Tully Rinckey
-
Nothing like a good scandal to rouse Congress into spending money and enacting reform. The latest example is the Veterans' Affairs Department. Blame for the scheduling problems and cover up is scattered everywhere. Congress singled out the Senior Executive Service, giving the VA Secretary summary dismissal authority. Now a House bill would double the probation period for new SES managers, and take back salary if an SESer is demoted. Cheri Cannon, partner at Tully Rinckey, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with an update on these developments.
September 18, 2014 -
Today is the one-year anniversary of the Navy Yard Shooting. Federal agencies are trying to reform the security clearance process to keep dangerous people out of your office. The Office of Personnel Management is has cancelled its contract with USIS, one of the companies responsible for doing background checks. Greg Rinckey is a managing partner at the law firm Tully Rinckey. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said so far the security clearance reforms are just hollow achievements.
September 16, 2014 -
The biggest federal labor union accuses two agencies of illegally outsourcing jobs. The American Federation of Government Employees asks the White House to review the actions. The Park Service admits Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia hired contractors to mow the lawn to augment federal custodians. AFGE says the Coast Guard plans to hire contractors for a user-fee program at a documentation center in West Virginia. Cheri Cannon is a partner at the law firm Tulley Rinckey. In this week's legal loop, she joined Tom Temin and Emily on the Federal Drive to explain how this happened.
July 24, 2014 -
When a nurse manager at a Veterans Affairs medical center in Albany, New York, saw a patient being unnecessarily kept in restraints for seven hours, she couldn't remain silent. But little did Valerie Riviello know that her actions as a whistleblower would start her down on a path of retaliation from her coworkers.
June 27, 2014 -
The Veterans Affairs Department is reeling from allegations, made by its own staff, that it has mistreated patients. More employees are coming forward to report what they see as systemic wrongdoing. The Office of Special Counsel is looking at 50 cases right now, and one of them is the case of Valerie Riviello. She is a nurse at the Samuel Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. Cheri Cannon of the law firm Tulley Rinckey is handling her case. They joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss why Riviello decided to blow the whistle.
June 25, 2014 -
House and Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is accusing the White House of violating the Hatch Act. He is demanding that the Obama administration turn over documents related to the re-opening of its Office of Political Outreach and Strategy during an election year. In this week's legal loop, Joshua Rose, senior associate at the law firm Tully Rinckey, spoke with the Federal Drive about the do's and don'ts of the Hatch Act.
March 27, 2014 -
Budget cuts, alone, can't explain employees' sinking satisfaction with training, according to a new analysis prepared by the Tully Rinckey law firm in Washington, D.C., which specializes in federal employment law. As dissatisfaction with training opportunities has intensified in recent years, the number of Equal Employment Opportunity complaints alleging discrimination in training opportunities have also shot upwards, according to the firm's analysis.
March 17, 2014 -
Host Mike Causey will talk professional liability insurance with attorneys John P. Mahoney and David Cavanaugh. Later Andy Medici will discuss potential buyouts at the Social Security Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. February 5, 2014
February 05, 2014 -
House Republicans said IRS official Lois Lerner waived her right to remain silent by giving an opening statement in her hearing. Lerner still may testify before Congress with a variety of consequences.
July 09, 2013 -
Government contractors with security clearances, such as Edward Snowden, aren't legally protected from whistleblowing even by going through the proper channels. But John Mahoney, of the law firm Tully Rinckey, said Snowden should have defaulted to the standard whistleblowing procedure used by government employees in the intelligence community, who are protected under the law.
June 17, 2013 -
Talk of federal-employee furloughs has intensified as the clock winds down to March 1 -- the date automatic, across-the-board spending cuts are set to kick in. But even if agencies are forced to go the furlough route, they will have to ensure the workforce reductions are implemented fairly or face a series of potential pitfalls, said John Mahoney, chairman of Tully Rinckey's labor and employment practice group, in an interview on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp.
February 18, 2013 -
Gordon Heddel of Booz Allen Hamilton talks about the challenges of creating a smarter but not bigger government. Aaron Miller of the Wilson Center discusses the hurdles awaiting new Secretary of State John Kerry. Bloomberg Government's Rob Barnett talks about President Obama's environmental policy. John Mahoney of Tully Rinckey says furloughed feds won't lose their rights.
February 18, 2013 -
'Tis the season of Secret Santas, white elephant gifts and good will toward office coworkers. But if you're a federal employee, there's a strict list of who it would be naughty to give a present to or receive a present from during the holiday season.
November 27, 2012 -
A charity event next week raises funds for military members. Plus, the do's and don'ts of holiday giving (and receiving) at the workplace.
November 27, 2012 -
In a July 2010 executive order, President Barack Obama pushed agencies to hire more people with disabilities, aiming for 100,000 workers by 2015. Agencies have made steady progress toward that goal. However that progress could be in jeopardy: Complaints alleging disability discrimination in federal hiring and appointments have ticked upward over the past five years, according to an analysis by the law firm Tully Rinckey.
October 15, 2012