@MainPageFeature

Feds@Work: Providing Jobs, Preserving Treasures

By


At the height of our nation’s economic crisis, 34-year-old Interior Department employee Mary Pletcher became the lead career executive for awarding and tracking $2.9 billion in economic stimulus funds used to preserve and restore iconic national treasures, provide vital infrastructure in impoverished Indian communities and create jobs.

Leading the largest single investment in public lands since the Civilian Conservation Corps of the New Deal, Pletcher managed funds for some 4,000 projects ranging from major improvements to Ellis Island to the nation’s largest dam removal and natural habitat restoration project on the Elwha River in Washington State. Under her leadership, Interior met all of the requirements under the stimulus law on time, and with no significant instances of waste or fraud. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 17, 2011 at 1:30 PM

Is It Time For The Feds To Rein In the NYPD?

By

When it comes to proactive law enforcement, intelligence and counterterrorism operations, the New York City Police Department – the NYPD – is viewed by many of its counterparts as one of the most innovative and successful police departments in the nation’s history.

However, the NYPD has also gained another, more insidious reputation in recent years for what many regard as an unprecedented challenge to privacy and civil liberties in America and what others regard as overreach internationally. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 13, 2011 at 8:01 AM

IRS Cuts Would Mean Loss Of Essential Services, $4 Billion In Revenue

By

The Internal Revenue Service would face a “devastating” loss of $4 billion in revenue collected each year if proposed cuts of up to $600 million are made from the agency’s budget, Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union warned Wednesday.

While the cuts might mean savings on the front end, they would result in far less money available for every federal agency the public depends on for services, she said, including responsible for the health and safety of the public. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 12, 2011 at 12:49 PM

Postal Crisis Not Confined to U.S.

By

The U.S. Postal Service is facing a dire financial crisis, but it is not alone. The postal services of other nations also have felt the impact of electronic communications and private sector competition, and have been undergoing significant transformations.

Germany and the Netherlands have embraced privatization. Great Britain is moving slowly in that direction with its Royal Mail. The postal services in Australia and Canada have no Saturday delivery, and other countries are reaching the inevitable conclusion that mail service has to change. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 11, 2011 at 7:00 AM

GAO Finds DHS Data Mining Systems Need Better Privacy Protections, Oversight

By

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) data mining systems need additional oversight, review and evaluation to protect privacy rights, ensure transparency to the public and enable effective counterterrorism efforts, stated the General Accountability Office (GAO) in a report released last week.

Of six component agency data mining systems evaluated, “none performed all of the key activities associated with an effective evaluation framework…Only one program office performed most of the activities related to obtaining executive review and approval,” said the report. “Until such reforms are in place, DHS and its component agencies may not be able to ensure that critical data mining systems used in support of counterterrorism are both effective and that they protect personal privacy.” Keep reading →

 /  Published October 10, 2011 at 2:01 PM

American Jobs Act: What The Nation Needs And Veterans Have Earned

By


COMMENTARY: Nearly three million men and women have volunteered to serve in our armed forces since the attacks of September 11, 2001. These soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coast guardsmen left their families and risked their lives to fight for our freedoms overseas. They should not have to fight for a job when they come home.

That is why the president has championed the American Jobs Act, and why the Congress should pass his plan with urgent speed. It will help our veterans, who are just back from war, find a job. And it will give strength and stability to American families and communities. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 7, 2011 at 12:38 PM

Government Challenge Programs Foster New Wave Of Low Cost Innovations

By

A program begun on a shoe string a year ago to help federal agencies tap a broader universe of creative ideas to solve some of the government’s toughest challenges has spawned a surprising, if not revolutionary, wave of innovation in government – and at a fraction of the cost most agencies would traditionally spend to achieve similar results. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 5, 2011 at 6:40 PM

Going Mobile: Top Government Agencies For Telework

By

The battle between the public and private sectors to attract top talent often boils down to workplace intangibles such as work/life balance. And few efforts to improve that balance have attracted more attention within the federal government than telework.

Permitting more federal employees to skip the commute and work from home isn’t just an act of good will to attract and retain employees. It also boils down to smart economics. The General Services Administration estimates that if federal workers telecommuted at least one day per week, federal agencies could increase productivity by more than $2.3 billion annually. Agencies could also save potentially billions more on office space, electricity and supplies. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 5, 2011 at 7:58 AM

Head of the Class: The VA’s Solution For Acquisition Talent Shortage

By

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has found an innovative way to address a shortage of trained acquisition professionals, growing contracting complexities and a need to curb waste, fraud and abuse for itself and other federal agencies.

Since September 2008, the VA has operated its own Acquisition Academy – a school built from the ground up to train a new generation of procurement officers to handle the agency’s $16 billion annual procurement budget. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 3, 2011 at 4:00 PM

Dr. William Gahl: Medical Sleuth

By


This is the last of a series of profiles on the nine standout public servants who received Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (Sammies) honoring their high-impact contributions to the health, safety and well-being of Americans at a Washington, D.C. gala September 15. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, are among the most prestigious honors given to America’s civil servants. This profile features the winner of the national science and environmental medal, Dr. William Gahl.

As the founding director of the Undiagnosed Diseases Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. William Gahl has brought together a unique combination of elite medical specialists, researchers and federal resources to solve baffling illnesses and provide desperate patients with information and possible solutions for their often life-threatening ailments. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 29, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Page 35 of 381...3132333435363738