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A Senate bill would abolish the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), an agency that serves as a repository for government-funded scientific, technical, engineering and business-related information. But Jeff Neal says there is more to consider than just how the Internet has changed the storage and retrieval of information.
Among advocates of telework within the federal government, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is often seen as the gold standard. But over a period of about four years, one group of PTO employees -- mostly teleworkers -- literally got paid for doing nothing. And it wasn't a secret. Managers within the Patent Trial and Appeal Board even devised a special pay code for time when employees were on the clock but weren't working: "Other Time." Those findings are part of a new report from the Commerce Department Inspector General's office. Todd Zinzer is the Commerce IG; on In Depth with guest host Jared Serbu, he explained how widespread this problem was.
In this edition of Inside the Reporter's Notebook, Executive Editor Jason Miller shares news and buzz about the IT and acquisition communities.
Secretary Penny Pritzker has big plans for all the data coming out of the Commerce Department's agencies. To lead this new open data strategy Commerce officials have created a new position. They're currently taking applications for a chief data officer. Bruce Andrews is acting deputy secretary of Commerce. He joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to explain what they're trying to accomplish.
The Department of Commerce will hire its first-ever chief data officer, Secretary Penny Pritzker said recently. Pritzker also is establishing a data advisory council and introducing a "developer portal," which she said will help advance the agency's open data initiatives.
NOAA planes used for tracking and forecasting hurricanes -- known as the P-3 Orion -- are reaching the end of their lifespan, according to a report published by the Government Accountability Office.
An executive in the Patent and Trademark Office was found to have violated several federal laws when she used her position to get a relative's boyfriend a job in her agency. The inspector general of the Commerce Department investigated the matter after getting a tip from a whistleblower.
The former FAA and DHS CIO is taking a third tour of duty in government and will replace Simon Szykman.
The Census Bureau is doing a good job following directions as it prepares for the 2020 census in the face of mandatory budget cuts the past two years. Todd Zinser is Inspector General of the Commerce Department. He's looking at how closely the Census Bureau is following its financial guidance for absorbing the cuts and preparing for 2020 and can still see some room to improve.
Chief human capital officers say the inability to do targeted internship announcements is frustrating and reducing effectiveness of the program. The Office of Personnel Management says it's working with agencies to address these challenges, including initiatives to target specific skillsets.
After nearly a year on the job, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker says people and customer service are the leading priorities for her agency. She says she is paying close attention to how every one of her initiatives supports them. Secretary Pritzker sat down with Executive Editor Jason Miller for an exclusive interview about Commerce's progress in meeting her strategic vision. Read Jason's related article.
After nearly a year on the job, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker is overseeing progress against five strategic pillars, including innovation, trade and management. She said she's trying to make sure employees feel connected to the vision and mission of the agency.
A key IT problem at the Commerce Department turns out to be a communications problem. A breakdown in information exchange caused the response to a possible network breach at one of the agency's bureaus to be much worse than it had to be. Todd Zinser, inspector general at the Commerce Department, tells In Depth with Francis Rose where his team started in trying to diagnose the problem.
More than half of senior executives surveyed by the Senior Executives Association are reporting "low" or "very low" morale with their jobs. The problem lies with a pay-for-performance system where some supervisors make less money than the people they lead. Increasing numbers of senior executive service members are ready to leave the federal government altogether.