Aug. 23, 2004 –– An electronic Notice of Personnel Action system, called E-Pass, will be ready to fly on Oct. 1, Kevin A. Rodriquez, acting personnel director, said Monday at a meeting of the Senate's Government Operations Committee on St. Thomas.
Currently, government employee paperwork, called NOPAs, must make the rounds from department to department before new employees can start their jobs and current employees can receive promotions or get raises.
The new system will be an improvement over "The runaround you now get," Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone, who chaired the meeting, said .
"And the governor will no longer have to sign NOPAs for classified employees," according to Rodriguez
He said employees will also be able to do things like change their insurance beneficiaries electronically.
Rodriquez made his remarks in response to a question from Malone after the four senators on the floor agreed to send a bill concerning the government's Personnel Department process on to the Rules Committee.
The bill eliminates the three-person cap on the number of applicants sent to department heads when they have a vacancy.
"It will permit agencies to interview a larger pool of candidates," Rodriquez said.
He said people who apply for government jobs remain on the active list for three years, but can reapply.
In addition to Malone, Sens. Lorraine Berry, Carlton Dowe, and Louis P. Hill were present when the vote was taken. Sens. Douglas Canton Jr., Emmett Hansen II, and Celestino White were absent.
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