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- House Appropriations Bill Would Reduce Funding for Social Security Administration by $450 Million - June 28, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
House GOP appropriators have proposed a $450 million cut to the Social Security Administration’s administrative budget, in a move that Democrats warn will worsen the agency’s customer service crisis.
The cuts are tucked into the fiscal 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies spending bill, which was advanced to the full House Appropriations Committee Thursday following of a subcommittee markup on the measure.- Read More
- Supreme Court deals 'earth-shattering' blow to federal agencies' administrative powers - June 27, 2024
By Eric Katz, Government Executive
The Supreme Court on Thursday reversed federal agencies’ longstanding capacity to adjudicate and enforce certain federal laws, dealing the latest in a series of blows to the executive branch’s administrative powers.
In a 6-3 decision, the conservative majority on the court rejected the Biden administration's argument that existing precedent protected agencies as they adjudicated laws written by Congress, instead suggesting individuals and private entities had a right to defend themselves from civil penalties before a jury. The Seventh Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees a right to a trial before a jury of peers, applies to cases involving administrative penalties, the court ruled.- Read More
- Warnings Sounded on Impact of Funding Bills on Federal Workforce - June 26, 2024
FEDweek -
Federal employees could face layoffs, hiring freezes or furloughs under the GOP-crafted spending bills now advancing in the House, say congressional Democrats who are consistently voting against those bills.
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- Biden’s 2% raise more likely upon advancement of Senate defense policy bill - June 20, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
It’s only June, but federal employees’ chances of receiving a pay raise larger than President Biden’s proposed 2% average increase are already waning.
Last week, House appropriators advanced their Financial Services and General Government spending bill for fiscal 2025. Though the measure is typically the avenue for overriding a president’s pay raise plan for civilian employees, it is silent on federal employee compensation, effectively endorsing the president’s proposal.- Read More
- Spending Bill Addresses Hiring, Other Issues for OPM - June 17, 2024
FEDweek -
The House version of the annual general government spending bill addresses several hiring-related issues, including encouraging OPM to continue to review policies “regarding the hiring and firing of individuals who use marijuana in states where that individual’s private use of marijuana is not prohibited under the law of the state.”
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- Feds are still slated for a 2% average pay raise in 2025 per House appropriations bill - June 14, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
Civilian federal employees are still expected to receive an average 2.0% raise next year, after the House Appropriations Committee advanced a spending package Thursday that is silent of federal worker compensation.
Last spring, President Biden turned heads by releasing a fiscal 2025 budget proposal with a 2.0% average pay increase for civilian federal employees in 2025. That figure came in well below Biden’s previous pay raise plans—in 2024, federal workers saw an average 5.2% increase; in 2023, the increase was 4.6%; and in 2022, 2.2%.- Read More
- OPM’s retirement backlog hit an 8-year low last month - June 10, 2024
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
Efforts to streamline the processing of departing federal workers’ retirement applications continue to pay dividends, as the inventory of pending claims hit the lowest point since 2016.
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- AG vows prosecution amid ‘unprecedented’ spike in threats against career civil servants - June 6, 2024
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
The nation’s top prosecutor pledged this week to use his authority to go after anyone making threats against career federal employees, which he said have spiked to previously unseen levels.
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- Survey: Hiring Process, Misconceptions Dissuade Gen Z from Seeking Federal Jobs - May 31, 2024
FEDweek -
The Partnership for Public Service says that a recent survey it conducted shows that “federal careers are natural fits for members of Generation Z, who often seek employers affecting positive change” but that misconceptions and the hiring process often dissuade them from even applying.
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- Problem Solvers Caucus throws its weight behind an effort to kill the windfall elimination provision - May 24, 2024
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
The years-long effort to repeal a pair of controversial tax rules that negatively impact some federal workers’ retirement income got a boost Thursday in the form of the formal endorsement of the House Problem Solvers Caucus.
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- OPM defends rule to hamper Schedule F’s return, backs telework amid return to office push - May 22, 2024
By Jory Heckman, Federal News Network
The Office of Personnel Management is defending a recently finalized rule meant to prevent the return of Schedule F — a Trump-era policy that made it easier to fire career federal employees in policymaking positions.
OPM’s acting director told the House Oversight and Accountability Committee that the re-emergence of such a policy would undermine civil service protections, and return the federal workforce to a 19th-century “spoils system” with major turnover.
Acting OPM Director Rob Shriver told lawmakers on Wednesday that the return of Schedule F would have a “chilling effect” on career federal employees, and prevent them from providing candid feedback on policy matters.- Read More
- Governance experts launch a group to oppose Schedule F - May 21, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
Anew group of experts on government and the civil service has formed to oppose conservative-led efforts to strip federal workers of their due process protections, as well as develop a new middle ground “consensus” for reforming federal personnel policy.
