Benefits
LEO equity: Unions urge feds to push Congress
Federal employee unions and other labor advocates are pressing members to contact Congress to vote for H.R. 962 and companion Senate legislation, to correct a harsh unfairness built into law enforcement retirement and benefits. Currently, some feds get reasonable packages and others do not.
Route Fifty
10 States Didn’t Pay Off Unemployment Loans Ahead of Interest Deadline
States that borrowed money from the federal government to cover unemployment benefits began to accrue interest Monday. Together they have more than $45 billion in loans outstanding.
Management
Secretary of State Blinken Thanks Staff for Afghanistan Evacuation Efforts
The U.S. diplomatic presence in Afghanistan relocated to Doha, Qatar.
Nextgov
Biden Administration Releases Draft Zero-Trust Guidance
The documents form a roadmap for agencies to deploy the cybersecurity architectures by the end of fiscal 2024.
Nextgov
GSA Taps Tech Modernization Fund Chief
The fund figures to play an important role in helping agencies modernize IT.
Pay & Benefits
OPM Announces Leave Transfer Program for Feds in Four States Following Hurricane Ida
Feds in Louisiana, Mississippi, New York and New Jersey could be able to take extra time off to recover from the storm.
Management
White House Seeking Up to $30B in Emergency Funds as Part of Shutdown-Averting Stopgap Spending Bill
Request for emergency response and Afghan resettlement money raises stakes as deadline looms.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Planning for the Next Pandemic; More Workforce Guidance
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Defense
This May Be First Step In Curing PTSD With A Pill
A start-up, funded in part by the U.S. Army, could be on track to revolutionizing what we know about PTSD.
Management
The Case for Building a Collaborative Intergovernmental System
No significant public initiative fits entirely within one government agency or even one level of government.
Oversight
How Memories of Japanese American Imprisonment during WWII Guided the U.S. Response to 9/11
In the wake of 9/11, some called for rounding up whole groups of people viewed as potential threats to the nation. But Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta knew the U.S. had done that before.
Workforce
GovExec Daily: How the Air Force is Building the 'Office of the Future'
Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Vice Commander Col. Kevin Mantovani joins the podcast to discuss his office's new project for hybrid work.
Employee Policy
House bill: $3 billion-plus for fed tech
The House infrastructure bill, with an amendment from Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), gives the Technology Modernization Fund another $1 billion in capitalization.
Employee Policy
CBP employees aid in Afghan crisis
Operation Allies Refuge has many feds at State, Defense—but also Customs and Border Protection (among other departments)—burning the midnight oil to do their part in the continuing Afghan refugee crisis. The National Treasury Employee Union's president, Tony Reardon, was out at Dulles International Airport this week, meeting and cheering on unflagging feds at the facility who are managing the stream of struggling U.S., allied and Afghan citizens there.
Management
The Federal Government's Internal Health Clinics Won't Help Test Employees for COVID-19, Despite New Mandate
Managers throughout government said they have not been provided any support to implement the testing requirement.
Pay & Benefits
Provisions Easing Firefighter Shift Trades and Equalizing Locality Pay Make It Into Major Defense Bill
The odds of two key priorities of federal employee unions becoming law shot up as they were attached to the fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
Management
House Panel’s Annual Defense Policy Bill Includes Leave Flexibility for Pentagon Contractors
Trade association urges lawmakers to expand the language to include all federal contractors for the next emergency.
Nextgov
CISA Urges Patching Atlassian Software Before Holiday Weekend
A vulnerability in collaboration software is undergoing “mass exploitation,” according to U.S. Cyber Command.
Nextgov