Federal Executive Boards and Federal Health

The Office of Personnel Management has launched a new, extensive website for its Feds Get Fit program, and one thing I thought was fascinating is how many programs are being coordinated by the Federal Executive Boards. The FEBs were one of the first issues I really covered extensively when I got to Government Executive (that, and Federal Aviation Administration staffing were the first real stories I fumbled my way into when I was learning the beat) and I've always been amazed by the range of programming the Boards have to handle. They've got to be the most flexible bodies in government, and yet there's little focus given to them. The Senate, perhaps miraculously, passed legislation to give them a sensible funding mechanism last November, but the House hasn't gotten to it yet. We'll just have to see what happens once health care's over, I suppose. But it's a shame to see other Congressional business, especially something like this that is bipartisan and practical, languish.