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.

CLINTON TEMPERS LINE-ITEM APPROACH-"President Clinton yesterday side-stepped another bitter confrontation with Congress over his new line-item veto authority by cutting only 13 minor programs worth $144 million from a behemoth $248 billion defense spending bill for 1998" (The Washington Post).

SUSTAINING SPIRITUAL CONNECTIONS-"Dennis Wiist may not have the most unusual job in the federal government, but he's probably in the running. Wiist is a "wildlife repository specialist" with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and he spends his days among frozen carcasses of bald and golden eagles" (The Washington Post, In the Loop).

UNSETTLED RAISE ISSUES-"For most white-collar federal workers, the 1998 pay raise is a done deal. Most of the million-plus workers will get a 2.3 percent national pay adjustment, plus a locality raise effective with the first pay period that begins on or after Jan. 1" (The Washington Post, The Federal Diary).

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.