Senate votes to nix Obama rule for federal contractors

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

In today’s Top Federal Headlines, after getting through the House, a resolution to get rid of new stipulations for federal contractors narrowly passes the Senate.

• A resolution to do away with an Obama administration order for federal contractors barely passed the Senate after getting through the House. The Senate voted 49-48 along party lines to kill Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule. The rule required federal contractors to disclose alleged and proven labor and safety violations. It was finalized last August, but was later blocked by a court order. Supporters of the resolution said the rule would have unfairly blacklisted certain contractors, and existing suspension and debarment rules are sufficient enough for enforcing labor standards. (Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee)

• Congress wants to keep a watchful eye on the Defense Department’s electronic health record rollout. The 2017 House defense appropriations bill puts a handful of oversight requirements on the health records program. It includes telling Congress every time DoD enters into a contract over $5 million for electronic health records systems. DoD said the whole program will be finished by 2022. (Federal News Radio)

• Lawmakers once again want more details from the Office of Personnel Management on how often federal employees use official time. Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) reintroduced a bill requiring OPM to submit an annual report to Congress on official time. OPM hasn’t released a similar report since 2012. This legislation has been introduced before in past years. (Rep. Dennis Ross)

• The Homeland Security Department is finalizing best practices for agencies and other organizations to use to notify victims of major cyber breaches. The former DHS chief privacy officer asked a committee in the department to come up with suggestions for preparing and delivering notices and setting up additional support for breach victims. The best practices guide comes more than a year after the Office of Personnel Management struggled to notify millions of victims following large cyber breaches. (Federal News Radio)

• President Donald Trump’s cybersecurity executive order could be unveiled by the middle of March, according to former IBM CEO Sam Palmisano. Palmisano is the vice chairman of the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. The order was originally expected to be signed Jan. 31, but the administration rolled back its release after talking to experts. (Federal News Radio)

• A Pentagon advisory panel said the military needs to act urgently to protect its weapons systems against cyber attack. The recommendation from the Defense Science Board comes as part of a larger report on cyber deterrence. The panel argues the Pentagon can’t convincingly deter foreign countries from attacking critical infrastructure like power grids and financial systems, because the conventional weapons the U.S. would use to respond to a major cyber assault are also vulnerable to cyber attack, making them potentially useless as a retaliatory option. The board said DoD needs to devote urgent and sustained attention to shoring up the cybersecurity of “second strike” systems, including guided missile submarines and strike bombers. (Federal News Radio)

• An emerging cyber concern about your office’s desk, conference room or bathroom. Agencies may be facing a new type of cyber risk, office space in buildings owned by foreign entities. This is why two Senate lawmakers are asking the General Services Administration for more details on how they are addressing these issues. Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) wrote to GSA, the government’s biggest landlord, last week after a new report from the Government Accountability Office found GSA is leasing high-security space from foreign owners in 20 buildings. Daines and Duckworth want a response from GSA by March 31. (Sen. Steve Daines)

• New leadership at the Defense Logistics Agency. The Pentagon announced Navy Command Master Chief Shaun Brahmsteadt will be replacing Army Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Tobin as the command senior enlisted leader at DLA. Brahmsteadt is currently serving as Command Master Chief of Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland. (Department of Defense)

• New Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said he’ll conduct listening tours throughout the country as one of his first moves. Carson gave his first speech to HUD employees. He said fairness will be a part of everything the department will do during his tenure. One federal employee said during the speech, that she felt reassured by Carson and his approach to leading the department. (Department of Housing and Urban Development)

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