Select Committee on Modernizing Congress Receives Task Force Memo
Following the adoption of a House Resolution on improving the efficiency of Congress, Congress created a Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress to review ways to improve the chambers.
Federal Circuit: Cadet Service Cannot Help Satisfy Five-Year FERS Service Requirement
A political appointee retired from federal service after almost four years of civilian service, relying on advice from a human resources official that he could “buy back” time spent as a cadet at West Point and credit it towards the five years of civilian service required to qualify for a FERS retirement annuity.
TSA Moves Away from Legacy IT Systems
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced its intention to better manage data using cloud solutions.
Solitude and Sniffing in New Hampshire
Huey and Maya explore the White Mountains of New Hampshire and meet a census worker.
Department of Energy to Focus on Tribal Critical Infrastructure
The Department of Energy has announced its intention to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) entitled Energy Infrastructure Development on Indian Lands-2020.
OPM Authorizes Emergency Leave Transfer Program for Federal Employees Impacted by Hurricane Dorian
The program allows employees to transfer their own leave time to employees who must take time to recover from the storm.
OPM Issues Agency Memo on Streamlining Performance Management
In a memo issued to agency leadership last week, OPM Director Dale Cabaniss provides agencies with a roadmap for streamlining performance management and dismissal policies and procedures.
The Risk Roundtable
Tune in to FEDtalk this week for a discussion on Enterprise Risk Management. The federal government is great at responding to problems, but experts across the federal community have ideas on how to make the government more proactive rather than reactive. Assessing and managing risk is an integral part of this mission.
Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government: How AI Might Affect Federal Managers
On September 25, 2019, FMA attended the Kalaris Intelligence conference at Georgetown University. Sponsored by Georgetown’s Center for Security Studies, the theme revolved around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and national security. For federal managers and their employees, AI has the potential to become a useful tool for gathering data, sifting through that data, and accomplishing long term goals in an effective manner. FMA attended to learn more about this emerging technology, how it is currently being used, and how it can be used in the future.
Federal Managers Beware – Executive Order Implementation is Not All Good News for You
Last week, the Office of Personnel Management proposed new regulations to implement portions of President Trump’s May 2018 Executive Order on federal employee firing and discipline.
IRS Looks to BioCatch to Verify Users
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been testing several systems to authenticate the identity of individuals using their online systems to access information. The agency has pursued several authentication tools in the last few years and has now announced a sole-source contract with BioCatch for a proof-of-concept that would incorporate behavioral analytics into the agency’s eAuthentication (eAuth) system.
MSPB September Newsletter Highlights Ways to Improve Performance Appraisals
In the Merit Systems Protection Board’s (MSPB) September Newsletter, Office of Policy and Evaluation Director James Read made note of the current shortfalls of the performance appraisal system and encourages agencies to make improvements. Director Read used the results of the 2016 Merit Principles Survey (MPS) as a guide for getting more out of annual reviews.
By Land or By Sea: How the Federal Government Preserves and Protects in Maine
Huey and Maya begin their journey in the state of Maine, visiting current and historical federal sites.
Plan To Protect Federal Employee Credit In Shutdown Exits House Committee On Party Line Vote
The House Financial Services Committee voted on Friday to advance a measure that would protect the credit of federal employees impacted by a government shutdown. While the legislation has support in the House, privacy concerns voiced by Republicans could mean the bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
Building a Data Culture & Strategy - A Webinar for Federal Leaders
Join SEA and the Data Society for a free webinar on federal data strategy. With the new Federal Data Strategy and focus on working with big data, it's more important than ever for government agencies to start implementing data-driven strategies.
OPM Sends Memo to Agencies on More Efficient Hiring
In a memo released to agencies on Friday from the Office of Personnel Management, OPM Acting Director Margaret Weichert outlined ways agencies can change their hiring practices to better evaluate candidates. A key pillar of this plan is involving subject matter experts in the decision-making process.
Members of Congress Urge President to Fill IG Vacancies
Members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs wrote the president last week urging him to fill vacant inspector general (IG) positions in the federal government. The letter outlines current vacancies and expresses the importance of stable, permanent leadership.
The High Stakes of Human Capital Management
Tune in to FEDtalk this week for a discussion on the human capital management within the federal government. Across the federal government reforms are underway, but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has warned that reforms may be unsuccessful without a focus on human capital management. Experts from the GAO will discuss how human capital is impacting several key reforms underway in this administration and the federal workforce as a whole.