DEPARTMENTAL ADMINISTRATION STATEMENT OF DR. JOAN S. WALLACE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION ACCOMPANIED BY: JAMES C. WEBSTER, ACTING DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF GOV- RICHARD T. CERTO, ACTING DIRECTOR, BUDGET AND FISCAL SERVICES DIVISION, OFFICE OF OPERATIONS WILLIAM MILLS, ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, OFFICE OF ROBERT SHERMAN, CHIEF, BUDGET DIVISION, OFFICE OF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES Senator EAGLETON. Dr. Wallace, what is your next item? Dr. WALLACE. Departmental administration. At this time, I would like to provide for the record our biographical sketches. [The biographical sketches follow:] JOAN S. WALLACE Joan S. Wallace is Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Administration. In this capacity, she directs the Department's management programs, which include personnel, data processing, equal opportunity, operations, administrative law, contract appeals, and finance. Nominated by Secretary of Agriculture Bob Bergland to be Assistant Secretary on October 21, 1977, Dr. Wallace was sworn into office December 2. Dr. Wallace was born November 8, 1930 in Chicago. She obtained her bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Bradley University, Peoria, Ill.; her master's degree from Columbia University, New York, City; and her doctorate in social psychology from Northwestern Unversity, Evanston, Ill. She also studied management at the Harvard Institute for Educational Management, Harvard Business School, Boston, Mass. Before coming to USDA, Dr. Wallace was director of the School for Social Work, Western Michigan University. She has served as vice president for administration of Morgan State University, Baltimore. While on leave from Howard University, she was deputy executive director of programs for the National Urban League. She served as associate dean of the Howard Unversity School of Social Work, Washington, D.C., from 1973-75. Before becoming director of undergraduate school work at the University of Illinois, and director of Afro-American studies at Barat College, Lake Forest, Ill., Dr. Wallace was an assistant and associate professor at the University of Illinois and a social work analyst for the University of Chicago. Dr. Wallace has written a number of articles dealing with social problems and research. She has been a consultant to a dozen institutions and organizations and has received a number of awards and honors including the Outstanding Educators of America award. (1483) JAMES C. WEBSTER Mr. Webster joined the Department of Agriculture in May 1977. He had been chief clerk and press secretary of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry since 1975. Prior to that he was press secretary and legislative assistant in agriculture for U.S. Senator George McGovern (S. Dak.) for 2 years. From 1970 to 1973, Mr. Webster was public relations director of the American Public Power Association and assistant editor of the association's magazine, Public Power. From 1963 through mid-1968, Mr. Webster was managing editor of the Madison (S. Dak.) Daily Leader and did public relations and legislative work with East River Electric Power Cooperative, Madison, and other rural electric organizations in the Missouri Basin. He became editor of the cooperative's monthly publication in 1968-69 and also served in 1969 as acting editor of the monthly newspaper published by all electric cooperatives in South Dakota. From mid-1957 until he joined the Madison Daily Leader, he was a reporter with United Press International, advancing to become its news and business manager in South Dakota before he resigned in 1963. Mr. Webster was born in Grand Island, Nebr. His parents published a weekly newspaper at nearby St. Paul, Nebr. He studied political science at Creighton University, Omaha, and history at General Beadle State Teachers College, Madison. Mr. Webster is a former president of Madison's Junior Chamber of Commerce, former vice president of the South Dakota Jaycees, founder and first president of the South Dakota Consumers League, and former vice president and director of the Consumer Federation of America. He was South Dakota executive director of Rural Americans for Johnson-Humphrey in 1964, press assistant in the 1968 re-election campaign of Senator McGovern in South Dakota, and national staff director in 1972 of Rural America for McGovern-Shriver. Mr. Webster and his wife, Marilyn, have four children. WILLIAM J. MILLS Mr. Mills came to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in April 1962, after serving in the U.S. Army from 1958-61. He worked for the Agricultural Research Service in an administrative capacity until November 1972, at which time he transferred to the Office of Communication as an Administrative Officer. Upon the establishment of the Office of Governmental and Public Affairs, Mr. Mills became its Administrative Officer. Born in Fairmount City, Pa., he is married to the former Hazel Walker of Mt. Union, Pa. INTRODUCTION Dr. WALLACE. The appropriation for departmental administration provides funding for the department-level staff offices which are responsible for the leadership and the coordination of the department budgetary affairs, administrative staff and support services, personnel management program, and equal opportunity responsibilities. This appropriation also includes funding for the Office of Governmental and Public Affairs which Mr. Webster will present separately. I would like to comment that during the 3 months I have been Assistant Secretary for Administration, I have found that there are some extremely competent, able people in the Department of Agriculture, and in the administrative support systems. We have found, however, that like everyplace else, there is a need for shoring up the efficiency of support to the program agencies. We have used the Management Council, which is composed of the Deputy Administrators for Management of the various agencies, to enhance communication and to insure that we really operate as a team. We meet regularly to develop administrative policies-such as personnel policies and review such policies together. The administrative offices cannot stand as administrative offices in isolation. They really have to be very much related to the programs and the policies which the agencies deliver. STAFF OFFICE INITIATIVES I walked into the middle of a reorganization which is the combination of three administrative offices-administrative services, which was previously called operations; our finance office which includes the National Finance