Route Fifty
How Localities and States Can Prepare for Broadband Expansion
Governments can use American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay for broadband infrastructure. Experts say local governments are in the best position to know what initiatives will work to connect residents.
Pay & Benefits
GPO To Offer Full-Time Telework After COVID
Around one-third of the agency’s 1,500 employees will be able to work entirely remotely, and officials said some will be able to move out of the Washington, D.C., area.
Management
A Postal Worker Begged for Stronger COVID-19 Protections. She Ended Up Spending Six Weeks in the Hospital.
The limited response to postal workers’ repeated appeals for help provides a window into the failures of two federal agencies: the Postal Service, which is one of the country’s largest employers, and OSHA, which is supposed to protect workers.
Defense
National Guard Scrambles for Funds After Congress Refuses to Cover Jan. 6-Related Costs
More than a half billion dollars in the hole, the Guard’s chief has ordered the heads of the Army and Air Guards to claw back money from state units.
Workforce
Biden Targets Noncompete Agreements, Which Restrict the Job Opportunities of Millions of Low-Wage Workers
The president is asking the Federal Trade Commission to ban or limit their use as part of an executive order promoting competition.
Workforce
GovExec Daily: Federal In-Person Office Policies and the 'Honor System'
Federal employment attorney Stephanie Rapp-Tully joins the show to discuss vaccination proof and agency's – and feds' – risks.
Workforce
House Spending Bill Pushes Social Security to Reverse Trump-era Workforce Changes
Language accompanying the bill orders a report by the end of 2021 on telework, and urges the agency to reverse actions that undercut the independence of administrative law judges.
Pay & Benefits
Inflation and the Great COLA Countdown of 2021
For the first time in recent memory, the annual cost-of-living adjustment for federal retirement benefits could increase significantly.
Nextgov
Lawmakers Look to Improve Cyber Workforce, Especially for Acquisitions
The effort is happening through major Department of Homeland Security reform legislation recently introduced in the House and a supply-chain bill that just cleared committee in the Senate.
Management
Senators Reintroduce Bill to Protect Federal Employees Returning to Workplaces
The House passed an earlier version last Congress.
Management
Biden’s Census Nominee Pledges to Help Agency, Employees Recover From Tumultuous 2020
Director-designate says bureau suffered due to Trump's interference and pandemic's disruption.
Management
Five Ways Agencies Can Become More Agile
The federal government is only now beginning to adopt what many view as the new standard for how work gets done in a post-COVID world.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Surgeon General Advises on Health Misinformation; New Group Watches for Identity Theft
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Defense
Biden Nominee for Pentagon’s Top Weapons Buyer Withdraws
Michael Brown to remain at DIU for now, Pentagon says.
Management
GovExec Daily: Is USPS Service Back to Normal?
Eric Katz joins the podcast to discuss how the Postal Service's news of an uptick in on-time delivery.
Route Fifty
Judge Declines to Block ARPA Tax Cut Mandate Before Case is Heard
At least six lawsuits are challenging the legality of a provision included in the American Rescue Plan Act that prevents states from using federal relief funds to offset tax cuts.
Pay & Benefits
Paid Family Leave Deserves a Debate, Not Histrionics
It is possible to ask meaningful questions about the need for the program without attacking the federal workforce.
Nextgov
Bipartisan Calls to Regulate Facial Recognition Tech Grow Louder
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have concerns about increased use of biometric technology.
Pay & Benefits
Union Urges Further Action to Improve Firefighter Pay
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Nextgov