The Foreign Service Journal, September 2008

demonstrated their support of the Foreign Service. The bill, originally offered and cham- pioned by Rep. Smith, would give entry- and mid-level Foreign Service members servingoverseas the same comparabilitypay adjustment afforded to colleagues assigned to the District of Columbia (the Senior Foreign Service began to receive this equal treatment several years ago). Thebillwould close one-thirdof the gap inOctober 2009, another third inOctober 2010, and the final third inOctober 2011. Thebill also increas- es the death gratuity for Foreign Service members killed overseas. AFSA has worked hard for many months toachieve this crucial success in the legislativeprocess. Even thoughmanypeo- ple (even some supporters) thought at the outset of this legislative session that no movement would be possible, H.R. 3202 nowhas been votedout of committee. By the end of July, it had 28 House co-spon- sors plus the full support of HFAC ChairmanBerman andRankingMember Ros-Lehtinen. In past years, AFSA sought to advance this issue as part of a larger State Department authorization bill. Uncertain that such a multi-issue bill would move this year, AFSA took on the difficult task of promoting a standalone bill. The fact that such legislation has now passed out of theHFAChighlights the fact that AFSA made significant inroads over the last year in isolating the problem, raising its pro- file and connecting directly with key law- makers. That said, there is still a difficult chal- lenge ahead. Tobecome law, the fullHouse and Senatemust pass the bill and the pres- ident must sign it. Many observers doubt that those steps can be accomplished dur- ing this election-shortened legislative year. However, AFSA is working to focus key decision makers on the fact that the ever- widening pay gapmust be fixednow; oth- erwise, it will only deepen. For example, testifying at a Senate subcommittee hear- ing on the StateDepartment staffing crisis in July, held just a fewhours after the com- mittee’s vote, AFSAPresident JohnNaland stressed the need for Congress to address this long-standingpaydisparity. AFSAwill not give upon this sessiondespite the long odds. For its part, the State Department has also restated its strong support for fixing the problem. At the same July Senate hearing, DirectorGeneralHarryK. Thomas Jr. tes- tified that Foreign Service compensation reform is one of the department’s top leg- islativepriorities. Hepointedout that both the pending Fiscal Year 2009 budget request and thedepartment’spendingFiscal Year 2008-2009authorizationpackage seek to end the overseas pay disparity. The administration continues to support fully closing the pay gap, albeit with a pay-for- performance component—amechanism that is not found in H.R. 3202. Findbackgroundmaterial on theAFSA Web site or contact LegislativeDirector Ian Houston for updated information. o NEWS FROM THE HILL AFSA Testifies on Staffing Crisis BY KIM HAYWARD, AFSA LEGISLATIVE STAFF O n July 16, the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management (part of the Committee on Homeland Security and GovernmentAffairs) examined thehuman capital crisis at the Department of State during a hearing titled “A Domestic CrisiswithGlobal Implications: Reviewing the Human Capital Crisis at the State Department.” AFSA President John Naland and Ambassador Ronald Neu- mann, president of theAmericanAcademy of Diplomacy, testified at the hearing, giv- ing their accounts of the current crisis and their recommendations for the foreignpol- icy challenges that the next administration will face. AmbassadorThomasBoyatt, pres- ident of the Foreign Affairs Council, pro- vided written testimony. Naland told the committee that the title for the hearing could not have been more accurate. He spelled out several of the fac- tors thathave ledtowhat isnowbeingcalled a crisis. These include significant vacancies inForeignServicepositionsworldwide, lack of sufficient training, increased dangers of overseas postings and a steady decline in morale. “Due to the mismatch between resources and requirements, hundreds of ForeignServicepositionsworldwidearenow vacant. … All together, 12percent of over- seas Foreign Service positions are now vacant.” Naland’s key emphasis was to urge the 110th Congress to reverse years of under- investmentintheForeignService. Increased funding is needed toaddress the significant staffing shortfall and to train career diplo- mats to conduct 21st-century diplomacy. “I am confident that my colleagues would welcome a ‘grandbargain’,”Naland stated, “that coupled a significant expansion of Foreign Service staffing with a strengthen- ing of their professional development sys- tem.” (Naland’sfulltestimonycanbefound online atwww.afsa.org/congress/071608tes timony.cfm.) Neumann, who most recently served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, rec- ognized the critical need for State Department reformto address the staffing crisis and the need for training through- out the Foreign Service career. He emphasized the Service’s need for addi- tional resources and training, especially as current foreign policy challenges cause it to be stretched thinner than ever. Amb. Boyatt’swrittentestimonyechoed those same sentiments. He stated: “These criticalchallengesandopportunitiescanonly be met effectively through a significantly more robust foreignaffairs capacity that fea- turesskilleddiplomatsandforeignassistance professionals.” ChairmanDanielAkaka,D- Hawaii, and ranking RepublicanMember Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, both strong supporters of the Foreign Service, sought to fullyunderstand theneeds of the Foreign Service as the United States faces ever-increasing foreign policy challenges abroad. o A F S A N E W S S E P T EMB E R 2 0 0 8 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 77 Pay Equity Act • Continued from page 69