Jessie Bur, Federal Times

By Howard Risher, Workforce Management Consultant, Government Executive

On October 9, Government Executive published a management matters article by Howard Risher, a respected workforce management consultant. Risher found,"government is clearly overlooking a straightforward and inexpensive way to tackle its talent management problems as well as improve agency performance—investing in its middle managers." FMA members assisted in his study, responding to a 10-question survey on investment in middle managers in the federal workforce.

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FMA National President Johnson stated, “We credit Congress with averting a government shutdown and urge President Trump to sign this CR into law.”

By Erich Wagner, Government Executive 

After five weeks of recess, both chambers of Congress will return to Washington, D.C., on September 9th. Committee work will restart, speeches will be made on the floor, and representative work for the American people will begin again. For anyone, returning to work can be an arduous undertaking, but for this first session of the 116th Congress it is set to be particularly so. As of the writing of this article, the Senate has yet to pass any appropriations bills to fund the federal government for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) and Congress has a little over three legislative weeks to avoid the second government shutdown of 2019.

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The Senate has a lot of business to tend to when it returns from its State Work Period on September 9. Most notably, it will have barely three weeks before the end of the current fiscal year to pass appropriations to fund the federal government for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) and prevent another government shutdown. Among the other important priorities on the Senate’s plate is finally confirming nominees for the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the primary appeals board for federal employees.

Members, families, and friends of Chapter 3 of the Federal Managers Association (FMA) braved the stormy weather June 1 at Paradise Creek Nature Park to participate in the 31st Annual Clean the Bay Day. The team joined more than 6,000 volunteers across Virginia to clean the rivers, streams, and beaches of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and remove harmful litter and debris.