Government Executive - Authors - Brian Kalish

Some tax preparers continue to resist the IRS e-filing system

Brian Kalish — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

report from the Government Accountability Office. The 1998 IRS Restructuring and Reform Act required that 80 percent of tax returns be filed electronically by 2007, but the IRS missed that target. The agency then began modernizing its legacy e-filing system in 2004 and the deadline was extended until 2012. This year, preparers who expect to file more than 100 individual, trust or estate returns must do so electronically; in 2012, the e-file mandate will apply to all paid preparers who file 11 or more returns. Electronic filing is a critical component of modernizing the IRS, GAO said. The report, released Monday, was prepared at the request of Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. "IRS has made significant progress increasing e-filing rates," the report said. "But it still has a way to go until it reaches its 80 percent goal." In 2010, 71 percent of all tax returns were filed electronically, according to a January GAO report. Although the IRS has taken several steps to implement the e-file mandate, including communicating the details and publishing the proposed regulations, professional preparers raised concerns regarding the timing, wrote auditor James R. White, director of tax issues at GAO. Preparers were required by Jan. 1 to obtain preparer tax identification numbers, which allows the IRS to identify individuals responsible for filing returns, and ensure they are compliant with the law. Firms that employ the preparers are required to have a separate electronic filing identification number. Tracking multiple ID numbers might raise administrative costs for the IRS. GAO recommended agency officials determine if it would be practical and cost-effective to use preparer's identification numbers as the authorizing number for e-filing. Preparers can request hardship waivers for the e-file requirement by submitting Form 8944, but GAO recommended the IRS add a sentence to the form explaining the benefits of electronic filing. In response to the report, IRS Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement Steven T. Miller agreed with GAO's recommendations. ]]>

GSA strives to be ‘green proving ground’ for net-zero energy use

Brian Kalish — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Nextgov.

President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 in October 2009 setting sustainability goals for federal agencies and requiring them to submit a greenhouse pollution reduction target by 2020. The order reminded agencies of the existing requirement that buildings be designed to achieve net-zero energy use by 2030, and mandated all new building projects that enter the planning phase after 2020 be designed to meet that standard as well.

The new norm in the future will be net-zero, and GSA is starting down that path, said Steve Leeds, the agency's senior sustainability officer. GSA has announced plans to convert two existing buildings to net-zero status. One is the Wayne Aspinall Federal Building and Courthouse in Grand Junction, Colo., which will become the nation's first net-zero historic building when renovations are complete in 2013.The second is the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry in California, the nation's busiest border crossing, which will be net-zero by 2014. When those two federal buildings are complete, they will bring to eight the number of net-zero buildings nationwide both private and public, Leeds said.

GSA is uniquely positioned to undertake these projects and lead by example, Leeds said. "We are testing out technologies that will allow us to show the private sector how things work," he added. "We're in every state and therefore we're in every weather condition that could exist."

Because of the agency's size, failure at an individual building is considered acceptable. "Our denominator is large," Leeds said. "If we try something and it doesn't work, we absorb the risk so that other federal agencies take a look at what we're doing and learn from that."

In fact, the agency expects to fail sometimes. "Whenever you innovate, you take risk and when you take risk you fail from time to time," he said. "They key is to fail fast, fail forward and fail futility so you learn your lessons, don't re-create that, learn from it and move on. . . . That's what this is all about."

After the courthouse and port of entry projects, there will be future federal net-zero renovation plans, though the exact number is unclear. "We're constantly evaluating additional opportunities," Leeds said. "Think of that as a living lab. . . . It's, how do we get to where we need to be? You always have to start and move on."

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From Nextgov: GSA to stop funding D.C.-area private telework centers

Brian Kalish — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

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From Nextgov.com: FEMA will use social media through all stages of a disaster

Brian Kalish — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Nextgov.

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From Nextgov.com: Agencies face challenges in delivering open government, report says

Brian Kalish — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Two years after President Obama announced his open government initiative, federal agencies still face numerous organizational, technical and resource challenges in its implementation, according to a new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government.

