Legislative History

Legislative History of Civil Service Reform in America

1881: President James Garfield is assassinated by a disgruntled office seeker who sought to take advantage of the patronage system
- Vice President Chester A. Arthur becomes the 21st President

1883: Congress enacts the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
- 1883-1979: The U.S. Civil Service Commission (CSC) oversees the federal service system

1976: Jimmy Carter campaigns on civil service reform, wins the presidency

1977: Carter Administration officials submit recommendations for civil service reform and reorganization via the U.S. Personnel Management Project

1978: Congress debates the Civil Service Reform Act
- March 3, 1978: Congressmen Robert N.C. Nix (D-Pa.) and Edward J. Derwinski (R-Ill.) introduce H.R. 11280
- March 3, 1978: Senators Abraham Ribicoff (D-Conn.) and Charles H. Percy (R-Ill.) introduce S. 2640
- March-May 1978: The House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service holds 13 days of hearings, hears testimony from over 200 witnesses, and conducts 10 mark-up sessions (Serial No. 95-65; Committee Print No. 95-13)
  - Mar. 14, 1978
  - Mar. 21, 1978
  - Apr. 4, 1978
  - Apr. 5, 1978
  - Apr. 6, 1978
  - Apr. 11, 1978
  - Apr. 12, 1978
  - Apr. 28, 1978
  - May 8, 1978
  - May 12, 1978
  - May 15, 1978
  - May 22, 1978
  - May 23, 1978
- April-June 1978: The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee holds 12 days of hearings and a number of field hearings (Senate Hearings on S. 2640)
  - Apr. 6, 1978
  - Apr. 7, 1978
  - Apr. 10, 1978
  - Apr. 12, 1978
  - Apr. 13, 1978
  - Apr. 19, 1978
  - Apr. 20, 1978
  - Apr. 27, 1978
  - May 3, 1978
  - May 4, 1978
  - May 5, 1978
  - May 9, 1978
  - Civil Service Reform Field Hearing, Chicago, Ill. (Apr. 16, 1978)
  - Civil Service Reform Field Hearing, Rock Island, Ill. (May 31, 1978)
  - Civil Service Reform Field Hearing, Springfield, Ill. (June 1, 1978)
  - Civil Service Reform Field Hearing, East St. Louis, Ill. (June 2, 1978)
  - Senate Hearings on S. 2640 (June 1978) (Appendix)
- June-July 1978: The House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service marks up H.R. 11280
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (June 21, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (June 22, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (June 23, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (June 28, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (June 29, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (July 11, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (July 12, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (July 13, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (July 17, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on H.R. 11280 (July 19, 1978)
- May-June 1978: The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee marks up S. 2640
  - Mark-Up Session on S. 2640 (May 22, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on S. 2640 (June 7, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on S. 2640 (June 8, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on S. 2640 (June 12, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on S. 2640 (June 13, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on S. 2640 (June 14, 1978)
  - Mark-Up Session on S. 2640 (June 29, 1978)
- May 23, 1978: The Carter Administration submits to Congress Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978
  - House Hearings on Reorganization Plan No. 2 (June 6, 13, 15, 1978)
  - House Report No. 95-1396 (July 26, 1978) (Report on Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978)
  - Senate Report No. 95-1049 (July 28, 1978) (Report on Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978)
- July 10, 1978: The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee reports S. 2640 by a vote of 11-2
  - Senate Report No. 95-969 (July 10, 1978)
- July 19, 1978: The House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service report H.R. 11280 by a vote of 18-7
  - House Report No. 95-1403 (July 31, 1978)
- Sept. 1978: Senate-House conferences reconcile the two bills
  - Senate-House Conference on S. 2640 (Sept. 18, 1978)
  - Senate-House Conference on S. 2640 (Sept. 25, 1978)
  - Senate-House Conference on S. 2640 (Sept. 26, 1978)
  - Senate-House Conference on S. 2640 (Sept. 27, 1978)
  - Senate-House Conference on S. 2640 (Sept. 28, 1978)
  - Senate-House Conference on S. 2640 (Oct. 3, 1978)
  - Senate Conference Report No. 95-1272 (Oct. 4, 1978)
  - House Conference Report No. 95-1717 (Oct. 5, 1978)
- Oct. 13, 1978: Congress enacts the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978

1985-89: Congress debates the Whistleblower Protection Act
- Serial No. 99-19 (May, June, 1985)
- Serial No. 99-54 (Feb. 20-21, 1986)
- House Report No. 99-859 (Sept. 22, 1986)
- Serial No. 100-6 (Mar. 10, 1987)
- Senate Hearing No. 100-422 (July 20, 31, 1987)
- House Report No. 100-274 (Aug. 5, 1987)
- Full Committee Markup on S. 508 (May 19, 1988)
- Senate Report No. 100-413 (July 6, 1988)
- Apr. 10, 1989: Congress enacts the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989

1990: Congress amends the CSRA of 1978 to extend protections to employees in the excepted service
- Aug. 17, 1990: Congress enacts the Civil Service Due Process Amendments

1992-94: Congress debates an update to the WPA of 1989
- Senate Hearing No. 102-748 (May 13, 1992)
- Senate Report No. 102-416 (Sep. 22, 1992)
- Serial No. 103-6 (Mar. 31, 1993)
- Serial No. 103-19 (Aug. 31, 1993)
- Senate Report No. 103-358 (Aug. 23, 1994)
- Serial No. 103-21 (Sep. 14, 1993)
- House Report No. 103-769 (Sep. 30, 1994)
- Oct. 29, 1994: Congress enacts H.R. 2970, An Act to Reauthorize the Office of Special Counsel, and for Other Purposes

2001-02: Congress debates the No FEAR Act
- House Report No. 107-101(I) (June 14, 2001)
- Senate Report No. 107-143 (Apr. 15, 2002)
- May 15, 2002: Congress enacts the No FEAR Act of 2002

2001-12: Congress debates the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act
- Past attempts to strengthen the WPA
- Senate Mark-Up of S. 743 (Oct. 19, 2011) (Video)
- Senate Rep. 112-155 (Apr. 19, 2012)
- House Rep. 112-508 part 1 (May 30, 2012)
- Nov. 13, 2012: Congress enacts the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012

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Legislative History

Legislative History of Civil Service Reform in America