The Working Group to Protect and Reform U.S. Civil Service was devised by political scientist Francis Fukuyama, University of Maryland professor emeritus and former School of Public Policy Dean Don Kettl and administrative law scholar Paul Verkuil.- Read More
- Congress is already clashing on FY25 funding as House proposes big cuts - May 20, 2024
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
House Republicans are proposing an average of 6% discretionary spending cuts to non-defense agencies for fiscal 2025, putting it on a collision course with the Democratic-led Senate that is seeking to avoid such reductions.
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- Senators delay federal telework bill to consider adding work-from-home supervision - May 15, 2024
By Drew Friedman, Federal News Network
A few senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee are digging in their heels on a federal telework bill, calling for more “accountability” of teleworking employees governmentwide.
On a list of bills HSGAC considered for advancement Wednesday morning, the Telework Transparency Act aims to paint a clearer picture of telework across agencies. But during the committee’s consideration of the legislation, more questions than answers came up among members.- Read More
- The class of 2024 is applying to more government jobs, says college networking website - May 14, 2024
Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive -
The class of 2024 is applying to more government jobs, according to a report released this month by a popular networking website for college students.
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- Senators’ latest telework legislation could imperil remote work - May 9, 2024
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
A new bill from Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., would cap all telework at 40% of an employee’s work hours, potentially endangering the federal government’s nascent remote work program.
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- Shriver assumes acting OPM director role - May 6, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
Weeks following the news that Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja would step down, agency Deputy Director Rob Shriver has been appointed acting director of the federal government’s dedicated HR agency.
Shriver announced the news in a post on LinkedIn.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as acting director at [the] Office of Personnel Management,” he wrote. “I wouldn’t have this opportunity without the support of OPM’s outgoing director, Kiran Ahuja. Thank you, Kiran!”- Read More
- A CBO report raises new questions about Biden’s 2% pay raise plan - May 7, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
Anew report from the Congressional Budget Office found that a gap between the combined pay and benefits of federal workers and their private sector counterparts has nearly disappeared between 2015 and 2022, raising new questions about President Biden’s proposed 2% average pay raise for the federal workforce in 2025.
Federal policymakers generally rely on one of two reports comparing the compensation of federal and private sector workers. First is an annual analysis compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for review by the Federal Salary Council, which compares only the wages of similar jobs, is the preferred citation of Democrats and federal employee unions.- Read More
- A Proclamation on Public Service Recognition Week - May 6, 2024
President Biden kicks off Public Service Recognition Week -
Our Nation’s over 20 million public servants work hard to deliver for our families, communities, and country. Their work matters to people’s everyday lives: They keep neighborhoods safe and the buses running, and build futures for people in their hometowns. They are the lifeblood of our democracy, acting as brave first responders, election workers, and service members defending our country. This week, we recognize our Nation’s public servants, who do the humble yet critical work of keeping our country running.
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- OPM to Rollout FEVS Survey: Poor Performers Held Accountable? Happy with Your Pay? - May 3, 2024
FEDweek -
The annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey will be sent out in two phases a week apart in mid-May, OPM has told agencies, calling the survey “one of the most powerful platforms for federal employees to have a voice in sharing their work experience, critical to achieving effective agencies and responsive public service in times of significant change and adaptation.”
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- OMB leader defends administration’s approach to telework - April 30, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
A top Office of Management and Budget official on Tuesday defended the Biden administration’s approach to telework from continued Republican scrutiny of the workplace flexibility.
Asked to explain the White House’s position on telework before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, OMB Deputy Director for Management Jason Miller said that the current expectation is that “office workers” at federal agencies should generally be asked to spend at least half of their working hours at traditional work sites. Some agencies, however, deviate from that standard based on mission needs.- Read More
- OPM Issues Further Guidance on Criminal History and Hiring - April 29, 2024
FEDweek -
OPM has issued (at www.chcoc.gov) further instructions to agencies on complying with a 2019 law that generally limits their requests for information about a federal job applicant’s criminal history prior to making a conditional job offer.
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- VA employee discipline back in the spotlight as lawmakers move new bills - April 23, 2024
By Eric Katz, Government Executive
AHouse panel has advanced a measure aimed at bringing more transparency to disciplinary action taken against Veterans Affairs Department employees, with supporters saying current practices sweep potential wrongdoing under the rug.
The results of any investigation into alleged wrongdoing by VA employees would be permanently noted in their records under the Personnel Integrity in Veterans Affairs Act, which the House VA Committee’s panel on Oversight and Investigations approved last week in a unanimous vote. The vote came after the committee has spent months investigating allegations of sexual harassment against several VA leaders, some of whom subsequently were reassigned, resigned or retired.- Read More
- 3 Legal Disputes With Key Lessons for Federal Agencies, Managers - April 223, 2024
Mitchell Berger, MPH, FEDweek -
Some employees will sue their agencies and others may leave or quietly quit. Because such cases leave a publicly accessible paper trail, potential lessons can be learned from situations in which agencies face employee complaints and litigation.
