Management

Forget High-Tech Gizmos—the Smartest Note-Taking Technology Is Two Centuries Old

A lesson in the lost technology of shorthand

Oversight

Mike Rogers: Lawmakers Should Spend More Time in D.C.

Outgoing congressman says more district time, less committee work, diminishes expertise on important concerns.

Nextgov

IT Reform Finally Heads to Full Senate

Amended FITARA bill advances to full chamber.

Defense One

Crowd-Sourcing the Future of Iraq

A scenario experiment points to the next phase of the new Mesopotamia. By Jeffrey Itell

Pay & Benefits

Senate Panel Backs Changing TSP Default Settings to More Lucrative Funds

The legislation would automatically enroll new federal employees in a more diverse, age-appropriate retirement fund.

Management

House Committee Requires USPS to Keep Saturday Mail Delivery

Maintaining six-day delivery wins bipartisan support after subcommittee supported a potential reduction.

Nextgov

Disputed $103 Million DHS Employee Smartcard Project Falls Behind

Government attorneys reject latest protest pitting HP against contract winner XTec.

Management

Senate Panel Approves OMB Director Nomination

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan’s nomination to head the management and budget office now heads to the Senate floor.

Defense

Beware the Salesmen of Simple Solutions on Iraq

If history is any guide, humility is the best policy

Insights

Has Federal Mobility Been Derailed? Not So Fast

A new GBC study on mobile technology shows that feds want flexibility and that agencies are taking notice.

Management

Coming Out on Your Resume? Great Idea, Especially if You’re Black

New data suggest that the hurdles facing LGBT workers have been shrinking.

News

EPA Employees Told to Stop Pooping in the Hallway

Agency hires consultant to tell it to watch out for misplaced bowel movements.

Oversight

Promises of Federal Spending Help Thad Cochran's Surprise Rebound Against Tea Party

Some voters appeared swayed by Cochran's pledges to continue delivering federal money to the mostly poor, rural state of Mississippi.

Oversight

Play of the Day: A Poor-Off Will Decide 2016

Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden fight to claim the title of "least rich."

Oversight

Misdemeanor Guilty Plea Rejected in Capitol Police Manager's Embezzlement Case

Case involves Deborah K. Lewis' previous employment at Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Defense

Obama Has the Speech, ISIL Has the Territory

Obama saw the larger problem coming, though the particulars eluded him (and almost everyone else in Washington).

Management

Why It’s Important to Communicate Bad News

If your employees are in for a rough ride, tell them.

Employee Policy

House committee OKs six-day mail amendment

An attempt last week by members of a House subcommittee to move the U.S. Postal Service closer to five-day delivery by omitting the six-day requirement from appropriations legislation was turned back June 25 when the full House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment to restore the requirement.

Pay

Rule will implement contractor pay cap

The administration has published an interim rule to implement a law imposing a new employee compensation cap on federal contractors.

Employee Policy

VA clerk alleges records of deceased vets altered

A Department of Veterans Affairs whistleblower alleges that that records of deceased veterans were changed to cover up the actual number of vets who died while waiting for care at the scandal-ridden VA Medical Center in Phoenix.