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AGENCY TESTIMONY
New needs requests for fiscal year 2026
0:24:31
ยท
105 sec
Commissioner Strauber outlines the new needs requests submitted by DOI for the fiscal year 2026 January plan, focusing on staffing needs and exemptions from hiring restrictions.
- DOI requested an exemption from the two-for-one hiring restriction due to its small size and staff-driven nature
- A request for $1.7 million to fund 23 new positions, including specialized investigative and operational staff, was submitted
- DOI received approval for 10 of these lines and $745,000 in baseline funding
- Four approved investigative lines will be used to hire confidential investigators for the training academy
- The commissioner emphasizes the need for the remaining 13 positions to fully meet DOI's requirements
Jocelyn E. Strauber
0:24:31
Let me turn now to our new needs.
0:24:34
We submitted a new needs request for fiscal year twenty twenty six, for the fiscal year twenty twenty six January plan that included an exemption from the two for one hiring restriction since our agency is relatively small and staff driven as I've explained.
0:24:50
Curtailing our ability to hire directly limits our productivity.
0:24:54
Critical positions such as e discovery management have remained open for far too long because while we have funding available to fill those roles, the two for one policy prevents us from hiring for them.
0:25:07
The restriction also has contributed to our current 17% vacancy rate and while OMB has agreed that DOI may make requests for exemptions from the two for one policy for critical vacancies, we must do so on a case by case basis with no guarantee of approval.
0:25:24
While we have had some limited success, the process remains cumbersome and time consuming.
0:25:30
DOI also requested 1,700,000.0 to fund 23 headcount that would support investigative staff, which included investigators with specialized skills such as data analytics, digital forensics, and investigative auditing, and operational staff in information technology, finance, and procurement.
0:25:49
DOI received 10 of these lines and 745,000 in baseline funding to staff both investigative and operational units.
0:25:59
Four of the approved investigative lines will go toward hiring confidential investigators and we plan to separately hire four additional confidential investigators using existing vacancies to create a group of sufficient size to run our investigative officer training academy this year.