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- Postponing Retirement Problems: Part 1 - April 19, 2024
Tammy Flanagan, Government Executive -
It’s important to know the difference between a postponed retirement and a deferred retirement. Experience is the worst teacher. It always gives the test first and the instruction afterward.” This is a quote by Vern Law who played 16 seasons pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. This is a relevant quote to start today’s column because it was through some very tough experiences that it was discovered that very important instructions were not followed that would allow lifetime insurance coverage under a postponed Minimum Retirement Age + 10 retirement.
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- Kiran Ahuja to Step Down as Longest Serving OPM Director in a Decade - April 16, 2024
OPM News Release
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced today that Director Kiran Ahuja will depart from her role in the next several weeks. Ahuja, the longest serving director in more than ten years, leaves a lasting legacy of rebuilding the OPM workforce, championing federal workers, and supporting federal agencies. Ahuja was confirmed as the first South Asian and first Asian American woman to lead the agency.
“Serving in the Biden-Harris Administration, and in support of the 2.2 million federal workers who dedicate themselves to the American people, has been the honor of my life,” said OPM Director Kiran Ahuja. “From my time as a civil rights lawyer in the Department of Justice, to my years as OPM’s Chief of Staff, I’ve seen the power that public service has to change lives, rebuild communities, and make our nation stronger. We have accomplished so much these last three years at OPM, but I am most proud of the friendships and bonds we built together in public service. Thank you most to the OPM workforce for your service and dedication. We serve the people who serve the nation – and without you, our country could not move forward. Thank you.”
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- Biden rescinds COVID-era executive orders, folding safer federal workforce task force - April 16, 2024
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
The Office of Personnel Management issued new guidance last week rescinding some forms of COVID-19-related administrative leave, but preserving four hours of paid leave for federal employees to get vaccine booster shots.
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- Managers Key to Reducing Burnout Among Federal Employees: Gallup - April 10, 2024
FedManager.com -
More than a quarter of the federal workforce (27 percent) reported that they “very often” or “always” feel burned out while on the job. Two in five say they “sometimes” feel burned out on the job, according to a Gallup study which surveyed 5,410 federal workers throughout 2023.
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- Senators take another crack at improving federal telework data - April 9, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
Lawmakers have proposed yet another bill aimed at improving transparency around federal agencies’ use of telework, this time requiring a number of data reporting changes already underway in government.
Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, last week announced the introduction of the bipartisan Telework Transparency Act (S. 4043). The bill requires that federal agencies publish the policies governing telework for their workforce on their websites, as well as establish automated systems to track employees’ utilization of the workforce flexibility, federal building occupancy data and any effects on agency performance.- Read More
- OPM issues its final rule for Schedule F protections - April 4, 2024
Carten Cordell, Government Executive -
The Office of Personnel Management issued the final version of its regulation meant to safeguard the civil service from the return of a Trump-era policy that sought to convert most federal employees to at-will workers.
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- The MacGuffin of Schedule F - April 1, 2024
FMA strongly opposes the reintroduction of Schedule F, or any system that would remove merit protections and politicize a greater portion of the government.
Donald F. Kettl, Government Executive -
The unquestioned master of suspense, filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was especially fond of staging a MacGuffin, an element of the story that helped move the plot along but turned out to be insignificant to solving the case.
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- Politicians may rail against the ‘deep state,’ but research shows federal workers are effective and committed, not subversive - March 28, 2024
Jaime Kucinskas and James L. Perry, Government Executive -
It’s common for political candidates to disparage “the government” even as they run for an office in which they would be part of, yes, running the government.
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- House GOP Group Repeats Proposals to Cut Federal Employment Protections, Benefits - March 27, 2024
FEDweek -
Following are key sections of a new proposal in which the House Republican Study Committee again recommends reducing federal employment protections and benefits. While the group—a caucus of conservatives—refers to the document as a “budget,” it plays no formal role in the congressional budget process. However, it does indicate positions favored by the large majority of House Republicans.
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- Senate misses deadline but averts shutdown after passing $1.2T funding package - March 23, 2024
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
The Senate approved a $1.2 trillion spending package early Saturday shortly after a portion of the government was set to shut down, staving off the threat for the remainder of fiscal 2024.
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- Here are the 9 biggest agency and program reforms in the final FY24 spending package - March 22, 2024
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
Lawmakers on Thursday unveiled the second and final spending package for fiscal 2024, with Congress now facing a tight timeline to pass the measure before funding expires at the end of the day Friday.
