Management
Buzzword Alert: Incentivization is the New Innovation
Simple shifts in strategy and thinking can help leaders improve employee engagement.
Management
Viewpoint: Trump’s Unpardonable Admission About His Border Wall
The president wants to spend billions of taxpayer dollars for a project that he acknowledges is largely symbolic—even if it breaks the law.
Management
The Trump Administration Sides With Nurses Who Object to Abortion
HHS says the University of Vermont Medical Center required staffers to violate their conscience. The case underscores Trump’s religious-freedom agenda.
Nextgov
Social Security Taps Team of Federal IT, Management Notables to Assess Modernization Progress
The team will look at how the agency’s IT modernization efforts are going, including how those changes are affecting Social Security employees and stakeholders.
Route Fifty
The Cities Where You Can Pay For Parking Tickets with Donations
Some cities offer short windows where residents can opt to clear tickets by making donations, such as to schools and animal shelters.
Route Fifty
Pay May Be Lower in Smaller Cities, But it Can Stretch Further
New analysis highlights salary advantages in small and mid-sized metro areas.
Management
Commissioner’s Resignation Renders FEC Toothless as 2020 Elections Heat Up
Without a quorum, the oversight body can’t carry out its key duties.
Oversight
Patent and Trademark Office Examiners Receive Monetary Awards With Insufficient Oversight
Some staff are allowed to make manual changes to their hours worked, while part-time patent examiners’ schedules are often not up to date in the awards calculation system.
Route Fifty
In These States, (Almost) Anyone But Lawmakers Can Do Redistricting
California pioneered the practice of creating an independent commission to draw new district maps. Every ten years, anyone in the state can apply for the job, except legislators and those who work with them.
Nextgov
TSA Launches Facial Recognition Pilot at Las Vegas Airport
The agency will assess how the tech verifies travelers’ live facial images against pictures taken from travelers’ identity documents.
Route Fifty
Facebook Expands Tool That Lets Local Governments Send Alerts
The system will offer authorities a way to send targeted notifications about emergencies and other issues to residents.
Management
Lawmakers Expect a Stopgap Spending Measure to Avoid an October Shutdown
Despite the two-year budget deal, agencies are likely to receive a continuation of current spending levels well into the fall, Congressional aides say.
Nextgov
Oracle Pledges to Keep JEDI Fight Alive In Court of Appeals
An appeal would bring Oracle’s fight with the Pentagon to over a year, as the department prepares to announce an award.
Tech
TSA Agents to Warn Travelers On Real ID Deadline
Air passengers without Real IDs will hear from TSA agents at the check-in podium.
Management
USDA Taps Retired Former Employees to Cope With Mass Exodus at Science Agencies
With the majority of employees at the Economic Research Service and National Institute for Food and Agriculture slated to leave rather than relocate to Kansas City, the department is offering jobs to retired employees—in Washington, D.C.
Nextgov
GSA Hits First Deadline On New Federal Identity Management Policy
The agency was tasked with creating a catalog of identity, credential and access management options within three months of a memo issued by OMB.
Oversight
Viewpoint: Trump’s Unprecedented Fight to Withhold Information
The 45th president has again set himself apart—this time by resisting congressional oversight to an unparalleled degree.
Nextgov
Patent Office Wants Public Feedback on Artificial Intelligence Inventions
The agency will accept comments for 45 days.
Management
Pentagon Sees ‘No Major Concerns’ With Raytheon-United Technologies Merger
The Defense Department’s top weapons buyer, Ellen Lord, gives stamp of approval to what would be the second-largest defense and aerospace company ever.
Route Fifty