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From Nextgov.com: Transportation tackles distracted-driving problem using videos

Brian Kalish — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The Transportation Department unveiled two videos Thursday that aim to curb distracted driving, a growing problem that the department has been on a self-proclaimed "rampage" to discourage for nearly two years, its leader said.

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From Nextgov.com: Navy aims to limit use of Social Security numbers

Brian Kalish — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The Navy's chief information officer has instructed service organizations to eliminate the use of, or hide or mask service members' Social Security numbers whenever possible while the Defense Department develops a servicewide plan to reduce reliance on the information.

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From Nextgov.com: GSA relaunches online shopping system

Brian Kalish — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

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From Nextgov.com: OMB reminds agencies to be brand-neutral

Brian Kalish — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

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From Nextgov.com: Agencies must complete information security evaluations by Jan. 28

Brian Kalish — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The Office of Management and Budget is giving federal departments and agencies that handle classified information until Jan. 28 to complete initial assessments of how they handle classified information.

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Congress passes legislation requiring polygraphs for CBP agents

Brian Kalish — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

legislation by unanimous consent in September.

Currently, less than 15 percent of job applicants undergo polygraph examinations and as of March, CBP had a backlog of nearly 10,000 required periodic background reinvestigations. CBP is the largest law enforcement agency in the country, with 20,000 officers stationed at air, sea and land ports of entry; 20,000 Border Patrol agents operating between land ports of entry; and 1,100 air and marine interdiction agents.

The 2010 Anti-Border Corruption Act requires CBP to begin periodic background reinvestigations for law enforcement personnel within 180 days after the bill is signed into law. Within two years, the bureau must begin administering polygraphs to all applicants for law enforcement positions. The bill also requires the Homeland Security Department to provide compliance progress reports every six months for two years.

The bill comes as corruption allegations are on the rise at CBP. The Homeland Security inspector general reported earlier this year 129 CBP officials have been arrested on corruption charges since 2003 and during 2009, 576 investigations were opened on allegations of improper conduct by CBP officials.

Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents CBP personnel, said in a statement, "NTEU has concerns regarding the reliability of polygraph examinations and would object to their use in reinvestigations."

CBP Spokeswoman Kelly Ivahnenko said in an e-mail the polygraph examination the legislation requires "is an important and effective tool in helping to combat [corruption], by serving as a complementary bookend to the background investigation process that all employees undergo."

Due to the unique nature of CBP agents' responsibilities, personnel working in high-risk areas such as along the Southwest border are vulnerable to bribery or corruption, she said.

Drug cartels and transnational criminals looking for a "perceived weak point" in border security have targeted CBP agents, Ivahnenko said. "We feel very strongly that it's a very important step to police our workforce, and we work with FBI, [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and partners on the Joint Border Security Task Forces to investigate mission-comprising corruption," she wrote.

Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., who introduced the legislation in the House, said in statement that Mexican drug cartels are driving an "explosion of violence" in Mexico and the Southwest United States.

"If we are going to ensure border security and safety, we absolutely must have a strong and reliable Border Patrol force," he added. "The vast majority of Border Patrol agents are brave and honorable men and women who work tirelessly to protect our country. However, the corruption of even a few of these individuals could put lives in danger and greatly undermine our efforts to fight the cartels and stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons and people across our border."

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Report: Agencies are throwing away more money on underused property

Brian Kalish — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The number of underutilized federal buildings rose by 1,830 from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009, jumping from 43,360 to 45,190, the report released on Monday said. Costs of maintaining those buildings also grew, increasing 62 percent or $635.9 million, from about $1 billion in fiscal 2008 to $1.7 billion in fiscal 2009, GSA said. In addition, the government had 10,327 excess buildings in fiscal 2009, compared to 10,140 in fiscal 2008, according to the report.

"The continued maintenance and operation of such underutilized and unneeded assets contributes to the unnecessary spending of taxpayer dollars," the report stated. "By making just a 5 percent cut in fiscal 2009 total annual operating costs of excess buildings reported, the federal government could save $6.69 million in annual operating costs."