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- Here are the 9 biggest agency and program reforms in the final FY24 spending package - March 21, 2024
By Eric Katz, Government Executive
Lawmakers on Thursday unveiled the second and final spending package for fiscal 2024, with Congress now facing a tight timeline to pass the measure before funding expires at the end of the day Friday.
The much-delayed spending bill includes funding for the departments of Defense, Treasury, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and State, as well as other agencies, and will be considered on Friday in one “minibus” package. Leadership in both chambers and parties, as well as President Biden, threw their support behind the measure.
The House is set to shorten its normal rule of providing 72 hours between a bill’s introduction and its vote to avoid a shutdown that would begin this weekend without congressional action. The Senate will then look to move swiftly, though all 100 senators must agree to vote on an expedited timeline.
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- More than 600K federal employees are facing furloughs this week - March 19, 2024
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
The federal agencies facing a shutdown threat later this week would send home more than 600,000 employees if Congress fails to enact funding by Friday, furloughing them with only the promise of backpay.
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- Federal managers play a key but forgotten role in job satisfaction - March 18, 2024
Howard Risher, Government Executive -
The continued high turnover problem of TSA’s transportation security officers confirms an important lesson: pay increases have little impact on job satisfaction. The poor performers are more likely to stay if their salary is increased. Studies also show when everyone gets the same increase, it’s the high performers who leave. Pay is a factor in recruiting – both positive and negative – but, as the TSA experience shows, it’s not the answer for solving job vacancy problems.
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- Biden Issues Open Letter Thanking Federal Employees - March 13, 2024
FEDweek -
President Biden has issued an open letter to federal employees thanking them for their “tireless service on behalf of our country.”
Such letters are issued infrequently and sometimes are tied to a special occasion such as the late-year holidays or, as in this case, at the State of the Union address.
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- The 9 most significant agency and program reforms in Biden's budget - March 12, 2024
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
President Biden unveiled nearly across-the-board spending bumps in his fiscal 2025 budget on Monday, though his proposal maintained a lower overall spending level as agreed to in recent budget deals.
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- White House set to release next year’s budget plans on Monday - March 11, 2024
Leo Shane III, Military Times -
With the fiscal 2024 budget for the federal government still unsettled, the White House will unveil plans for its fiscal 2025 spending plans on Monday, including proposed funding levels for the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
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- Biden proposes 2% raise for feds in 2025 budget - March 11, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
President Biden’s fiscal 2025 budget proposal, released Monday, would institute an average 2.0% pay raise for federal civilian employees next year, a significant decrease from each of the last two years.
The figure marks a departure from the president’s 2023 and 2024 budgets, which proposed some of the largest pay increases federal workers had seen in decades. The 2023 average pay raise of 4.6% was the highest since the George W. Bush administration, while this year’s 5.2% average raise marked the largest since the Carter era.- Read More
- Biden order expands federal apprenticeships, reestablishes labor-management forums - March 7, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
President Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at expanding federal agencies’ use of apprenticeship programs to attract and develop young federal workers, as well as reinstating agency labor-management forums that have largely sat dormant since 2017.
White House officials said the measure, entitled Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government and Promoting Labor-Management Forums, dovetails with the recent push by presidents of both parties to shift how federal agencies evaluate job candidates from a largely based on educational attainment to one that emphasizes applicants’ relevant skills and work experience.- Read More
- 2 days before a shutdown, House sends $460B spending package to Senate - March 6, 2024
By Eric Katz, Government Executive
The House on Wednesday approved a spending package in a 339-85 vote to set spending levels for some agencies for the rest of fiscal 2024, sending the measure to the Senate with just two days before a partial shutdown.
The $460 billion “minibus,” which contains funding for the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Interior, Commerce and Justice, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and a few other agencies, won broad bipartisan support after months of delays and four stopgap bills to keep the government from closing its doors. The measures will force many agencies across government to absorb modest cuts relative to their current funding levels, though overall non-defense discretionary spending will remain flat.
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- How to Apply for Senior Executive Service (SES) Positions - March 5, 2024
Nancy Segal, FEDweek -
Like almost all positions in the federal government, positions in the Senior Executive Service (SES) are required to be posted on USAJOBS. The minimum posting time is 14 days, although many SES positions run longer.
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- These are the 8 biggest agency and program reforms in the first FY24 spending bill - March 5, 2024
By Eric Katz, Government Executive
Lawmakers on Sunday evening released the first of two spending packages that will set funding levels for the remainder of fiscal 2024, with many agencies throughout government in line to absorb modest cuts.
The much delayed package, which includes funding for the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Interior, Commerce and Justice, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and a few other agencies, came together after Congress last week agreed to its fourth stopgap bill of the fiscal year. Lawmakers now have until Friday evening to approve the “minibus” package. After they do so, they will turn their attention to funding the rest of government by March 22.
