Federal Newscast

NARA offers agencies an exception to no longer accepting paper records

NARA says agencies can continue sending official personnel folders to the National Personnel Records Center through June 2025.

Michele Sandiford

September 11, 2024 11:01 am

< a min read

Agencies are getting an important exception to the National Archives policy of no longer accepting paper records. NARA says agencies can continue sending official personnel folders to the National Personnel Records Center through June 2025. And agencies will be able to deliver employee medical folders to the records center until June 2027. NARA stopped accepting most paper records at its facilities this past June. But Archives officials have acknowledged that agencies need more time to digitize their personnel and medical records.
(NARA bulletin 2004-10 - NARA)

A stopgap spending bill to avoid a government shutdown clears the House. Lawmakers narrowly passed a continuing resolution that would lock in current spending levels through March 28. But many House and Senate Democrats reject the C.R. over a provision that would require proof of citizenship for new voters. Democrats are also pushing for a shorter-term C.R. that would allow lawmakers to reach a comprehensive spending deal before a new session of Congress starts in January.
(Speaker Johnson pushes ahead on funding bill with proof of citizenship mandate despite dim prospects - Federal News Network)

Investors in the Thrift Savings Plan are now seeing changes to the international, or “I” fund. After years of planning, the TSP’s I fund has officially transitioned to tracking a different index. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board says the change to the fund will diversify investments and let TSP participants access more markets. Specifically, the I fund now tracks over 5,000 large, medium and small companies from around the globe. The new index, though, excludes investments in China and Hong Kong. The board unanimously approved the change to the I fund last November.
(I Fund tracking new benchmark index - Thrift Savings Plan)

Congress is back from summer recess, and lawmakers will consider a number of cybersecurity and technology-related issues in the coming week. The Port Crane Security and Inspection Act, which would require the federal government to assess cyber risks posed by foreign cranes used at U.S. ports, is up for consideration again. The ROUTERS Act, which passed in the House on Tuesday, would require the Commerce Department to assess national security risks posed by consumer routers and modems. Another bill passed in the House this week would prohibit new drones from a Chinese manufacturer operating in the country. Several measures considered on the floor this week are part of what’s called “China Week.”
(Congress to tackle a number of cyber-related issues - Congress)

The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to keep growing its health care workforce next year. The Veterans Health Administration is looking to add 5,000 positions in fiscal 2025. But to do that, it’s asking Congress to cover a $12 billion dollar budget shortfall. The VA says it’s seeing higher than expected demand for health care and is paying more for prescription drugs and prosthetics. Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal says the VA will provide a record 130 million medical appointments to veterans by the end of this year and that more staff is needed.
(The Department of Veterans plans to keep growing its health care workforce next year - Federal News Network)

Agencies that demonstrated higher performance fared better during the pandemic. In a new report from NAPA and IBM, more than 600 government leaders from around the world said the more they were committed to transforming services, the more success they had during COVID in delivering on the mission. NAPA and IBM also say one big lesson learned is the need to increase the tempo of public sector transformation. The report also found the pandemic created a sense of urgency from government leaders to build readiness for future emergencies.
(Building future ready governments - IBM)

Even though the IRS workforce is more diverse than the U.S. labor force overall, a lot of the agency’s diversity is concentrated in lower-level positions. A new report from the Government Accountability Office finds that individuals in racial minority groups, those with disabilities and women make up a larger portion of lower-paying jobs at the IRS. They also generally have lower chances for getting promoted, GAO says, and are more likely to leave the agency. The IRS is planning to conduct assessments and create a strategic plan to address the workforce concerns. But they’re also not the only agency facing that challenge. Other studies have shown that across government, diversity declines as you move up the levels of the General Schedule.
(IRS workforce: Actions needed to address barriers to DEIA - Government Accountability Office)

The General Services Administration is switching gears and requiring vendors and agencies to use the eBuy platform as the mandatory task order solicitation tool for OASIS+ instead of its newer Symphony tool. GSA says it made the decision to use the eBuy platform after receiving vendor and agency feedback. GSA says eBuy provides contracting officers and industry a centralized portal with real-time, automated responses when solicitations are issued, increasing acquisition efficiency and transparency. GSA says agencies and vendors can still use the Symphony tool under the current OASIS contract. OASIS unrestricted runs through March 1, 2025, while the small business and 8(a) versions run through Dec. 19, 2024.
(OASIS+ to use eBuy for task order solicitations - General Services Administration)

The Army has selected five companies for the first Catalyst cohort, with three companies already moving through the process. The Catalyst program allocates 10 to 15% of the Army’s Small Business Innovation Research funding for larger awards. Doug Bush, the Army’s acquisition head, says the goal is to provide up to $15 million to companies that participate in the program. “We want to create a larger incentive beyond just kind of the SBIR threshold for the individual awards, for companies that can partner with larger companies, and then transition into a program that the Army’s working on.”
(Army selects five companies for Catalyst, with three moving through the process - GMU small business event)

The Commerce Department is out with a new tool for evaluating supply chain challenges. Commerce’s new data tool, called SCALE, is meant to help evaluate supply chain risks ranging from climate change to labor shortages. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says SCALE will help inform agency decisions on supply chains. The Government Accountability Office has reported on agency struggles to manage critical supply chains, such as for IT and communication technologies. Commerce’s International Trade Administration plans to launch a competition to add more data and analysis to the SCALE tool.
(Commerce Department announces new actions on supply chain resilience - Commerce Department)