More 'plum' jobs available in second Bush administration

[The Straight Story]

More 'plum' jobs available in second Bush administration

By Shawn Zeller
[e-mail]
The number of government jobs subject to appointment without full competition under civil service rules has increased during the past four years, according to a quadrennial report.

The 2004 edition of "United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions," a report published by the House Government Reform Committee, shows a 35 percent in the number of noncompetitive positions. Whether the increase is truly that substantial, however, is unclear because of changes in the way some Senior Executive Service positions are defined by the Office of Personnel Management.

The report, also known as the Plum Book, comes out every four years and lists government jobs by agency that are reserved for political appointees and other noncompetitive hires.

Among the positions tallied in the report are Senior Executive Service "general" positions, Senior Foreign Service posts and Schedule C positions allotted for political appointees. The report does not list employees hired under Outstanding Scholar or Direct Hire authorities, where normal competitive procedures are waived.

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