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- Leaders in Congress agree to delay government shutdown deadlines - February 28, 2024
Jacob Bogage and Marianna Sotomayor, The Washington Post -
Congressional leaders agreed Wednesday to a funding deal that would prevent a partial government shutdown this weekend, extending the expiration dates for federal finances until later in March as lawmakers iron out the final details of a $1.7 trillion spending package.
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- With negotiations stalling, Biden, congressional leaders to meet days before shutdown - February 26, 2024
By Eric Katz, Government Executive
President Biden will meet with the top House and Senate lawmakers on Tuesday as Democrats and Republicans are at a standstill over fiscal 2024 budget talks just a few days before funding expires for some agencies.
Senate Democrats and House Republicans pointed fingers at each other to start the week as progress toward a funding agreement stalled. The two sides previously agreed to the overall spending level for the remainder of the fiscal year and how to divvy up the money among the 12 must-pass annual spending bills, but have remained divided over the language in the final version of the measures.- Read More
- Ensure You Can Keep Your Federal Benefits in Retirement - February 22, 2024
By Steven Puckett, FedSmith
Some of the biggest perks to working for the government are the benefits that you not only have while you are working but also the ones that carry over into retirement. The primary benefits of concern for most federal employees are their health benefits (FEHB), dental, vision, and life insurance (FEGLI).
Health Benefits (FEHB)Federal health benefits coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program is some of the best and most affordable in the nation. Part of the reason it is so affordable is that the government pays around 72% of the premiums for each plan, leaving the employee to pay the remainder.
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- Partnership Suggests Further Steps on Improving Use of Probationary Periods - February 21, 2024
FEDweek -
The Partnership for Public Service has suggested follow-up steps to OPM’s recent guidance to agencies on making fuller use of the probationary period for a newly hired federal employee, saying improving the use of that period “is a low-hanging fruit for holding agencies and federal employees accountable for performance and encouraging emerging best practices in skills-based hiring.”
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- Chances of Shutdown Increase as House Heads to Recess - February 14, 2024
FEDweek -
The House is set to recess later this week until after the first deadline to prevent what could be a two-stage partial government shutdown, without having addressed either regular spending bills or another temporary funding measure.
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- Some 6,600 current and former employees impacted in a January GAO data breach - February 13, 2024
David DiMolfetta, Government Executive -
The U.S. Government Accountability Office was notified of a data breach by government tech contractor CGI Federal last month that impacted some 6,600 people, the GAO confirmed to Nextgov/FCW.
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- Senate FAA bill drops ‘maximum hiring’ provision aimed at addressing staffing crisis - February 12, 2024
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
The Senate on Thursday moved one step closer to finally reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration and addressing the longstanding staffing issues that all parties and stakeholders have highlighted as reaching critical levels, though current employees are raising concerns the measure does not go far enough.
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- Identity theft protection for OPM hack victims could extend for life under new bill - February 8, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
Apair of House Democrats on Monday introduced legislation aimed at ensuring victims of the 2015 Office of Personnel Management data breach remain protected for the rest of their lives.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., are the lead sponsors of the Reducing the Effects on OPM Victims Emergency Response Act (H.R. 7236). Last introduced in 2018, the measure would expand credit monitoring and identity protection services for the more than 21 million current and former federal workers and contractors whose Social Security numbers were exposed as part of multiple data breaches nearly a decade ago.- Read More
- Federal workers failing to take paid family leave, lawmakers say - February 7, 2024
Molly Weisner, Federal Times -
As the Biden administration pushes for the government to be a “model employer,” inclusive and able to recruit competitively, lawmakers say they’re concerned that not enough federal employees are taking advantage of an important workplace benefit: paid family leave.
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- OPM offers guidance for agencies implementing salary history ban - February 2, 2024
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
The Office of Personnel Management on Friday set a deadline of October for agencies to comply with new federal regulations barring the federal government from using a job applicant’s salary history when setting their pay.
Earlier this week, OPM finalized regulations barring agencies from soliciting or otherwise relying on past compensation during the hiring and pay-setting process in most cases. The Biden administration also proposed similar rules this week that would ban the practice for federal contractors and subcontractors, though those would not take effect until at least April.- Read More
- O’Malley reduces telework for Social Security HQ, regional office staff - February 2, 2024
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley announced Tuesday that beginning this spring, employees at the agency’s headquarters, regional offices and area director offices will be expected to show up for in-person work more frequently, as the new leader seeks to get a handle on operations.
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- OPM: Federal salaries won't be tied to private sector pay histories - January 30, 2024
Carten Cordell, Government Executive -
Agencies can’t use non-federal salaries to help set pay for new or returning federal employees, under a new rule from the Office of Personnel Management.
