http://www.nbpc.net/?p=192#more-192

December 7th, 2007

Posted in DHS

By JOHN P. MAHONEY and PETER J. JEFFREY

December 03, 2007

Recently, the Merit Systems Protection Board quietly adopted interim regulations governing disciplinary appeals by Homeland Security Department employees. This is the latest move by the Bush administration to strip DHS employees of traditional job protections.

Following federal court scrutiny of DHS’ 2005 personnel regulations, which eliminated crucial federal job protections, the administration quietly took its planned changes out of the hands of DHS, perhaps to avoid further court scrutiny, and had MSPB issue the same changes. However, changing the agency that issued the regulations does not change the fact that they remain unjust.

Specifically, the DHS secretary may now remove an employee for what are called “mandatory removal offenses,â€