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--"If President Clinton approves more than 1.2 million active employees in the old Civil Service Retirement System will have the option to switch to the newer Federal Employees Retirement System next year. The 1998 open season would run from July 1 to Dec. 31"...and..."The Senate is expected to approve Janice Lachance to be director of the Office of Personnel management. She's been acting director for the last couple of months" (The Washington Post).

DIVERSITY--"Debate at a recent congressional hearing centered on the impact of affirmative action in the government . . . The hearing was geared toward testimony alleging that affirmative action has transformed into preferences for minorities and women at the expense of others" (Federal Times editorial 10/13/97).

GET ORGANIZED--Having a well-organized work space is more than just looking neat. Your work space may be out of control if the mess causes you to miss project deadlines (Federal Times 10/13/97).

PAY RAISE--A former OPM director says the real news about the congressional pay increase is the added pension value that will come along with (The Washington Times).

WORKERS COMP--Reform of the Worker's Compensation is being considered. Critics call it a "gravy train" (Federal Times, 10/13/97).

OF INTEREST--Buzzwords can affect your career (The Wall Street Journal, Managing Your Career)...Have you ever thought of why the fiscal year begins October 1? (The Washington Post, Capital Notebook)...Many companies condone some loafing on the Web (The Wall Street Journal, Work Week).

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.

Industry Advisory Council's Executive Leadership Conference

October 5-7, 1997 Richmond, Virginia. Forty-six hours of exciting and important keynotes, workshops and frank discussions on the topics foremost in the minds of both government and industry leaders such as "How the Internet is changing the way we do business;" "Public vs private competition: Does it make sense?" and "Past Performance of Past Performance." $265 for government attendees and $425 for industry members. Register separately at the Richmond Marriott (804) 643-3400. Contact Mary Ellen Geoffroy, Executive Director of IAC at 703-218-1965.

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.