News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

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Federal Webmaster Institute Leadership Training Courses

GSA's Office of Governmentwide Policy is holding a series of training courses for federal webmasters, program managers and specialists. The trainings will assist in developing an awareness of policy and technical issues, trends and problems related to the implementation of the Internet and related techologies within the federal government. The two-day course is offered on Aug. 20-21 and again on Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 1997. To register or for additional course information, call the LEADS Corporation at (703) 769-5650 or e-mail to registrar@leadscorp.com.

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.

The following news summaries are 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.

THE FEDERAL DIARY--"In July, the Congressional Budget Office issued a report on the government-industry pay controversy. Conclusion: It's hard to tell whether Uncle Sam underpays, overpays or what. The CBO said using the total compensation' approach (including the value of fringes) would produce different data from the straight salary comparisons currently used. So how do perks compare? ... The federal benefits package is considered more generous than that offered by most private firms'" (The Washington Post).

CLINTON CHOICE FOR COMMERCE POST REFLECTS RENEWED TIES WITH CENTRIST DLC--"President Clinton is turning to economist Robert J. Shapiro, a key adviser from his 1992 campaign and a leading advocate of moving the Democratic Party away from traditional liberalism toward fiscal restraint and free trade, to a senior position in the Commerce Department. According to administration officials, Clinton plans to nominate Shapiro to be under secretary for economic affairs, a posting that, among other duties, oversees the decennial census. Although Clinton's decision is made, a formal nomination announcement probably will not come until next month, officials said" (The Washington Post).

NASA SETS SIGHTS ON A PAPERLESS' PLANET--"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is already famous for using space to conquer distant frontiers, but now its scientists believe they can use cyberspace to conquer government paperwork. If that doesn't sound like a big deal, consider this: The little car that NASA is using to tool around Mars may be pretty good at photographing sunsets, but it's not helping you file your income tax. NASA's Electronic Handbooks,' however, may be able to do this" (The Washington Post).

AS VOLUNTEER AGENCY SEEKS TO CHANGE WOMEN'S LIVES, IT CHANGES ITSELF--"Today women across the range of ages, make up the majority of Peace Corps volunteers--59 percent for this year's training class, an all-time high. The number of female volunteers and trainees has almost doubled in the last 25 years....The rise in female volunteers reflects, in part, the increase of women in the work force, according to Peace Corps recruiters....But also, female volunteers are sought to help meet the increase in Peace Corps programs focusing on women" (August 18, The Washington Post).

RELIGION GETS PLACE AT WORK--"Employees can display religious art, invite co-workers to religious services and hold prayer services in cafeterias, under new guidelines on religious expression in federal workplaces. President Clinton unveiled the guidelines in a White House ceremony August 14" (August 25, The Federal Times).

SMOKING BAN--"President Clinton signed an executive order officially banning smoking in offices, but he stopped short of restricting smokers from lighting up outside. Smoking is not prohibited outside office building except in front of air intake ducts, under the August 9 order" (August 25, The Federal Times).