This Week on FEDtalk: Recognizing Public Servants During PSRW 2016
Tune in this week to preview Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) events with members of the Public Employees Roundtable.
FMA’s Manager of the Year Leads by Example
Last month, the Federal Managers Association (FMA) honored Sue Thatch as its Manager of the Year for 2015, in recognition of her efforts to promote excellence in public service. Sue has been lauded for originating the idea that became the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act, expected to help more than 45,000 disabled veterans over the next five years.
Software License Bill Moves Forward In The House
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee unanimously approved the “Making Electronic Government Accountable by Yielding Tangible Efficiencies Act,” bipartisan legislation that would require federal agencies to maintain comprehensive software inventories and use them to track licenses and software usage to reduce duplication.
Board Grants Jurisdiction but Dismisses Appeal of 2009 Removal
A former federal employee’s confusion over what he was contesting in a disability retirement appeal did not entitle him to a finding of good cause for the lengthy delay in filing an appeal of his removal.
Civil Servants in a Political Age
Debate season is in full swing as the races for the Republican and Democratic nominees for the 2016 presidential election begin to kick into high gear.
Mikulski Continues To Fight For Fed Pay Raise
During her last year in office, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) will continue to advocate for a proposed 5.3% pay raise for federal employees, in addition to finding new money for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This Week on FEDtalk: Celebrating the National Park Service Centennial
Help the National Park Service celebrate its 100th birthday in 2016! Although it’s birthday is officially August 25, centennial events run all year long.
AFGE Hires Former House Budget Staff Director
Former House Budget Committee staff director Thomas Kahn is the new legislative director for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
Supreme Court Stalemate in Public Sector Union Case
The United States Supreme Court reached a 4-4 split in deciding whether non-union members could be charged compulsory fees via an agency shop agreement in public sector unions.
Social Media and the Hatch Act: How To Make Sure your Tweets Don’t Cost You Your Job
As we approach the presidential election in November, it is important for all federal employees to review the guidelines governing their expression of political support. The governing law, as all federal employees should know, is the Hatch Act. First passed in 1939, the Hatch Act regulates what federal employees can share or promote regarding political campaigns. The act is frequently updated, and the latest revisions in 2014 outlined how federal employees can display their political preferences on social media. While most federal employees are familiar with Hatch Act provisions in their everyday interactions, the explosion in social media over the last decade and its removed quality leads some employees to forget that the Hatch Act applies on social media as well.
FMA Elects New National President
Renee Johnson will lead the Federal Managers Association (FMA) as their newly elected national president.
House Subcommittee Approves Bill To Cut SES Performance Awards At VA
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) has approved a spending bill that would exclude senior executives at the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) from receiving bonuses in fiscal 2017.
House Launches Investigation Of Federal Workforce Compensation
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has initiated a broad investigation into the federal workforce, ss reported by The Washington Post.
Consolidated Navy Furlough Due to Sequestration Appeals Denied by Board
Years after the furlough, the Merit Systems Protection Board affirmed the Navy’s use of the furlough on a number of employees contesting the furlough’s applicability to their positions.
This Week on FEDtalk: Government Performance–What are we Measuring?
The Performance Institute will host its 2016 Government Performance Summit in Washington, DC on May 16-18, 2016.
Congressional Offices: Understaffed, Underfunded, Underperforming
In an effort to decrease the intense staff turnover and declining policy expertise on the Hill, five long-time Congressional observers sent a letter to House and Senate Republican and Democratic leaders, urging them to create a Joint Committee on the Capacity of Congress “to examine and improve congressional operation, which is suffering from understaffing and underfunding.”
Marijuana Still a Firing Offense for Feds
The full Merit Systems Protection Board disagreed with an MSPB administrative judge regarding the reasonableness of the penalty of removal after an employee admitted to using marijuana.
House Panel Moves To Limit Administrative Leave Use
Following last month’s introduction in the Senate, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has passed its own measure to curb the use of administrative leave.