Author Archive
Workforce
Federal employees could be more easily removed under new House bill
Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s, R-Ga., MERIT Act proposes radical civil service reforms, including repealing statutes governing unacceptable performance actions, ending union grievances based on adverse personnel actions and prohibiting furlough appeals.
Management
DHS’s plans to fix problems with its hiring and training for the acquisition workforce might not work
The department knows its acquisition staff are overwhelmed with work and slowed down by long hiring processes, but the Government Accountability Office says DHS hasn’t reviewed whether its solutions are actually helping.
Pay & Benefits
OPM extends postal open season enrollment and beefs up customer service
The agency shifted its original deadline for U.S. Postal Service employees and beneficiaries to enroll in the new health insurance exchange to help provide “ample time” to make selections while offering additional customer support.
Management
Federal telework would be capped under a new House bill
Rep. Andy Ogles’ Show Up To Work Act would limit telework at federal agencies to 25% per pay period and require agency heads to certify performance gains for individual waivers.
Management
Congressional Democrats want more guardrails for presidential nominees
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., have a pair of companion bills calling for certain administration nominees to report any work or compensation received from a foreign government.
Management
Agencies credit telework with recruiting, retention gains, GAO finds
A watchdog report examining telework use at four agencies found best practices still need implementation, but the presence, or absence, of telework as an option has affected their ability to attract talent.
Management
New bill would require FBI recommendation on security clearances for White House appointees
The Security Clearance Review Act — cosponsored by Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., and Ted Lieu, D-Calif., would require the president to provide Congress with written justification for overruling an FBI clearance denial of executive office appointees.
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Management
Could a new Trump administration push for another federal hiring freeze?
The president-elect's previous experience with a governmentwide 79-day halt to agency hiring could inform his new approach to the federal workforce, if those lessons still apply.
Management
One federal agency hasn’t ensured its employee gyms are safe and secure, OIG says
The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s inspector general sent out a management alert warning that the agency’s fitness facilities were in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as multiple OPM and GSA regulations.
Management
Bill calls for interagency task force to help prevent political violence
Legislation sponsored by Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., calls for standing up a two-year advisory body from across the federal government tasked with helping respond to or prevent political and hate-motivated violence.
Updated
Pay & Benefits
OPM doesn’t have documented customer experience plans for the Postal Service’s open season, OIG says
The HR agency has developed contingencies if there is a surge of customer experience requests during the Postal Service Health Benefits System’s first open season, but a new report claims that those plans aren’t either defined or comprehensive enough for the multi-agency operation.
Management
New bill would levy penalties on feds ‘impeding’ presidential directives and require new training
The Stop Resistance Activities by Federal Employees Act could penalize federal employees if they are found to have obstructed a lawful order from administration officials and require agencies to report those alleged violations to the president every six months.
Management
A new report includes calls for modernized federal recruitment and retention efforts
In an updated version of its 2018 report on strengthening the federal government’s organizational health and performance, the National Academy of Public Administration included the tools and best practices agencies can deploy for recruitment and retention in a post-pandemic world.
Management
White House memo on AI national security includes workforce training and streamlined immigration proposals
The new AI guidelines detail how select agencies should approach risks and challenges tied to the emerging technology, but also include elements of how the U.S. should procure and train talent to capitalize on its benefits.
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Management
Legislation calls for creation of an independent office to improve the VA
Rep. Rudy Yakym’s, R-Ind., National Veterans’ Advocate Act, would transform the department’s Office of Patient Advocacy into a standalone body similar to the IRS’ Office of the National Taxpayer Advocate.
Pay & Benefits
New bills want to provide Gold Star survivors with better benefits, make it easier for former feds to return
The Gold Star Spouse Healthcare Enhancement Act aims to provide fallen service members’ partners with lower health care costs for longer, while the Return USA Act looks to create an on-ramp for former employees to return to federal service.
Pay & Benefits
New bill eyes uniformed services benefits for public health corps reservists
The proposed legislation would provide reservists in a Health and Human Services component with health, education and leave benefits that are similar to other service members.
Pay & Benefits
House takes another stab at a bill reimbursing new veterans for emergency care
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., is hoping a reintroduced version of the RELIEVE Act will finally close the VA’s emergency care coverage loophole after Congress previously dropped the measure from the fiscal 2024 supplemental funding package.
Pay & Benefits
Senate advances $3B VA supplemental bill one day before deadline
The chamber approved legislation by voice vote Thursday to provide the Veterans Affairs Department with an extra $3 billion to cover a surge in veterans benefits costs ahead of a potential service disruption.
Pay & Benefits
How did the VA end up with a $3 billion shortfall? Leaders say staff over-delivered
VA officials outlined how a surge in PACT Act claims outpaced initial budget projections in a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, days before a processing deadline affecting the benefit payments of 7 million veterans.
