Route Fifty

In Most States, Child Marriage is Legal. Some Legislators Are Trying to Change That

Several state legislatures have pending bills that would set a mandatory minimum age of 18 for anyone to get married.

Oversight

McConnell Asked White House For Sanctions Position, Dem Senator Says

The Senate majority leader is weighing the myriad sanctions proposals on the Hill, Sen. Van Hollen said at the Defense One Outlook 2020 conference. 

Route Fifty

The Imperfect Art of Tracking Local Government Financial Stress

California is the latest state to launch a program to shed light on the financial conditions in localities. Systems like this can have benefits, but also limitations.

Management

Social Security’s Justification for Ending Telework Pilot Doesn’t Add Up

The agency has delayed the end until Nov. 23, but management denied the American Federation of Government Employees’ demand to bargain over implementation.

Oversight

IG Warns of 'Ruinous' Relationship With EPA Over Failures to Cooperate

EPA chief of staff told investigators "Do not contact me further" unless they agreed to provide advance notice of the information sought, counter to investigative practice.

Nextgov

DISA Previews Big Tech Opportunities for 2020

The Pentagon’s IT shop released a list of next year’s contracting opportunities, including 12 worth more than $100 million.

Nextgov

Agriculture Funds More than $1 Billion in Projects to Boost Rural Infrastructure

The broadband and electric investments aim to benefit more than 1.5 million businesses and residents.

Route Fifty

What Role Can Manufactured Homes Play in Affordable Housing?

Members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs expressed support for a bill that would encourage state and local governments to consider manufactured homes as part of affordable housing strategies.

Management

The Agencies that Saw the Biggest Gains—and Losses—in Employee Happiness in 2019

Smaller agencies saw the widest swings in employee morale this year, as measured by the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

Management

Top Senators Make Bipartisan Plea for Trump to Fill Homeland Security Vacancies

Lawmakers say a lack of leadership is making it harder for the department to fulfill its mission.

Oversight

Agencies Are Relying More on Alternatives to Contractor Suspension and Debarment

Annual report shows that exclusions from doing business with the government have decreased in recent years, yet are still up from 2009.

Route Fifty

How Residents' Financial Health Can Affect City Budgets

Missed utility bills and services for the homeless can cost cities millions of dollars per year, experts said Thursday at the Urban Institute. One solution: Figure out how to help people improve their financial health.

Workforce

Viewpoint: Stop Denigrating the Civilian National Security Workforce and Fix It

To understaff and undermanage the military's civilian counterparts does our uniformed force an enormous disservice and undermines U.S. security.

Nextgov

Can CBP Stand Up an Electronic Health Records System in 90 Days?

Lawmakers eager to see Customs and Border Protection digitize its health care system are pushing a bill that would give the agency three months to go from paper to electronic records.

Management

Employee Engagement 'Stable' Across Federal Government

The Office of Personnel Management’s annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey saw a modest uptick in participation in its second year of a census model, but engagement scores did not improve.

Defense

The Air Force’s ‘Doomsday Plane’ Is in the Shop

The E-4B, a plane that would quarterback a nuclear war, has lost its secondary mission as the secretary of Defense's main long-haul ride.

Management

Addressing the Crisis in American Governance

The National Academy of Public Administration launched its Grand Challenges initiative to tackle the most critical problems facing the nation.

Route Fifty

Local Elected Officials Lambast Book Publishers for Limiting Library Access to E-Books

Librarians have been boycotting one publishing company over restrictive new policies. Now more than 70 mayors and county executives are urging publishers to grant libraries better access to e-books.