 |
Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
|
Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
Communications to Congress
January 18, 2000
The Honorable Henry Bonilla
Chairman, Committee on Appropriations,
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural
Development, Food and Drug Administration
And Related Agencies
United States House of Representatives
2362A Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Enclosed is the quarterly report of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which provides an update on budget execution, staffing levels and staffing needs for the fourth quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2000. This report was requested by the conferees in the Conference Report accompanying the FY 2000 Agriculture Appropriations Act, P.L. 106-78.
We are very pleased to report that FSIS reached its goal of 7,610 in-plant permanent full-time employment by September 30, 2000 and ended the year at 7,643. As the line graph indicates in the enclosed report, the rise in employment from 7,440 in the first quarter to 7,643 by the end of the year yielded a net increase in in-plant employment of 203. Because of higher than normal attrition, FSIS had to hire 699 new employees in FY 2000 to reach the end of year employment level. This level of hiring is the highest ever for an entire fiscal year. For FY 2001, FSIS will continue its accelerated hiring efforts, and plans to increase the target level of 7610 by 50 through the end of September 2001 to meet the industry demand for inspection services.
The Agency was not as successful in the hiring of other than permanent employees. While top quality candidates for permanent full-time Food Inspector positions are in short supply in many locations, there is an even more limited applicant pool for part-time or intermittent work. The requirement to be on-call with no guarantee of hours, and the limited benefits, make other-than-permanent positions less attractive to most applicants than other options in the current job market. For that reason, FSIS concentrated more on achieving its permanent full-time employment goals for FY 2000.
FSIS was conscious of the Congressional mandate that "no less than $544,902,000 must be used for Federal Food Inspection". As reflected in the enclosed chart, FSIS’ cumulative spending on the Federal Food Inspection activity is reported as $547,331,000, thereby meeting the specified spending level. The final total obligations through the fourth quarter for FY 2000 ending September 30, 2000 were $639.7 million, which is 98.6 percent of the FSIS net annual appropriation of $649.1 million. The total lapse of $9.4 million includes $8.7 million lapse in the three inspection-related activities (Federal Food Inspection, Import-Export Inspection, and Laboratory Services); an increase of $.9 million over the budget for Codex and Grants to States; and $1.6 million lapse in the FAIM and State FAIM costs.
The Agency expected and planned for a lapse of at least $6.0 million in the inspection related activities. This lapse consisted of a $2.0 million reserve held for future claims against FY 2000 funds and a $3.9 million reserve held in anticipation of congressional authorization to use FY 2000 funds to retire prior year obligations held for payment as a result of Anti-Deficiency Act violations that occurred in FY 1997 and 1998. Congress provided additional funds and authority in the FY 2001 appropriation to retire the prior year obligations and did not provide authority to use FY 2000 funds; therefore, the $3.9 million was allowed to lapse.
The in-plant slaughter staffing profile included in the report reflects coverage of positions at approximately 600 slaughter and combination slaughter and processing establishments. The difference between the number of positions and permanent full-time employment is the number of other types of staffing used to provide full coverage of all slaughter positions. Other types of staffing are defined in the report and their numerical distribution represents the predominant pattern of slaughter inspection coverage. This report also reflects the change in positions and inspectors from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. The number of positions that had to be staffed with other strategies declined at the end of the year, as the Agency was successful in its hiring of additional inspectors.
We have provided you with copies of the report for all Republican Members of the Subcommittee. Under separate cover, we have provided Congresswoman Kaptur with copies for the Democratic Subcommittee Members. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to call the FSIS Office of Management at (202) 720-4425.
Sincerely,
THOMAS J. BILLY
Administrator
Enclosures
For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-3897
Fax: (202) 720-5704
Communications to Congress Page | FSIS Home Page | USDA Home Page