Digital Government

NASA Still Falls Short of Geospatial Data Act Compliance, Watchdog Says

The agency’s inspector general found that while NASA is making progress towards compliance, six out of 13 key elements are incomplete.

Digital Government

The Pentagon’s Watchdog Is Taking a Closer Look at Defense’s Records Management and Device Use After Missing Jan. 6 Texts

The acting inspector general shared information about the review in response to a letter from a top senator expressing concerns about handling of messages related to the Capitol insurrection. 

Digital Government

EEOC to Propose Rules Codifying Electronic Filing Options for Feds

Although the agency that investigates complaints of workplace discrimination has offered the option to file documents and track cases electronically for years, its regulations do not specifically endorse the current system.

Digital Government

Lawmakers Ask National Archives to Certify Whether Trump Returned All Presidential Records

A Congressional committee expressed concern that former President Donald Trump may still possess presidential records at non-secure locations.

Ideas

New Photos Suggest How Trump, Flush with Power, May Have Sent Official Documents down the Toilet

Photos showing what appear to be torn-up documents in two different toilets may provide more evidence of the former president’s habit of destroying his presidential documents.

Policy

A new bill seeks to prevent the Secret Service from withholding records from its watchdog

“While I share the concerns of my colleagues about the actions of the current inspector general, it is also clear the Secret Service tried to impede the inspector general’s investigation into the events of Jan. 6,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

Cybersecurity

Text messages are federal records and must be saved, DOD orders

After news that Jan. 6 insurrection-related texts were wiped from former Pentagon officials’ phones, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks ordered data on department devices must be retained. 

Cybersecurity

A top senate democrat asks the defense watchdog to investigate a new batch of missing Jan. 6 texts

“I don’t know whether the failure to preserve these critical government texts from Jan. 6 is the result of bad faith, stunning incompetence, or outdated records management policies, but we must get to the bottom of it,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

Ideas

How federal agencies can integrate artificial intelligence into records management

COMMENTARY | Agencies need to factor newer forms of digital records—like those Zoom meeting recordings—into their records management plans.

Modernization

GPO unveils key priorities for 5-year modernization plan

The Government Publishing Office is including a six-step process to emphasize its modernization and innovation efforts over the next five years.

People

Ferriero to retire from National Archives

Archivist of the United States David Ferriero is retiring from his post in April after 12 years in the position.

Ideas

Is Your Agency Ready for NARA’s Electronic Records Deadline?

Add in the overall uncertainty around the M-19-21 directive and frequently moving goalposts, and it’s understandable how affected agencies may have fallen behind in executing a plan to achieve compliance. 

Modernization

Lawmakers seek probe of veterans' records requests backlog

The National Personnel Records Center is facing a backlog of 550,000 requests that built up over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Modernization

Hurricane Ida knocked out key NARA system

The system is back up and running, but the sustained outage could lead to delays in the approval of annual records transfer requests.

Digital Government

It's time for government tech to address inequities in service delivery

Civil servants and vendors have traditionally approached government software with a mindset that has created administrative burdens – a confusing online application can stand in the way of someone getting healthcare, food assistance and unemployment insurance.

Acquisition

Why VA must keep Vista healthy

The moratorium on further Vista investment put in place three years ago creates major strategic issues for the Department of Veterans Affairs as the agency looks to put Cerner's commercial electronic health record system in place.

Modernization

Pilot IRS awards five scanning contracts

The IRS is using an innovative procurement program to test and deploy experimental solutions to digitize paper files as part of an agencywide effort to reduce the reliance on non-machine-readable documentation.

Digital Government

DOD IG Issues Guidance for Removing Sensitive Tech and Data from Afghanistan

Service members’ records were mishandled during previous contingency operations. The watchdog suggested learning from the past.