The Obama administration has directed agencies to do a better job of managing real estate. In June, President Obama signed a memorandum requiring executive departments and agencies to accelerate their efforts to identify and eliminate excess property, as well as to make better use of remaining real property assets as measured by utilization and occupancy rates, annual operating costs, energy efficiency and sustainability. These endeavors should produce cost savings of at least $3 billion by the end of fiscal 2012, the memo stated.

"The federal government must do nothing less than transform real property asset management," the GSA report concluded. "Agencies must dispose of excess real estate, make more effective use of existing assets, eliminate ineffective lease arrangements and explore innovative approaches to space management and alternative workspace arrangements."

Kathleen Turco, associate administrator of GSA's Office of Governmentwide Policy, wrote in an e-mail that GSA was pleased to present the summary and agencies could use the data to measure asset performance.

"Overall, executive agencies have an opportunity to improve real property asset management and address recently identified underutilized and unneeded building assets," she wrote. "Federal agencies are poised to make better use of our assets, including accelerating efforts to eliminate excess properties, reduce energy, water and greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to the elimination of all forms of government waste."

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From Nextgov.com: Social media presence tests agency records management

Brian Kalish — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

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From Nextgov.com: Defense tool linking disaster relief community set to relaunch by end of year

Brian Kalish — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Defense Department will launch on Dec. 30 a new version of the All Partners Access Network, a website that helped it coordinate with the international disaster community on the ground after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti earlier this year.

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From Nextgov.com: USDA moves to the cloud

Brian Kalish — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Agriculture Department announced Wednesday that it will become the first Cabinet-level agency to move to a cloud-based messaging system. The system will use Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite-Federal cloud collaboration tool and will consolidate 21 messaging systems into one.

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From Nextgov.com: GAO says plan to replace air traffic control system lacks performance metrics

Brian Kalish — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Federal Aviation Administration has not established performance goals and metrics for its far-reaching plan to replace the nation's aging radar-based air traffic control system, which could hinder its successful adoption, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

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From Nextgov.com: OMB tells feds not to look at leaked documents

Brian Kalish — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

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From Nextgov.com: GSA moves e-mail to the cloud

Brian Kalish — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The General Service Administration announced Wednesday that it will become the first federal agency to move to a cloud-based e-mail system for all employees. The system will use the Google Apps for Government platform, according to a Google spokesperson.

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Postal Service contract negotiation deadline extended again

Brian Kalish — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The deadline was extended after USPS and the union failed to produce a new contract by noon Tuesday, USPS spokesman Mark Saunders said. The APWU represents 209,000 clerks, mechanics, vehicle drivers, custodians and administrative aides.

Despite the delays, APWU "remains hopeful that we can arrive at a settlement," union president Cliff Guffey said in a news release.

In the interim, the current contract remains in effect. If the parties fail to reach a new agreement, or decide on an alternate procedure, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service would appoint a mediator. If no settlement is reached within 60 days of the expiration of the contract, both parties would submit all outstanding issues for binding arbitration, the union said.

"[The contract] won't be extended indefinitely," said APWU spokeswoman Sally Davidow. "But it's too soon to predict what the outcome will be."

The Postal Service's Saunders declined further comment.

USPS is seeking to adopt more flexible schedules and use more part-time workers as it struggles to manage an $8.5 billion loss in fiscal 2010, and is under pressure to eliminate Saturday delivery service. At the same time, the union is trying to prevent wage freezes, benefits cuts and layoffs.

The Postal Service remains in a stalemate with the National Rural Letters Carriers' Association, the union that represents 67,000 carriers and 48,000 substitutes who primarily deliver mail in rural and suburban areas.

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Audit criticizes TSA screener training

Brian Kalish — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Transportation Security Administration needs to better prepare airport screeners, in part by standardizing the training process, according to a report from the Homeland Security inspector general's office.

The report comes at a time of increased scrutiny for TSA because of controversy over body scanners in airports and other proposed security measures. Some groups concerned with privacy issues are urging passengers to boycott the scanners during upcoming holiday travel. TSA's process for updating screener training is informal and undocumented, and the agency lacks strong oversight of the program, which includes 40 hours in the classroom and 60 hours of on-the-job instruction.

