News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

SECTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM:

10th Annual Federal Quality Conference

Get more information on this special conference and download a brochure and registration forms from our special conference section.

U.S. Navy International Logistics Symposium

Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton will be a guest speaker at a three-day International Logistics Symposium sponsored by the Navy International Programs Office in conjunction with the American Society of Naval Engineers, July 14-16, 1997, at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Crystal City, VA. Representatives from government, industry and foreign nations will meet to exchange ideas and review exhibits on a variety of logistics topics related to the Navy's Foreign Military Sales program. For program information contact NAVSEA (703) 602-9000.

The following news summaries are usually from OPM AM, the daily newsletter of the Office of Personnel Management. OPM AM is available on OPM Mainstreet, the agency's electronic bulletin board, at 202-606-4800.

**TSP OPEN SEASON**The Thrift Savings Plan Open Season runs through July 31. During this time, you may begin contributing to the TSP, change the amount of your TSP contributions, or allocate TSP contributions to your account among the three investment funds. To get more information and download the forms you will need, click here.

THE FEDERAL DIARY--The Federal Employees Education and Assistance fund suggested federal employees should be given eight hours of paid leave each year to take part in volunteer programs. An online survey by FPMI Communications yielded a variety of responses to that proposal (The Washington Post).

THE FEDERAL TIMES--The National Partnership Council "has served its purpose of being the model for how agencies should operate. But the council has failed in enforcing partnership at agencies and in making sure it is operating correctly" (Editorial)...Families of active-duty military members could enroll in the FEHBP under a bill introduced in the House...Help from Congress or the courts could be on the way for some employees facing major financial losses because their agencies mistakenly placed them in the wrong retirement system (Federal Times, 6/2/97).

OPM PLANS--OPM has published its regulatory plans for the next 12 months. The personnel agency is continuing to deregulate human resources and provide agencies with more flexibility...As part of its agenda, OPM listed a number of long-term issues that it will eventually have to take action on...Federal life insurance benefits tend to cost federal employees more and sometimes provide them with less than the private sector (Federal Human Resources Week, 5/12/97).

WORK & FAMILY--Work-life conflict is hitting employees of all kinds, and it's having a deeper impact on the workplace than most employers think (The Wall Street Journal, Work & Family).

REORGANIZATION--The President, in an April 17 decision, gave the State Department, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) and the Agency for International Development (AID) until Labor Day to figure out how to reorganize to meet the needs of the post-Cold War era (The Washington Post, 5/28/97).

LONG TERM EMPLOYEES--In a world of mergers, downsizing and reorganizations, people who spend the bulk of their careers with one employer are bound to be viewed as an endangered species (The New York Times, 5/25/97).