Tuesday federal headlines – March 22, 2016

The Navy gives its commands 60 days to implement better document retention procedures, saying they’re necessary if the service is ever going to pass a financi...

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive.

  • The Navy gives its commands 60 days to implement better document retention procedures, saying they’re necessary if the service is ever going to pass a financial audit. The key finding of last year’s unsuccessful audit was that for too many of the Navy’s transactions, officials haven’t held onto the supporting material that would prove to auditors that the transaction was approved, that the Navy received what it paid for or the government paid vendors for a valid reason. Beginning in May, all Navy commands will have to show that they’re holding onto most financial records for at least 10 years. Officials plan spot checks during the coming summer to make sure commands are following the new policy. (Navy)
  • The House passes a bill directing federal agencies to help allied nations with their border security. The Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act of 2016 would control international travel by terrorists and foreign fighters. In the unanimously supported bill, the U.S. could withhold foreign aid from countries that fail to comply with minimum border security standards. (Congress)
  • The General Services Administration’s 18F group helps agencies build human-centered applications. For its second year of operation, just ended, it reports signing 116 agreements for new work, including 13 for the Presidential Fellowship program. In all, 18F said it’s done work in 25 agencies. The 18F staff, true to the agile development model, has spent 700 hours talking with eventual software users. (GSA)
  • Postmaster General Megan Brennan unveils plans to improve the Postal Service’s digital capabilities. Speaking at the National Postal Forum, she announced plans to launch what she calls the Informed Delivery tracking app in 2017.  Brennan also said the Postal Service will seek permission to give commercial customers two free ounces of mailed content beginning in January 2017. (USPS)
  • The General Services Administration weighs in on the latest proposed Exelon-Pepco deal. In a filing, GSA urges the D.C. Public Service Commission to reject the latest proposal for Exelon’s $6.8 billion purchase of Pepco. UtilityDIVE reports the agency is concerned with the allocation of a $78 million customer investment fund to be set up by the companies after the merger closes and it says the two companies did not comply with filing requirements made by the agency in February. (UtilityDIVE)
  • Auditors say the Internal Revenue Service could do a better job keeping track of its spending. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found the IRS has improved its spending controls on conferences. But TIGTA said a more central location for documents, as well as how it reports the occasional high-priced event could be improved. The IRS Chief Financial Officer said the agency is already at work to make those changes. (Federal News Radio)
  • A House bill would give service members more protection from housing foreclosures. The Foreclosure Relief and Extension for Service Members Act would give active duty service members transitioning to civilian life a twelve month grace period from. The Senate passed a similar bill in December. The foreclosure grace period for service members is currently 90 days. (Federal News Radio)
  • The National Federation of Federal Employees and Office of Personnel Management are at odds over the agency’s guidance on a bill in Congress.  The Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act lets temp employees at land management agencies apply for permanent merit-based positions. But OPM’s recent guidance on the bill says they can only apply to a permanent job if the employing agency accepts internal applications. NFFE said this defeats the purpose and is calling on the White House now for help. (Federal News Radio)
  • Former London embassy employee Michael Ford is sentenced to nearly five years in prison for online crime. Working from inside the State Department, he used a variety of phishing and hacking schemes to stalk hundreds of young women, some of them minors. Ford extorted personal information and sexually explicit videos, using an escalating series of threats. The FBI and Diplomatic Security Service investigated. (Federal News Radio)

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