The Office of Personnel Management issued a final rule Monday limiting the criteria on which federal agencies can set salaries for new or returning federal civilian employees.
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- Lawmakers reach a bipartisan breakthrough for FY24 funding - January 29, 2024
By Eric Katz, Government Executive
Key congressional negotiators have reached an agreement on how to divvy up funding for the fiscal 2024 spending bills, clearing a major threshold that will allow appropriators to finalize those measures.
The deal, confirmed by a source familiar with talks, was hammered out after weeks of negotiations between Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, who respectively chair the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, and establishes how much money will be allocated to each of the 12 bills Congress must pass to fund government each year. With those allocations set, lawmakers can now complete their work of setting line-by-line funding for every program and office in agencies across government.- Read More
- How to transform agency workforces with skills-based hiring - January 23, 2024
Glenn Davidson, Government Executive -
With nearly one million job openings across the federal government, agency leaders can help close existing workforce gaps by reimagining traditional hiring practices and embracing skills-based hiring initiatives. These efforts can broaden the talent pool and lower barriers to entry for public-sector roles by eliminating specific degree requirements.
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- Congress averts shutdown, punts funding debate into March - January 19, 2024
By Eric Katz, Government Executive -
Updated Jan. 18 at 5:02 pm ET: Both houses of Congress on Thursday approved a two-tiered stopgap funding bill that kicked the shutdown deadlines into March, sending the measure to President Biden's desk just one day before the shuttering of some agencies.
The House acted quickly Thursday afternoon in a 314-108 vote after the Senate approved the bill earlier in the day. Lawmakers had until the end of the day Friday to avoid a shutdown for the first tranche of agencies that would have seen their funding expire. The measure moved without much drama despite some conservatives making an 11th hour push for tactics to delay the process past that timeframe.- Read More
- Senate advances another two-tiered stopgap spending bill - January 17, 2024
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
The Senate on Tuesday approved in a 68-13 vote a first procedural step on a stopgap measure that will set up two March deadlines to fund the government, looking to once again avert a shutdown this week by punting on the appropriations process.
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- With partial government shutdown a week away, Johnson says he’ll stick to spending deal - January 13, 2024
Jennifer Shutt, Government Executive -
House Speaker Mike Johnson committed Friday to following the topline spending agreement he struck with Democrats less than a week ago, following a day of speculation that he was preparing to walk away from the deal.
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- OPM reduces the retirement backlog by one-third in 2023 - January 11, 2023
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
The Office of Personnel Management made some of its best progress at reducing the number of pending retirement applications from federal workers last year, reducing the backlog by 34% in 2023 and breaking multiple recent records in the process.
Long a source of frustration for the governmental HR agency, lawmakers and retirees alike, OPM’s inventory of pending retirement claims has been plagued by delays due to the still largely paper-based nature of federal employment records, staffing issues and other challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many of these issues, as the backlog climbed to a high of more than 36,000 pending claims in March 2022.- Read More
- IRS digs out from pandemic-era challenges, but struggles on some hiring goals, watchdog tells Congress - January 11, 2024
By Jory Heckman, Federal News Network -
The Internal Revenue Service is answering more calls and providing help to taxpayers at levels not seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the National Taxpayer Advocate, in her annual report to Congress, is telling the IRS that “business as usual” isn’t good enough, and that the agency needs to keep improving its level of service to the public.
The annual report describes 2023 as a year of “extraordinary transition for the IRS” and taxpayers, and that with recent improvements in IRS operations, “despair has turned to cautious optimism.”- Read More
- Signs Emerge on Avoiding Shutdown, but Long Way to Go - January 10, 2024
FEDweek -
Prospects have improved of avoiding what could be a two-phase partial government shutdown starting next Friday (January 19), following a bipartisan agreement among congressional leaders over agency spending levels for the current fiscal year.
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- Congressional leaders announce an agreement on spending levels, a key step to averting shutdown - January 7, 2023
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on overall spending levels for the current fiscal year that could help avoid a partial government shutdown later this month.
The agreement largely hews to spending caps for defense and domestic programs that Congress set as part of a bill to suspend the debt limit until 2025. But it does provide some concessions to House Republicans who viewed the spending restrictions in that agreement as insufficient.
In a letter to colleagues, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday the agreement would secure $16 billion in additional spending cuts from the previous agreement brokered by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden and is about $30 billion less than what the Senate was considering.
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- OPM’s latest telework report highlights productivity gains - January 4, 2023
By Erich Wagner, Government Executive
Telework at federal agencies continues to fuel better employee engagement and retention while creating cost savings in areas like real estate and energy, the Office of Personnel Management found in its latest report on the workplace flexibility.
