Management
People are still being swallowed by storm drains. One federal agency is pushing for safety measures
A new federal rule requires that local officials in flood-prone areas consider safety features for drain openings. In 2021, ProPublica reported that uncovered storm drains were responsible for at least three dozen deaths over six years.
Pay & Benefits
OPM details emergency leave transfer for feds affected by Hurricane Beryl
The federal government’s HR agency is allowing federal employees to donate their paid leave to those impacted by the storm that has caused an estimated $28 billion-$32 billion in damages and economic effects in the U.S. alone.
Tech
VA’s planned restart of its electronic health record system rollouts draws lawmaker concern
“I think we are far from ready to endorse further go-live activities,” Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., said about VA’s plan to resume deployments in fiscal year 2025.
Tech
House lawmaker demands answers from AT&T on recent data breach
Rep. Abigail Spanberger wants AT&T’s CEO to open up about the company’s incident response plans and a reported payment to hackers in exchange for deleting the stolen data.
Pay & Benefits
Justice employee group provides testimonials on the need for better IVF coverage for feds
Three dozen members of the Department of Justice Gender Equality Network described their experiences trying to conceive in a letter to OPM.
Management
Secret Service director resigns after Trump assassination attempt, bipartisan criticism
Biden said he would appoint a new director soon.
Tech
Biden looks to preserve his tech and cyber legacy with veto threat
Experts see continuity in tech policy from the Biden administration to a possible Kamala Harris presidency, with possible divergence on some national security and antitrust issues.
Tech
Biden briefed on CrowdStrike IT outage as multiple federal systems impacted
Social Security offices closed on July 19 due to the incident. It will be “time-consuming” for all affected systems to undo the damage because the process is manual, one expert says.
Tech
Biden administration tightens broker access to Healthcare.gov to thwart rogue sign-ups
In the first six months of the year, more than 200,000 people reported to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that they were either enrolled in Obamacare plans or switched from one plan to another without their permission.
Workforce
Unions applaud ‘most pro-union president in history’ following Biden’s decision to end campaign
Labor leaders said their goal remains to defeat Trump’s bid to return to the White House next year.
News
Unpacking Kamala Harris' record on federal workforce issues
As vice president and a senator, Harris has fought discriminatory pay practices, helped create guidance for how the federal government uses artificial intelligence and championed public sector unions.
Updated
News
Biden ends his 2024 presidential reelection bid, endorses Kamala Harris
After weeks of pressure from the Democratic party and others, President Joe Biden has decided to stop pursuing a second term and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who said on Sunday that she would "earn and win" the nomination.
Management
Federal agencies are ramping up efforts to prepare for a presidential transition
The White House and agency councils are meeting to prepare for a potential transfer of power, though Trump has yet to name a transition director.
Oversight
Nuclear waste cleanup agency undermined by staff shortages, report says
The Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management had a 17% vacancy rate at the end of fiscal 2023 and most were mission-critical roles.
Pay & Benefits
OPM directs agencies to conduct pay equity studies
The gender pay gap in the federal government was 5.6% in 2022, meaning women federal workers earned on average 94 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.
Management
Major federal bridge grants jump-start long-stalled projects
The Biden administration announced $5 billion to build major bridge replacements, including several grants that were among the largest received by states in their history.
Management
What happens to government when a president bows out
An incumbent’s decision not to seek reelection complicates more than the electoral process.
Workforce
The DOOBIE Act would codify federal hiring policy for former marijuana users
The bill, introduced by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., would enshrine in law that past marijuana use cannot be the sole basis for denying federal job applicants a position or security clearance.
Pay & Benefits
Preparing for a smooth transition
Remember, it's your responsibility to maintain an accurate history of your federal service.
Tech