The IG report said the agency's on-the-job training also needs improvement. While a TSA official "recognized the importance of a standardized, structured on-the-job training program … TSA was unable to provide documentation of the accomplishments" of established work groups to improve the program. TSA also has failed to implement a formal program for selecting and dispatching qualified on-the-job training monitors.

On-the-job instruction also lacked consistency. At some airports included in the audit, one monitor oversaw trainees, while at other airports several monitors helped train new hires. TSA officials acknowledged in the report "the agency did not strategically plan and document … training development from the onset due to the urgent need to initiate operations in the aftermath" of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

TSA also fails to ensure that trainees have enough time to efficiently complete training requirements, the audit said. Trainees reported being rushed through course material and at one unnamed airport, were allowed to skip some online instruction partly because of staffing challenges.

The audit recommended the agency use officer test results to evaluate training program results, assign on-the-job training responsibilities, and evaluate workforce and training needs to ensure officers have the tools and time necessary to complete the requirements.

In its response, TSA agreed with the report's recommendations. The agency said a 2009 multiyear contract for specialized security training will provide a more structured program, including analysis of performance data and coordination of training with technology.

Other steps the agency has taken to improve training include: quarterly work reviews beginning in fiscal 2011 to prioritize training, formalizing on-the-job preparation programs, and ensuring trainees receive sufficient time to complete required training.

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From Nextgov.com: GSA seeks to improve its carbon footprint tool

Brian Kalish — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

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Turnover of federal contractors slowed during recession, data show

Brian Kalish — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Turnover in the federal contracting industry fell sharply when the economic recession was in full swing, and stock prices were near record lows, reflecting concerns over job security among the workforce, according to new data from a human resources consulting firm.

In the first quarter of 2009, as the economy continued to struggle and the S&P 500 average hovered around $70 a share, attrition among contractors was 14.3 percent -- one of the lowest rates since 2007. As the economy improved, turnover jumped: In the second-quarter of 2010 as the S&P average climbed to $120 a share, attrition increased to 20.8 percent.

HumanR, a Herndon, Va.-based company, compiled the data from nearly 20 federal contracting organizations, representing more than 125,000 employees nationwide, with 37 percent of those employees in the Washington area. The research covers the first quarter of 2007 through Q2 2010.

From Q1 2007 through Q2 2008, turnover ranged from 15 percent to 19 percent but spiked to 23.8 percent in the third quarter of 2008 just as the recession hit. After Q3 2008, the attrition rate among contractors began to decline. In contrast, it hit a low of 12.7 percent in the first quarter of 2010 as the economy continued to recover, a decrease from 16.1 percent in Q4 2009. Suzanne Logan, HumanR's manager of engagement services, said she thinks employees might have anticipated a double-dip recession at that point.

There could be numerous variables at play in the numbers, Logan said, but she believes the most likely cause for a low attrition rate during the economic downturn was a desire for job security. "When things are slowing down, people are hesitant to leave [a] position that may seem more stable," she said. "Transitioning into a new job with fluctuation in society can be . . . trickier. It's safer in a way to stay put where you know you have a position and ride out the storm for a bit."

Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel at the Professional Services Council, a trade association, said "it is possible to take any two data points and build a correlation around them." PSC and HumanR co-sponsored a conference on Thursday in Arlington, Va., to discuss the data.

"From the company's approach, the economy is an absolute indicator of employment and turnover because it has little to do with company strategy and everything to do with employee mentality," he added.

The numbers reflect the fact that, as the economy softens, "employees are less likely to leave their current employment and look for others," Chovtkin said. "The grass may not be out there, let alone be greener; there may be no grass on the other side."

Also, the size of the company was likely to affect turnover during the uncertain economy, according to the data. At small companies, those with fewer than 1,000 employees, the turnover rates were always higher than at larger companies, regardless of economic conditions. For example, in the second quarter of 2010, , small-company turnover was 27.3 percent, compared with 18.7 percent for larger companies, while in the first quarter of 2009, the attrition rates at small companies was 15.9 percent, and at large companies 13.4 percent. The numbers were not surprising, Logan said. The figures jibe with what HumanR heard from contractors and market research.