Published last month, OPM’s annual report to Congress covers the 2022 fiscal year, which ended in September 2022, meaning it covers a period of time when agencies were developing and beginning implementation of re-entry plans after a two-year period of maximum telework during the COVID-19 pandemic, but before the Biden administration’s concerted push beginning last spring to increase “meaningful in-person work” across government.- Read More
- Fed retirement plan ends year with positive returns - January 3, 2024
Molly Weisner, Federal Times -
The Thrift Savings Plan, the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement plan, ended the year on a high note, with all five core funds yielding positive returns for the second straight month.
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- Biden signs order finalizing 5.2% pay raise for feds in 2024 - December 22, 2023
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
The measure confirms that the federal workforce will see its largest pay increase in more than 40 years. As first proposed in his fiscal 2024 budget plan last March, the increase amounts to a 4.7% across-the-board boost to basic pay, alongside an average 0.5% increase in locality pay. As authorized in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which Biden is expected to sign this week, military service personnel also will see an average 5.2% pay raise next year.
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- Make ‘Full Use’ of Probationary Period, OPM Tells Agencies - December 20, 2023
FEDweek -
Following is a memo in which OPM told agencies to make “full use” of the probationary period, the (generally) one year period after federal employees are hired in which agencies evaluate them and may fire them without the legal protections that apply to employees who successfully complete the period.
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- Supreme Court to hear arguments on federal employee furlough case - December 14, 2023
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
The case was significantly delayed as the agency that initially hears federal worker appeals was non-functional for five years. The Supreme Court will issue a decision on a decade-old case regarding a federal employee whose agency furloughed him for six days in 2013, though the ruling is expected to be limited in scope and concern the timing of the challenge.
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- OSC Issues Guidance on Hatch Act and Comments on Gaza Conflict - December 8, 2023
FEDweek -
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has received numerous questions regarding whether the Hatch Act restricts federal employees from expressing their views about the current conflict between Israel and Hamas and other related topics. OSC is therefore issuing this advisory opinion to inform federal employees of when and how the Hatch Act might apply to such speech. As detailed below, the relevant provision of the Hatch Act prohibits employees from engaging in political activity while on duty or in the federal workplace.
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- White House updates interagency group tasked with protecting federal facilities - November 28, 2023
Carten Cordell, Government Executive -
The Biden administration issued an executive order Monday updating the committee tasked with establishing security policies for installations across the federal government, now including best practices for a mobile workforce.
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- OPM proposes making it easier to approve some recruitment and relocation incentives - November 20, 2023
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
Under proposed regulations, the federal government’s HR agency would no longer need to approve waivers of traditional incentive payment caps in advance, potentially speeding up the hiring and relocation processes.
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- Congress averts shutdown after Senate approves two-tiered CR - November 16, 2023
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
The Senate late Wednesday approved in an 87-11 vote a two-tiered stopgap spending measure, sending to President Biden’s desk a bill that will keep some agencies funded into January and others into February.
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- Senate rejects measure to end shutdowns for good, but makes progress on spending bills - October 30, 2023
Eric Katz, Government Executive -
Rather than end the threat of shutdowns, Congress is barreling toward a possible one three weeks away.
A majority of senators this week voted to end shutdowns forever, but the bill failed to gain the requisite support and the chamber has moved on toward passing its bipartisan annual funding bills.
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- ‘Sammies’ Announced; Ukraine Policy Official Named Federal Employee of the Year - October 18, 2023
FEDweek -
Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia has been named the Federal Employee of the Year in the annual Service to America Medals award, considered the top annual honor for career federal employees.
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- Meet the winners of this year’s ‘Oscars’ of public service - October 17, 2023
Natalie Alms, Government Executive -
FMA National President Craig Carter represents federal managers at the Service to America Medals Gala.
The recipients join the over 750 awardees of the Partnership for Public Services’ recognition program since it began in 2002.
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- Senate bill would codify remote work, increase telework reporting - October 16, 2023
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
The Telework Reform Act also would authorize noncompetitive hiring of military and law enforcement spouses into remote work positions.
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- President’s Pay Agent OKs another tweak to locality pay areas - October 11, 2023
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
The counties of Clallam and Jefferson in Washington state could be included in the Seattle-Tacoma locality pay area as early as 2025.
The Biden administration on Monday has begun the queue of new regions to add to the federal government’s map where federal workers are entitled to higher pay for 2025, approving a recommendation to add Clallam and Jefferson counties in Washington state to the existing Seattle-Tacoma, Washington, locality pay area.
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- OPM Highlights Hiring, Diversity, Other Personnel Management Efforts - October 6, 2023
FEDweek -
OPM’s latest update on its agency priority goals under the President’s Management Agenda, covering the third quarter of fiscal 2023, cites under the goal of improving recruitment and retention its issuance of proposed rules to streamline the Pathways Program, the government’s main internship and early career hiring and development program.
