The
United States Office of Personnel Management (
OPM) is an
independent agency of the United States governmentIndependent agencies of the United States federal government are those agencies that exist outside of the federal executive departments...
that manages the
civil serviceThe term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
of the federal government. The current Director is
John BerryMorrell John Berry is an American administrator and director of the United States Office of Personnel Management.Berry was born in Montgomery County, Maryland, to parents who worked for the federal government...
, and the nominee for Deputy Director is
Christine GriffinChristine M. Griffin is an American lawyer and acting vice chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In April 2009, she was nominated to be the deputy director of the United States Office of Personnel Management under John Berry...
.
OPM was originally founded as the
United States Civil Service CommissionThe United States Civil Service Commission was created by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which was passed into law on January 16, 1883. The commission was created to administer the civil service of the United States federal government in response to the assassination of President James...
by the
Pendleton Civil Service Reform ActThe Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 United States federal law established the United States Civil Service Commission, which placed most federal government employees on the merit system and marked the end of the so-called spoils system. The act provided for some government jobs to be...
of 1883. The commission was abolished and replaced by OPM on 1 January 1979 following the passage of the
Civil Service Reform Act of 1978The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, , reformed the civil service of the United States federal government.The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 abolished the U.S. Civil Service Commission and distributes its functions primarily among three agencies: the newly established Office of Personnel...
and Reorganization Plan No.
The
United States Office of Personnel Management (
OPM) is an
independent agency of the United States governmentIndependent agencies of the United States federal government are those agencies that exist outside of the federal executive departments...
that manages the
civil serviceThe term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
of the federal government. The current Director is
John BerryMorrell John Berry is an American administrator and director of the United States Office of Personnel Management.Berry was born in Montgomery County, Maryland, to parents who worked for the federal government...
, and the nominee for Deputy Director is
Christine GriffinChristine M. Griffin is an American lawyer and acting vice chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In April 2009, she was nominated to be the deputy director of the United States Office of Personnel Management under John Berry...
.
History
OPM was originally founded as the
United States Civil Service CommissionThe United States Civil Service Commission was created by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which was passed into law on January 16, 1883. The commission was created to administer the civil service of the United States federal government in response to the assassination of President James...
by the
Pendleton Civil Service Reform ActThe Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 United States federal law established the United States Civil Service Commission, which placed most federal government employees on the merit system and marked the end of the so-called spoils system. The act provided for some government jobs to be...
of 1883. The commission was abolished and replaced by OPM on 1 January 1979 following the passage of the
Civil Service Reform Act of 1978The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, , reformed the civil service of the United States federal government.The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 abolished the U.S. Civil Service Commission and distributes its functions primarily among three agencies: the newly established Office of Personnel...
and Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978 .
Function
The OPM is partially responsible for maintaining the appearance of independence and neutrality in the
Administrative LawAdministrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a branch of public law...
System. While technically the employees of the agencies they work for, Administrative Law Judges (or ALJs) are hired exclusively by the Office of Personnel Management, effectively removing any discretional employment procedures from the other agencies. The Office of Personnel Management uses a rigorous selection process which ranks the top three candidates for each ALJ vacancy, and then makes a selection from those candidates, generally awarding an extreme preference toward any United States veteran who is a candidate.
The OPM is also responsible for a large part of the management of security clearances(Federal Investigative Services Division aka FISD conducts these investigations) for the United States Government. Separate programs for each executive department have gradually been merged into a single, Government-wide clearance system. the OPM is responsible for investigating individuals to give them Secret and Top Secret clearances. SCI compartments, however, are still managed by the particular agency that uses that compartment.
Past directors
- (Acting) Kathie Ann Whipple 2009
- (Acting) Michael Hager 2008–2009
- Linda M. Springer
Linda M. Springer, the eighth Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management, was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate in June 2005.As OPM Director, Ms...
2005–2008
- Kay Coles James
thumb|Official photoKay Coles James is the President and Founder of the Gloucester Institute, a leadership training center for young African Americans. She was the director for the United States Office of Personnel Management. She was nominated by George W. Bush in 2001 and left in 2005...
2001–2005
- Constance Newman 1989–1993
- Constance Horner 1985–1989
- (Acting) Loretta Cornelius 1985
- Don Devine 1981–1985
- Alan Campbell
Alan or Allan Campbell may refer to:*Alan Campbell , former Republic of Ireland international footballer*Alan Campbell *Alan Campbell...
1979–1981
See also
- Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
- Federal Labor Relations Authority
The Federal Labor Relations Authority is an independent agency of the United States government that governs labor relations between the federal government and its employees....
- Hatch Act
The name Hatch Act is given to two unrelated pieces of United States federal legislation* The Hatch Act of 1887 created agricultural experiment stations....
- Presidential Management Fellows Program
The Presidential Management Fellows program is a prestigious two year paid government fellowship sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management for recent graduate students who seek a two year fellowship in a United States government agency. Selection begins with the nomination of the student...
- SHPS
SHPS is a healthcare and human resources services company, focusing on consumerism and wrap around services. The company headquarters are in Louisville, Kentucky...
- US Investigations Services
External links