Route Fifty
Death Penalty Used by an Increasingly Small Number of States
Seven states executed 22 inmates this year, the second lowest number of executions since 1991.
Management
Senate Committee Advances Paul Ray’s Nomination to Be Regulations Czar
Panel votes 8-4 to send the nomination to the full Senate.
Defense
The Lessons of the Afghanistan Papers
Americans need leaders who can tell them how and when they will decide to pull the plug.
Tech
China Has Increasing Sway in U.S. Science, JASON Report Says
Beijing is using better jobs at home, aggressive intelligence agencies, and a greater financial reach to influence American institutions.
Route Fifty
With Healthy Budgets, Dozens of States Give Raises to Their Workers
The number of states bumping up pay for their employees has hit a high not seen since prior to the Great Recession.
Workforce
Survey: Less Than Half of Feds Would Keep Their Jobs if Offered a Similar Position Elsewhere
Only 38% of respondents said they trust their executive leadership.
Nextgov
Commerce Partnership Opportunity Aims to Amplify Feds' Data Use
The department’s National Technical Information Service is looking for services to help agencies use data as an asset.
Oversight
Viewpoint: The FBI Needs to Be Reformed
The inspector general’s report identified real weaknesses, particularly with the policies and procedures that govern investigations of political campaigns.
Nextgov
Agencies Can Start Prepping Systems for DUNS Transition
The government will need to prepare for next year’s transition or risk the federal contracting version of Y2K.
Nextgov
NSA data storage poses risk to civil liberties, watchdog says
An audit conducted by the National Security Agency inspector general raises questions about the intelligence agency’s data retention policies.
Pay & Benefits
Bipartisan Spending Deal Includes Average 3.1% Pay Raise for Federal Workers in 2020
Congressional negotiators agreed to use language advocated by Democrats to provide an across-the-board 2.6% pay increase to federal civilian employees, along with an average 0.5% boost in locality pay.
Oversight
Special Counsel Alerts White House and Congress of ‘Significant Financial Mismanagement’ at VA
Findings include over $223 million in wasteful spending and delayed payments for veterans’ medical bills.
Route Fifty
Supreme Court Declines to Consider Homeless Camping Ban Case
The high court is leaving in place an appellate court ruling that found it was unconstitutional to prosecute homeless people for sleeping in public outdoors when no shelter was available.
Route Fifty
A Plan for Closing the Gap Between ‘Superstar’ Cities and Other Metro Regions
Just five U.S. metro areas were home to more than 90% of tech sector growth between 2005 and 2017. How can policymakers change that?
Management
Analysis: How McKinsey Makes Its Own Rules
The consulting giant, which likes to compare itself to the Marines and the Catholic Church, has a habit of disregarding rules and norms in its government work.
Oversight
Why Congress Would Keep Working During a Government Shutdown
Even if other parts of the federal government shut down, Congress could – and would have to – keep working. A legal scholar explains why and how that is possible.
Oversight
How to Conduct a Trial in the Senate
The Constitution does not provide procedural guidelines for how an impeachment trial is to be conducted—so the senators of 1868 had to figure it out as they went.
Management
Analysis: In Impeachment Spotlight, Dueling Views of Professionalism Appear
Public officials are now in the spotlight: Does the public view them as professionals, bound by duty, or as elites who invoke ideals while pursuing their own agendas?
Management
How You Can Get Better at Picking Creative Ideas
"We're probably all killing a lot of our best ideas early in the creative process without knowing it."
Route Fifty