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A new electronic health records system is up and running at an agency you might not think of as a healthcare provider. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's system satisfies end users and hit deadline and funding targets. Capt. Deanna Gephart is Assistant director of Health Records at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Jim Porter is electronic health records program manager for Enforcement and Removal Operations and Acting Branch Director at ICE. Gephart explained on In Depth with Francis Rose what ICE had before they began the trek to the system they have now.
Every major agency has an inspector general. Some are enthusiastic about sharing their office's work with the general public. Others prefer to let their reports speak for themselves. Brian Miller used to be an inspector general -- he's the former IG of the General Services Administration and now managing director at Navigant. He joined In Depth with Francis Rose for the beginning of an ongoing look into the world of inspectors general. He said there's an apprehension in some offices towards publicizing the work they do.
The Agriculture Department is trying to bring new and younger blood into farming and ranching. It has launched a website to serve as a one-stop resource for new farmers. That's just the latest move. Krysta Harden is deputy secretary at the Agriculture Department. She joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive and said a lot of initiatives are needed, considering the average U.S. farmer or rancher is 58 years old.
The pictures are both heartbreaking and maddening. Thousands of minors pouring over the Mexican border into the United States, and causing havoc for guards and other federal employees. A new House bill would let the President appoint dozens of new immigration judges to help keep up with the flow of humanity. Cristina Marcos, a staff writer for The Hill Newspaper, joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss the bill's prospects and potential benefits.
When federal agencies have a job opening, they tend to horde their candidates. And there's little sharing of candidate evaluation when someone does apply for a job at more than one agency. A new bill from Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) would change that by having agencies pool their candidates. John Palguta, vice president for policy at the Partnership for Public Service, joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss if the bill is a good idea.
The Obama Administration has waited until now to submit its overseas contingency operations budget to Congress. That's because the President had yet to determine how many troops would stay in Afghanistan. Now, the request for fiscal 2015 is $58.6 billion. Federal News Radio's DoD Reporter Jared Serbu told Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive that the Pentagon's request is well below what many observers had expected. Read Jared's related article.
The Defense Department is shaking up the $380 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Yesterday, Lt. Gen. Christopher Bodgan, the program director, explained how the Pentagon was asking major contractors to put skin in the game and invest in cost-reduction measures. In the second part of his interview with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive, Bogdan takes a long-term view on the Pentagon's sometimes rocky relationship with Lockheed Martin and other key players.
The Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air. In today's news, SSA creates a plan to help the White House cut red tape, and the Pentagon will send more troops to Iraq.
Author John Jantsch will talk about his new book: "Duct Tape Selling: Think Like a Marketer-Sell Like a Superstar". June 30, 2014
Congress is on its Independence Day holiday, and yet it still has a lot of work left on the table for when it comes back. David Hawkings, senior editor at Roll Call, writes the Hawkings Here blog. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose why there still hasn't been a lot of movement on appropriations bills.
The latest check on the Defense Department's push to full audit readiness uncovers a domino effect of problems. The Government Accountability Office says DoD didn't follow a plan to improve how it tracks contract payments. Asif Khan is Director of Financial Management and Assurance Issues at the GAO. Khan told In Depth with Francis Rose that because the Pentagon missed some steps of the plan, it's dealing with even more problems that could keep the agency from meeting an important deadline.
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees are trying to pay close attention to defense acquisition reform. Dave Wennergren is senior vice president of technology policy at the Professional Services Council and the Pentagon's former chief information officer. Beth McGrath is director of Deloitte Federal Practice and the Defense Department's former deputy chief management officer. They joined on In Depth with Francis Rose to discuss acquisition reform.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is building a "special ops" team of acquisition experts. Ford Heard, the associate deputy assistant secretary for procurement policy, systems and oversight at the VA, joined Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller and Francis Rose on In Depth. They discussed the latest results of Federal News Radio's Chief Acquisition Officer Survey.
The U.S. Postal Service is looking at greener, more efficient vehicle options while waiting for funds to replace its outdated fleet.