Panel approves bills on IT, federal employees and telework

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved several bills Oct. 1 that would affect federal operations.

* The Senior Executive Service Diversity Assurance Act (S. 2148) would provide for greater diversity among members of the Senior Executive Service and seeks to improve policy direction and oversight for SES.

* The Federal Customer Service Enhancement Act (H.R. 404) would require the Office of Management and Budget to create standards for agencies’ customer service.

* The Effective Homeland Security Management Act (S. 547) would establish a deputy management secretary in the Homeland Security Department to serve as the chief management officer and principal adviser to the department’s secretary on management matters.

* The Telework Enhancement Act (S. 1000) would require agency executives, the Supreme Court's chief justice, the speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader to appoint telework management officers for their organizations and create policies that enable employees to telework, whenever feasible.

* The Information Technology Investment Oversight Enhancement and Waste Prevention Act (S. 3384) would require agencies to regularly report to Congress on significant shortfalls in the cost, schedule and performance of their IT programs. The legislation would also encourage better planning and ensure that officials are alerted soon after problems arise.

* The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2008 (S. 3474) would standardize information security audits by inspectors general, create a Chief Information Security Officers Council and allow DHS to test civilian agencies’ security mechanisms. It would also let Congress evaluate agencies’ information security plans.

* S. 3662, introduced Oct. 1, would establish a Controlled Unclassified Information Office and require policies and procedures for marking, safeguarding and distributing controlled unclassified information.