News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

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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--Defense officials say the plan to develop a new personnel system "has many hurdles to clear and isn't on a fast track." The proposal is the response to a request in March for the Quadrennial Defense Review to prepare a legislative package placing the Department's civilian personnel system under separate legislative authority from the regular civil service system (The Washington Post)..."The Defense Department, buffeted by budget and downsizing pressures, is exploring ways to take its civilian employees out of the government's civil service system and placing them in a new personnel organization that would bind the workers more closely to the military, internal DOD documents show" (The Washington Post).

THE FEDERAL DIARY--Social Security benefits for federal retirees, based on their spouse's earnings, would not be reduced as much as they are today, under a bill introduced in Congress...Measure your success by determining your goals and seeing if you have met them...Employees who believe the government owes them money or leave can file claims with OPM under proposed rules...Congress rated agency plans required under the Government Performance and Results Act. The best score may earn a D minus (The Federal Times 9/8/97).

FEDERAL RAISES--President has authorized 1998 pay raises for federal employees, starting in January. Employees will receive, on average, a 2.3 percent nationwide increase and a 0.5 percent locality pay raise (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 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.