Employee Policy
Fed workforce equity EO: What next?
On June 25, President Biden signed a sweeping Executive Order on workforce equity. Here's a timeline on how we can expect it to be implemented.
Route Fifty
The Many Flavors of 'Transformative' State and Local ARPA Spending
Transformative government projects using American Rescue Plan Act funds can run the gamut from improving a local park, to spending tens of millions to alleviate homelessness.
Route Fifty
Expansion of Remote Work Increases Competition Between Public, Private Sector
Workforce experts say government employers should look for ways to embrace a flexible working environment even after the pandemic in order to compete.
Management
Deadline Comes for Agencies to Submit Their Reentry Plans
These plans, which will not be made public, will vary by agency.
Oversight
GAO: Coast Guard Can Do More to Monitor Telework Use
Early in the pandemic, the service suffered from inadequate bandwidth and a laptop shortage, although those issues were alleviated by summer 2020.
Oversight
Watchdog: HHS Should Update Congress on COVID-19 Spending Time Frames
GAO offers 15 new recommendations for improving the federal government’s pandemic response.
Workforce
IRS Funding Surge Punted From Bipartisan Infrastructure Package
Democrats still plan to fund major hiring boost for the tax agency in another measure.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Smithsonian and National Archives Advance Reopenings; Court Sides with CDC on Cruises
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Defense
Republicans Try New Bill to Repay National Guard for Post-Riot Protection, Minus a Rapid Response Force
No House GOPers voted for a May bill that would have reimbursed the Guard more than a half billion dollars.
Oversight
New COVID-19 Vaccine Warnings Don’t Mean It’s Unsafe – They Mean the System to Report Side Effects Is Working
Ongoing tracking is meant to spot very rare risks – like the connection between the Johnson & Johnson shot and Guillain-Barré syndrome. And it relies on public reporting.
Workforce
63% of Workers Who File an EEOC Discrimination Complaint Lose Their Jobs
Workers who filed complaints faced retaliation and rarely got a favorable result from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Workforce
GovExec Daily: The Complications of Raising the Minimum Contractor Wage
GovExec contributor Stan Soloway joins the podcast discuss the the Biden Executive Order.
Employee Policy
GPO: Remote work made permanent
For many employees at the storied Government Publishing Office, the scurry to telework that came with COVID has just been made permanent.
Management
DOJ Will Not Prosecute Trump Officials After IG Referred Findings of False Testimony on Census
Investigators verified that former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross misled Congress, but the Justice Department said it won't pursue prosecution.
Nextgov
NIST Outlines Security Measures for Software Use and Testing Under Executive Order
Eyes now turn to the Office of Management and Budget to issue requirements for federal agencies and contractors based on NIST’s work.
Oversight
Inspector General Vindicates Top Global Media Agency Officials Suspended During Trump Administration
The situation was one of many controversial ones under the agency’s former CEO, who claims he was trying to “return this agency to fulfilling its legally mandated mission.”
Route Fifty
How Localities and States Can Prepare for Broadband Expansion
Governments can use American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay for broadband infrastructure. Experts say local governments are in the best position to know what initiatives will work to connect residents.
Pay & Benefits
GPO To Offer Full-Time Telework After COVID
Around one-third of the agency’s 1,500 employees will be able to work entirely remotely, and officials said some will be able to move out of the Washington, D.C., area.
Management
A Postal Worker Begged for Stronger COVID-19 Protections. She Ended Up Spending Six Weeks in the Hospital.
The limited response to postal workers’ repeated appeals for help provides a window into the failures of two federal agencies: the Postal Service, which is one of the country’s largest employers, and OSHA, which is supposed to protect workers.
Defense