Nextgov
What It’s Like to Be a Remote Intern at a Federal Agency
Two students dish about their COVID summer experiences.
Management
Up Close: Conversations with Federal Leaders, Featuring NIH Associate Director Dr. Susan Gregurick
Dr. Susan Gregurick, NIH associate director of data science, sits down with Nextgov Senior Editor Aaron Boyd.
Oversight
It’s Illegal for Federal Officials to Campaign on the Job. Trump Staffers Keep Doing It Anyway.
Trump administration officials have been cited 13 times for violating the Hatch Act, a New Deal-era law prohibiting government officials from engaging in campaigning.
Nextgov
OMB Makes Major Changes to Agency Guidance on Customer Experience
The Office of Management and Budget updated its Circular A-11 guidance for agencies this month, including an expanded definition of customer experience itself.
Employee Policy
Bipartisan Senate bill extends federal telework for duration of the pandemic
The Pandemic Federal Telework Act of 2020 is designed to support telework for any federal job that can be done remotely, while providing management and tech support for teleworking employees.
Employee Policy
For DOD, diversity begins with inclusion, culture change
Janice Glover-Jones, the Defense Intelligence Agency's chief diversity, equality and inclusion officer, said that diversity has to be more than compliance and "promote inclusive behaviors."
Oversight
Experts: Better COVID-19 Testing is Still Vital to ‘Reopening’
There' no pandemic "silver bullet" but COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, masks, and vaccine development are key to going back to school or the office.
Management
GovExec Daily: The State of the 2020 Census
Eric Katz updates the podcast on the decennial count and its ups and downs.
Route Fifty
In Missouri, a Rift Over Local Murder Prosecutions
Missouri’s governor wants the state attorney general to take over prosecutions for uncharged homicides in St. Louis.
Workforce
Federal Employee Protection Agencies Clash Over When to Protect Federal Employees
Special counsel says a judge at the Merit Systems Protection Board is setting a dangerous precedent that would harm federal workers.
Route Fifty
Do All Face Masks Offer Similar Protection? New Test Offers A Way to Compare
The limited findings raise doubts about the effectiveness of neck gaiters and bandanas in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
Management
Administrative Law Judges Union Accuses Social Security of Illegal Implementation of Contract
SSA on Monday moved ahead with a partial collective bargaining agreement with the Association of Administrative Law Judges, despite the fact that nine articles remain in dispute, and the agency unilaterally rewrote an article without the union’s input.
Management
FBI Will Relocate 1,500 Staff to Alabama Next Year
The moves will take place regardless of what the future holds for the bureau’s Washington headquarters.
Nextgov
NASA Prepares to Launch Internal COVID-19 Contact Tracing Program
The agency is using the Salesforce platform to begin tracking potential infections and community transmissions on a voluntary basis.
Workforce
Trump Administration Officially Opens Interior Dept. Bureau's New Western Headquarters
Office opening follows most career staff refusing to relocate out of Washington, D.C.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers Revive Bipartisan Push for Maximum Telework at Agencies
The Pandemic Federal Telework Act would require agencies to allow all telework-eligible employees to work remotely for the duration of the COVID-19 national emergency.
Management
Up Close: Conversations with Federal Leaders, Featuring VA Secretary Robert Wilkie
The Veterans Affairs secretary discusses leadership during a time of crisis with Editor in Chief Tom Shoop.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Trump Administration is ‘Quietly’ Planning for Vaccine Distribution; NIH Enrolls Participants in Critical Phase of Two Antibody Trials
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Employee Policy
USDA IT shop freezes hiring, offers early retirement
In an effort to optimize the agency’s tech investments and update the skillset of its workforce, the Department of Agriculture’s CIO Office has instituted a hiring freeze and plans to offer early retirement options to IT workers.
Management