission, he said, has
been consulted in obtaining such
personnel, but they do not acquire
civil service status.