Management
House Panel Advances Bill to Expand Federal 'Ban the Box' Policy
Legislation would codify an Obama-era regulatory policy to delay when agencies ask about a job applicant’s criminal history, and extend it to apply to federal contractors.
Management
White House Announces Acting Regulatory Chief
Former Labor Department counselor Paul Ray will lead the administration’s ambitious deregulation effort, at least temporarily.
Route Fifty
Infant Drug Withdrawal Rates Linked to High Unemployment, Study Finds
Shortages of mental-health clinicians also affected the rates of infant withdrawal cases, researchers from Vanderbilt University found.
Nextgov
Management, Not Money, Will Make or Break VA Modernization, Lawmakers Say
“We are no longer on the cusp of transformation, we are in the middle of it,” Secretary Robert Wilkie told senators.
Pay & Benefits
Trump's Top Budget Official Defends 2020 Pay Freeze to Congress
OMB chief pledges to work with agencies to develop performance and mission-based pay plans.
Nextgov
Federal Taskforce Busts 61 Connected to Darknet Opioid Sales
Law enforcement officials seized more than $7 million and nearly 300 kilograms of drugs during the two-month operation.
Management
Ex-Army Colonel Pleads Guilty in Contractor Kickback Scheme
Georgia company posing as disadvantaged paid bribe of at least $1.2 million.
Management
How to Build a Learning Culture Within Your Agency
Borrow a technique from improv comedy: Think “Yes, and…”
Route Fifty
Supreme Court Tells Moose Hunter He Can Take Hovercraft Out on Alaskan River
John Sturgeon and the state of Alaska argued the National Park Service didn't have jurisdiction over a river that flowed through a national preserve. The high court agreed.
Oversight
House Panel Clears Bill to Pressure President on Inspector General Vacancies
Bipartisan approach would require notice to Congress on failure to nominate watchdogs.
Management
The Critical Part of Mueller’s Report That Barr Didn’t Mention
The special counsel’s most interesting findings about Trump and Russia might be in the counterintelligence portion of his report.
Oversight
Play of the Day: The Deep State Failed to Take Down Trump
Perhaps the conspiracy isn't as competent as its backers think it is.
Route Fifty
Report: State Governments Aren’t Doing Enough to Fix Recruitment Woes
The number of available state government jobs grew from 2013 to 2017, while applicants for those positions dropped.
Management
FEMA Defends Actions Following Data Release Affecting 2.3 Million Disaster Victims
The agency said there’s no indication that survivor data has been misused.
Nextgov
DHS Invests $5.9 Million into Cyber Training Tool for Energy Sector
The project will expand a strategic decision-making and communication exercise tool developed for the finance sector to the energy sector.
Management
Key Federal Agency Doesn’t Have the Staff to Oversee $35B in 2017 Hurricane Recovery Money
Slow process has led to four states and territories devastated by hurricanes receiving virtually none of the funds Congress appropriated.
Route Fifty
Americans Drove a Record Number of Miles Last Year
That's 3.2 trillion miles on the road, based on new U.S. DOT estimates.
Nextgov
GSA’s 10x Offers Seed Funding To Develop Feds’ Tech Ideas
The four-phase program is looking to test, fund and build federal employees’ ideas for using tech to improve their agencies.
Pay & Benefits
TSP Officials Confident Congress Will Act on Shutdown Relief Bill
Lawmakers are considering as many as five bills that would make it easier for federal employees to access their Thrift Savings Plan accounts during a government shutdown.
Tech