The 114th Congress convenes on Tuesday, Jan. 6, with some new faces yet to be voted in for important oversights roles such as chairman for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. John Palguta is the vice president for policy at the Partnership for Public Service. He joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss what federal employees should expect in 2015 - from senior executives to civil service reform.
Office of Personnel Management officials told the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Census about its plan to buy a case management system. The case management system will serve as the foundation for yet another attempt at modernizing the retirement system.
Administrator Marilyn Tavenner told House Oversight and Government Reform Committee members on Nov. 14 that CMS fixed 22 technical recommendations before open enrollment began. The letter came on the cusp of yet another contentious hearing on the role of former White House CTO Todd Park in overseeing and developing the initially troubled portal.
The Patent and Trademark Office has hired the National Academy of Public Administration to review the agency's vaunted telework programs following allegations that teleworkers are falsifying their timecards and managers do not have the tools to monitor them.
In the most closely-contested race for committee chair, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) will replace Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) as the chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The USPS' ability to carry our its duties and remain financially self-sustaining continues to be at risk, according to a recently released GAO performance audit. Conducted over the past year, GAO's report found that the agency is projecting "unsustainable" losses through 2020.
In its new report, the Government Accountability Office found that agency managers aren't using performance data to objectively determine the success of programs before making changes to their policies or budget.
Experts from both sides of the aisle expect the Senate and House to coordinate investigations and hearings on executive branch programs. The budget and the confirmation processes also will become more difficult.
House Oversight and Government Reform and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees agree on trimmed down version of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA). Now it's up to the armed services committees to keep FITARA in the Defense Authorization bill.
OMB and Treasury are creating a roadmap on how to move forward with DATA Act implementation over the next 12 to 36 months. Meanwhile, congressional and executive branch auditors are part of the oversight process from the beginning.
Agencies are creating roadblocks for auditors, three inspectors general told Congress. The IGs cited specific examples at the Peace Corps, Environmental Protection Agency, Chemical Safety Board and the Justice Department.
The Inspector General Act gives IGs authority to obtain any information necessary for their investigations, but some agencies are giving IGs a hard time with their requests. Members of Senate and House oversight committees are calling on Shaun Donovan, the recently confirmed director of the Office of Management and Budget, to address the issue.
The Federal Managers Association is supporting Tuesday's introduction of the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) introduced the bill that would give 104 hours of sick leave to first-year feds that qualify under Veterans Affairs Department.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations wants to know how agencies plan to dispose of and consolidate more than 7,000 federal properties worth $350 billion. On the same day, the FBI announced the finalists for the site of its consolidated relocation.
Congress heads toward summer recess next week. As they leave town, federal employee issues seem to be on their minds more than normal. Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Census. He chaired a hearing last week on the future of the General Schedule. On In Depth with Francis Rose he has the details about the recent hearing.