Center; and the automated data processing services. These offices are being combined to create the Office of Operations and Finance. We are in the process now of implementing that reorganization plan. Additionally, we have discovered that one of the real needs in the Department is for the development of central data bases. One example is the improvement of the property management system. We have found that there has been some difficulty in knowing the location, cost, and utilization of our properties. Different agencies have different systems for tracking this. We are in the process of gathering data from the agencies so that we have a centralized system of information about the location of offices, where real property is, and what additional personal property is needed. We can have a system that is automated and will give us this kind of information. Additionally, we have been concerned about the problems of equal employment opportunity. The total Department record has not been a good one. But we know that the Department wishes to excel in all areas, and I feel it can excel in this one also. We have two task forces working on the structural barriers to equal employment opportunity and the affirmative action plan. We will have some answers, we hope, in a few weeks. In the area of personnel management, we have three agencies now which have assumed the responsibility for examining for positions for which they are the primary users. ARS has assumed the responsibility for examining for USDA research positions, grades 9 through 12; Soil Conservation Service now can examine soil and range conservationists and soil scientists; and similar responsibility has been given to Farmers Home Administration for examining the Agricultural Management Specialists. Additionally, we looked into the area of safety for our employees, and feel that that is an area that needs attention. We have felt, through a task force report, that we need to put some energy and resources into safety for the employees. We need to be able to maintain adequate standards and reduce health hazards. Our budget requests this time are for $16,700,000, an increase of $1,371,000 above fiscal year 1978. The major portion of this increase is for the Office of Governmental and Public Affairs. GRAIN ELEVATOR EXPLOSIONS Senator EAGLETON. Dr. Wallace, could we go back to the bottom of page 4 of your statement? What can you tell us about the grain elevator explosions that occurred earlier this year? There were several of them in January or December. Are the explosions encompassed in your statement regarding the safety and health of your employees? Dr. WALLACE. I do not have complete responsibility for that. But the Department certainly is very much concerned about the grain explosions. I have called together the three Assistant Secretaries that are involved. Assistant Secretary Cutler has offered to provide the research which is needed in this area. Very little is known from a scientific point of view about why there are grain explosions. It has to do with grain dust and the amount of humidity in the air. But there is a vast amount of unknown information. We are now bringing together the research people with the people in the Federal Grain Inspection Service-under Assistant Secretary Smith-and have agreed to proceed jointly in research at the University of Kansas, in Kansas; where other research has been done in the area of mining. There is some material that can be extrapolated from existing data involving mines and coal dust, though it is not quite the same. The Department of Agriculture is very concerned and wishes to proceed as quickly as possible in this area. Additionally, the Office of Investigation has detailed an investigator as a Special Assistant to Dr. Bartelt, the Administrator of the Federal Grain Inspection Service, to look into the other reasons for the grain explosions. We are bringing together all the resources that we can marshal to solve the problem. Senator EAGLETON. Later this month we will hear from the Federal Grain Inspection Service. Mr. Webster, you might tell Dr. Bartelt we are keenly interested in the grain elevator explosions. Although I didn't address any questions to Dr. Cutler, I would hope that the FGIS people would be able to give us their views on what research is going on and how beneficial it will be. I also inquired about this matter when I was hearing the Labor Department budget and talked to Dr. Bingham from OSHA. In terms of enforcement and inspection from the occupational health point of view, I understand that primary responsibility lies with OSHA more than it does with the Department of Agriculture. Is that a fair summary? Dr. WALLACE. That is true, simply because the grain elevators are private rather than public, but it doesn't relieve us of our concern and a feeling of responsibility. 1979 BUDGET REQUEST Senator EAGLETON. Thank you. Go ahead. You were on page 5. You finished the Departmental Administration. Dr. WALLACE. Yes, the budget request, as I mentioned, is $16,700,000, an increase of $1,371,000 above the 1978 estimate. The major portion of this increase, $1,258,000 is for the Office of Governmental and Public Affairs. These increases are $80,000 for financing mandatory printing responsibilities, $365,000 for inflationary printing costs for the Yearbook of Agriculture and $3,000 for annualization of the 1978 pay increases. Mr. Webster may wish to explain in detail these items in his statement. Senator EAGLETON. I will take his word for the $3,000 item. [Laughter.] Dr. WALLACE. The Working Capital Fund, as you know, was established in 1944 and is involved in the whole issue of centralized services. We are not to go to centralized services unless, of course, they are cost efficient and unless we can do some things that will increase the support capacity to all the agencies. Central payroll, personnel, accounting, voucher payments, billings, and collections are provided by the National Finance Center. Operation of the Department's Computer Centers, the motion picture, photographic, and other visual aids and the central services, such as supply, duplicating, mail and messenger services are part of the Working Capital Fund. Senator EAGLETON. I think we can take the rest of your testimony as presented. I have been reading a little ahead of you. SUBMITTED QUESTIONS We have a couple of questions that we will propound to you in writing. Please have your answers in due course. Dr. WALLACE. Fine. [The following questions were not asked at the hearing, but were submitted to the Department for response subsequent to the hearing:] |