But what will happen if the economy continues its upward trend? Logan said as the economy continues to climb, the turnover rate will increase. "I think we may see a surge at some point," she said. "It will be interesting to see how it plays out with the data." Yet, she does not expect the initial surge to be huge. "It will take some time," she said. "You don't know what's coming next. I think there's still a lot of skepticism [on whether] we're coming out of this recession or not."

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From Nextgov.com: GSA advances the virtual meeting place

Brian Kalish — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

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Federal travel spending site takes flight

Brian Kalish — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

A new website aimed at tracking how much money agencies spend on federal travel just launched.

JunketSleuth.com will monitor through Freedom of Information Act requests official travel patterns of federal employees, allowing users to search government travel records. The site is a sister of BailoutSleuth.com, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative reporting site that tracks the flow of money allocated through the Troubled Asset Relief Program and other economic initiatives.

"The main reason we're doing this is transparency and openness in government," said Chris Carey, editor and president of BailoutSleuth.com, which runs JunketSleuth. "These are tough economic times, businesses are cutting [back], individuals are cutting back, and we're wondering, is the government cutting back on travel? By putting up the databases, we hope people can look for themselves."

The site, funded by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, asked nearly 60 agencies for data through FOIA requests and so far has received about 25 electronic data sets from agencies. Some databases will take time to clean up and ready for publication, Carey said.

The government also is slow to share the information, he said. "We're getting an awful lot of obstructionism getting these databases, which we consider to be public documents."

Carey said government employees sometimes wait until the last minute to book a trip they've known about, which can contribute to wasteful spending. For example, if an employee is traveling to Orlando, Fla., from Washington and procrastinates to buy airfare, it could cost nearly $1,000 round trip.

So far the site has posted travel spending only from the Health and Human Services Department. The site notes that nearly 400 HHS employees have racked up more than $100,000 each in taxpayer-funded travel since 2005. While some trips were mission critical, JunketSleuth's analysis found that more than half were for "mundane categories, such as meetings, conferences, training sessions and speeches."

The travel included all 50 states, four U.S. territories and 191 foreign countries, including more than 1,000 trips to China. Others traveled to lesser-known countries such as the Faroe Islands, Djibouti, the Maldive Islands, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Reunion Island and Tuvalu. HHS did not return a request for comment.

As the site receives and processes information, it will post more data. JunketSleuth will publish another set of data from the Merit Systems Protection Board this week, and an additional two or three data sets are close to publication, Carey said.

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Census must change to survive

Brian Kalish — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

"Our costs are [expanding] at a rate that is exceeding inflation every year," said Census Director Robert M. Groves at a 2010 census advisory committee meeting. "This is unsustainable," he said.

Speaking at the bureau's headquarters in Suitland, Md., Groves said Census is trying to be responsive to its mandate, but the world it is measuring is changing rapidly "in a way that challenges our old methods of measuring it."

As participation rates in the decennial census have declined, the historic response has been for bureau personnel to work harder to track down nonparticipants. But by doing that Census has inflated its costs even more, Groves said. Instead, the bureau needs to adapt new technologies and innovate its processes.

"We will either change or be changed; we cannot go on the way we are," he said. "If we keep doing what we're doing we're in trouble."

Groves said he encouraged Census employees nationwide to suggest ways to improve the bureau, but he was dismayed to find many supervisors brushed off the ideas. He then had employees send their ideas directly to him, and he promised to read them all.

Groves expected about 100 ideas, but received almost 700. Some were simple and could be implemented immediately, such as replacing some written communications with e-mail, or purchasing annual traffic passes in lieu of paying daily tolls when Census workers travel. Others were more complex and would require further analysis and potential investment.

The bureau's divisions are under pressure to cut their budgets by 1 percent every year, Graves noted, and said any ideas requiring investment must recoup enough savings to pay for themselves within three years.

"We're in [the] business of getting more efficient," he said. "We have teams working on this already."

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