Digital Government

Fighting bots and comment spam

Experts are divided about what constitutes abuse of the comment process during federal rulemaking.

Acquisition

Hill Democrats quiz GSA chief about Trump hotel sale

Initial bids are supposed to be in for the sale of the lease on the Old Post Office Building, but it's not clear how much the government knows about the deal yet.

People

How to speed up Senate confirmation

Confirmation for political appointees has lagged, and the Partnership for Public Service has some ideas for picking up the pace.

People

EPA under fire from House panel for lax ethics enforcement

The House Oversight Committee wants to know why top officials have been able to sidestep or delay signing ethics pledges.

Cybersecurity

DHS workforce engagement scores still lag, but numbers may not tell the whole story

At a House hearing on DHS employee morale, the agency's human resources chief testified that the rankings don’t take into account ongoing efforts to address internal issues.

People

OPM publishes database of union agreements

The database publication, required under an executive order, is being touted as supporting workforce transparency and accountability.

People

BLM begins move out of Washington

The decision to relocate staff could disrupt key relationships with Congress and OMB and set the stage for a dismantling of the agency, say former employees.

People

OPM pushes plan to fast-track hires of former feds

Under a new rule proposed by the Office of Personnel Management, agencies would be able to offer reinstatement and higher pay grades to former federal employees who are looking to return to government after acquiring new skills.

People

AFGE president accused of using union resources for re-election campaign

J. David Cox, already on a leave of absence due to sexual harassment charges, now faces allegations of violations of union's "no politics" rule.

Modernization

Automation in acquisition

Acquisition leaders say automation technologies will allow for more accountability in government.

Modernization

USAID looks to tech, automation for HR service delivery

The agency's chief human capital officer explains how necessity drove the adoption of a more automated HR workflow to serve its far-flung employees.

People

Report: Agency upheaval spark big dips in job satisfaction

Employee unhappiness with labor disputes and agency reclocations are showing up in the "Best Place to Work in Federal Government" report for 2019

People

Shutdown threat stokes financial anxiety among feds

A new survey says annual leave, travel, spending are down as feds budget for furloughs or missing paychecks.

People

Lawmakers address federal pay inequities

The Locality Pay Equity Act would get rid of discrepancies in policies between General Schedule and Federal Wage System workers

People

NDAA blocks OPM-GSA merger

The Trump administration's plan to merge the Office of Personnel Management with the General Services Administration is going to have to wait another year, if a provision included in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act is passed into law.

People

Family leave for feds would take effect in Oct. 2020

A provision in the defense bill would give feds with one year on the job the benefit of 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a new child.

People

Paid parental leave for feds in NDAA

The must-pass defense bill is set to emerge from conference committee with a provision that gives civilian feds 12 weeks of paid parental leave.

Digital Government

Agencies plan for developing data science talent

The Data Science Training Pilot gives agencies a chance to see the benefits of data science projects while reskilling employees.

People

Pay raises remain in limbo

Congress, the White House and federal employment groups are at odds over pay increases for civilian federal employees.

Modernization

Do our algorithms have enough oversight?

Unconscious bias is just one of the unintended consequences complicating government's use of AI.