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- OPM’s Guidance on a Shutdown’s Impact on Pay - September 26, 2023
FEDweek -
Following are questions and answers related to pay from OPM guidance on the impact on federal workers of a partial government shutdown caused by a funding lapse.
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- Rules Proposed to Head Off Return of Schedule F - September 18, 2023
FEDweek -
In what amounts to a preemptive strike against a potential future Republican administration, the Biden administration has proposed rules that effectively would block — at least for a time — the return of a future excepted service category for policy-related jobs that currently are in the competitive service.
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- 'It is fraud, folks. It’s fraud': The latest in a string of Republican accusations against federal teleworkers - September 11, 2023
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has requested investigations at every major federal department and agency into how telework and remote work have impacted service delivery, and whether federal workers are improperly receiving locality pay.
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- The shutdown threat would be off the table, under newly proposed legislation - September 7, 2023
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
A bill from Virginia Democrats would automatically trigger a continuing resolution when there is a lapse in appropriations and restrict the Senate’s ability to consider non-spending legislation until funding is figured out.
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- Supervisory Dissatisfaction with Support Highest for Recruiting/Hiring - September 6, 2023
FEDweek -
Of the types of internal support the government provides for supervisory employees, dissatisfaction is highest for recruiting and hiring support, while other areas with “the most room for improvement” include pre-award contracting support, budget formulation and IT modernization, data newly posted on performance.gov show.
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- IRS announces two-year delay to TSP catch-up contribution changes - August 29, 2023
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
New rules requiring high-income 401(k) participants to make catch-up contributions only to Roth accounts will not take effect until 2026.
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- 2024 Per Diem Rates Announced; Standard Lodging Allowance Increasing - August 22, 2023
FEDweek -
GSA has announced the per diem rates for federal employees traveling on official business in fiscal year 2024, starting October 1, including an increase from $98 to $107 per day in the standard lodging rate for destinations without specific rates.
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- Bill to Counter ‘Pay Compression’ at Upper Levels of GS Introduced - August 16, 2023
FEDweek -
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., has reintroduced a bill (HR-5171) to provide relief from the pay cap that currently applies to employees in the upper reaches of the GS system that prevents them from receiving full annual pay increases. That cap, set at Level IV of the Executive Schedule, this year is $183,500.
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- 2024 COLA Estimate Remains at 3% - August 14, 2023
In 2023, cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for retirement programs — such as Social Security, the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) — received the highest COLA in more than 40 years.
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- Limited use of pay incentives holds back hiring at IRS - August 10, 2023
Molly Weisner, Federal Times -
The IRS has a big order to fill: tens of thousands of new employees are needed in the next two years to fight a high attrition rate that is eroding ranks at a time when the agency says it needs to expand.
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- White House calls on agencies to 'aggressively' reduce telework this fall - August 8, 2023
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
The White House is continuing its push for federal agencies to reduce their use of telework and remote work in favor of more in-person time at the office this fall.
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- Split in U.S. House GOP raises potential for government shutdown this fall - August 7, 2023
Jennifer Shutt, Government Executive -
Members of Congress jetted off for the August recess without a plan in place to avoid a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1 — and the lawmakers who write spending bills acknowledge that it’s a real possibility, given deep divisions.
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- ‘Windfall,’ ‘Offset’ Elimination Provisions Added to Larger Social Security Bill - August 3, 2023
FEDweek -
A Social Security reform bill (HR-4583) newly introduced with nearly all House Democrats as cosponsors would eliminate the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset provisions affecting benefits under that program for federal retirements under the CSRS system.
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- Cannabis users could become feds under bipartisan House bill - August 3, 2023
Erich Wagner, Government Executive -
The legislation also would allow federal job applicants who were previously denied positions or security clearances over marijuana usage dating back to 2008 to have those decisions reviewed under the newly proposed policy.
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- Congress Leaves Behind Divisive, Unfinished Business for Federal Employees - August 2, 2023
Fedweek -
In recessing until after Labor Day Congress has left behind much unfinished business for federal employees. On its return, one first issue demanding attention will be the need to prevent a funding lapse with the end of the current fiscal year September 30.
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- OPM Releases New Videos to Help Federal Employees Prepare for Retirement - July 31, 2023
My Federal Retirement -
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released three videos last week to help federal employees and retirees better navigate their online retirement services accounts.
“OPM remains committed to helping federal employees transition from serving the American public to enjoying their hard-earned retirement,” said?Kiran Ahuja, OPM Director.- Read More
- ‘We should not fear a government shutdown’: Far-right House members slam spending bills - July 27, 2023
Jennifer Shutt, Idaho Capital Sun (Government Executive) -
A handful of ultra-conservative House Republicans rebuked their leadership on Tuesday over the annual government funding process, but appeared at odds on whether they should force a government shutdown later this year.
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