People

New health IT coordinator will act fast on stimulus

Congress wants a health IT operations plan by May 15 before it releases stimulus funding, a senior official from the coordinator’s office said.

Digital Government

Klossner: On your mark, get set, stimulate!

FCW cartoonist John Klossner tries to imagine how agencies might coach employees on how to spend boatload of stimulus bucks on tight deadlines.

Modernization

Groups push for lobbying Web site

Watchdog organizations want a single Web site that aggregates reports of meetings between lobbyists and federal executives related to stimulus funding.

Modernization

NOAA to get supercomputers, satellites

The agency's list of projects includes funding for weather satellites and climate-data supercomputers.

Modernization

OMB: Agencies must pay to upgrade Grants.gov

Grant-making agencies must cover the costs to strengthen the governmentwide grants portal to accommodate the crush of stimulus funds applications.

Modernization

FCC preparing national broadband plan

The FCC will take a year to produce a national broadband strategy, but that should not be a problem for stimulus broadband grants, according to one expert.

Modernization

OMB updates guidance for stimulus money

Federal agencies must track 41 data elements on spending under the economic stimulus law, new guidance says.

Digital Government

Stimulus money heightens urgency for health IT guidance

HHS and the health IT coordinator must ramp up standards work to meet stimulus deadlines.

People

States wrestle with stimulus funding

States are trying to figure out how to manage the huge influx of stimulus funds.

Modernization

New rules to be released for stimulus reporting

Federal agencies must report stimulus spending in more detail and more frequently under rules being released tomorrow by the Obama administration.

Modernization

Requirements published for stimulus reporting

Organizations getting grants and loans under the stimulus law must use standard data elements, OMB says.

Digital Government

Watchdogs want Obama to rescind lobbying rules

A coalition of groups says the White House's policy for lobbyists seeking funding under the stimulus law is too strict and won't achieve its intended purpose.

Modernization

New rules for stimulus contracting

The federal acquisition councils published proposed rules for the reporting and legal requirements for contracts awarded under the economic stimulus law.

People

GAO urges public to report stimulus law waste

The billions available for spending raise the potential for inappropriate use and mismanagement, GAO’s acting comptroller general said.

Acquisition

Stimulus funds bring acquisition showdown

Take a limited number of federal acquisition employees, add $787 billion in stimulus spending, then square the root with a requirement to spend the money as fast as you can. What have you got? Anyone familiar with the federal contracting process can tell you that's a no-brainer: It’s algebra for procurement meltdown.

People

Welles: Agencies will recover too

Federal employees can expect more work and visibility as the economic recovery efforts move ahead.

Modernization

Groups want open access in stimulus-funded broadband

Consumer organizations want tougher open-access requirements for the $7 billion worth of broadband networks funded by the stimulus law.

People

Online news updates and headlines

Vivek Kundra has returned to work as the federal chief information officer.

People

Obama names national health IT coordinator

Physician David Blumenthal will lead HHS efforts to direct spending of $19.5 billion in economic stimulus funds for health IT to advance implementation of the nationwide health information infrastructure.

Modernization

Towns calls for IT committee on stimulus spending

Federal, state and private sector IT leaders should help track the stimulus package, House committee chairman suggests.