News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

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Susanne T. Marshall, a staff member of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs since 1985, was nominated by President Clinton to serve as a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board.

USDA BALKS AT MEDIATING WITH BLACK FARMERS-"Lawyers for the Department of Agriculture yesterday refused to enter into mediation with a group of black farmers who have filed some 1,000 discrimination complaints against the agency" (The Washington Post).

HEALTH CARE GROUPS SUE HHS TO BLOCK MEDICARE FRAUD PROBE-"The nation's teaching hospitals and largest physician organization have sued the federal government in an attempt to block an ongoing medicare fraud investigation into the billing practices of doctors at dozens of leading medical centers" (The Washington Post).

RUNYON TO PAY $27,550, SETTLING CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST CASE-"Postmaster General Marvin T. Runyon agreed yesterday to pay $27,550 to the government to end a criminal investigation of whether he violated federal conflict-of-interest laws by participating in negotiations that could have allowed Coca-Cola soft drink machines in the nation's post offices" (The Washington Post).

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Access America Conferences

The National Performance Review (NPR), will launch a series of informational conferences aimed at providing government employees and private industry IT officials with techniques and strategies for implementing the goals of Access America, an NPR report outlining steps to increase access--via the Internet--to government services. The first conference will be held November 3 (changed from September 25) in Baltimore, Md. and then will travel to other cities across the country. Expert panels will discuss IT topics, including Internet/Intranet successes, the future of Distance Learning and collaboration, IT acquisition and procurement reform, and privacy and security.

DTIC Annual Conference

The Defense Technical Information Center is presenting its Annual Users Meeting and Training Conference on Nov. 3-6, 1997 at the DoubleTree Hotel, National Airport, Arlington, Va. The conference theme is Information in the New Millenium. Contact Ms. Julia Foscue at 703-767-8236 or by e-mail at jfoscue@dtic.mil.