Department of Homeland Security
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The historic labor agreement covering 45,000 transportation security officers (TSOs) overhauls the current pay-for-performance system, puts in place a grievance process for workplace disputes and increases the uniform allowance.
August 03, 2012 -
Homeland security has improved, but the reforms mean DHS reports to 108 oversight committees and subcommittees, leading to wasted hours at hearing after hearing.
August 02, 2012 -
The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general partnered with both Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to investigate an increasing number of cases. Leaders of all three reported to a House subcommittee hearing that the collaboration has benefited the investigation process.
August 02, 2012 -
On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.
August 01, 2012 -
Mary Ellen Callahan plans to move back to the private sector to practice law after three years of service to the federal government. Callahan made rigorous privacy safeguards the norm during her time at DHS.
August 01, 2012 -
The contract includes "very stringent" IT security requirements. The announcement follows a data breach that affected 123,000 TSP participants in 2011.
August 01, 2012 -
DHS prevents homelessness wherever possible and provides short-term emergency shelter and re-housing support when needed.
July 30, 2012 -
Last year, FEMA ranked 231 out of 241 agencies in the Best Places to Work rankings, compiled by the Partnership for Public Service. This year the agency took a deep-dive look at the Employee Viewpoint Survey data to help explain why workers are so unhappy.
July 27, 2012 -
The National Protection and Programs Directorate said it would not put a contractor communication guidance in place that would have required agency leaders to answer 15 questions before meeting with companies. Industry experts said the draft guidance would have had a chilling effect on agency-contractor communication.
July 26, 2012 -
The Modified Infrastructure Survey Tool does not provide information about the consequences of security incidents at federal facilities, a GAO auditor said. As a result, agencies cannot effectively deploy countermeasures. Still, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) said he was happy with FPS' progress in developing MIST.
July 25, 2012 -
Matt Coose left government after more than 20 years. In his final position as director of the Federal Network Service at DHS, he said the agency's cyber capabilities matured. And agency focus on securing federal networks has never been better.
July 25, 2012 -
The revised Cybersecurity Act of 2012 removes DHS from having sole oversight authority of critical infrastructure and shares the responsibility across an interagency council. The bill also would make the implementation of cyber standards by critical infrastructure operators voluntary. The legislation encourages an incentive-based program.
July 20, 2012 -
The service is taking a four-pronged approach to improve its procurement process and find savings. A review board looks at all acquisitions to make sure its strategy and contract formation are beneficial. Other agencies, like NASA and DHS, are consolidating more contracts into larger buys.
July 19, 2012 -
Homeland Security officials are warning fans of the Olympic Games to be wary of online hackers, who take advantage of highly-publicized events and popular news stories to entice users to click on malicious links that download viruses or prompt for credit card information.
July 18, 2012 -
The federal government has issued more than 4.8 million security clearances to federal civilians, military service members and contractors. But the process for determining what positions require clearances amounts to little more than a "hodge-podge" across agencies, an official with the Government Accountability Office told Federal News Radio.
July 16, 2012