Fedblog

Networked

Thu,02 Jul 2009 20:43:18 GMT

Apparently, the State Department is working on building the infrastructure to help scientists in North and South America communicate with each other. The Department's providing space for conversations on the Western Hemisphere Affairs bureau's website, hosting webchats, and looking at setting up a social network. This strikes me as smart and potentially valuable. It provides a resource for universities and research institutions without explicitly setting an agenda. Providing pipelines for communication is useful, it's not always something universities have the resources to set up and maintain themselves, it provides a venue other than conferences for scientists to talk to each other, and it provides a somewhat low-stakes forum for the State Department to test out its ability to build this kind of network.

Capitol Cities

Thu,02 Jul 2009 20:00:10 GMT

From science-fiction blog io9 comes a delightful reminder of the crazy things countries can get themselves into when they go in big for self-improvement: apparently, Russian engineers spent about 40 years trying to build a flying-car system in Moscow. Washington, D.C., of course is modeled on on layout and architecture of the past, and federal buildings are inspired (or not) by a whole range of styles. So it's entertaining to see plans for what a capital city might have looked like with an extremely futuristic vision. And sort of scary to contemplate the effort that went into this project, in particular.

Unemployment

Thu,02 Jul 2009 15:56:03 GMT

The Post has an interesting story today, suggesting that even growing federal employment in the greater Washington, D.C. area isn't enough to offset job losses in other industries. Combined with the report of higher-than-expected job losses across the country today, it's a reminder for folks who grouse about the size of government that while federal agencies are big, they're still not THAT big.

Berry's Statement on NFFE President Brown's Passing

Wed,01 Jul 2009 16:17:55 GMT

It's worth noting that Brown spoke highly of Berry as recently as last week, saying he and other NFFE officials had positive meetings with Berry and were willing to work with him on issues like pay reform. Brown was definitely tough on the issues he cared about, like repealing the National Security Personnel System. But I know the folks who worked with him at NFFE really cared about him, and my sense was that he had a good sense of humor to go with his conviction.

Statement by U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry

on the Death of National Federation of Federal Employees

President Richard N. Brown

"I am greatly saddened by the unexpected death of Richard Brown. He worked tirelessly on behalf of Federal employees.

"Rick lived a life of service and leadership, and this is a tragic loss. I only knew Rick for a short time, but his dedication shone through in our work together on issues that matter deeply to Federal employees and working people everywhere.

"He will be forever remembered as a smart, tough, and passionate employee advocate. His family, friends, and colleagues are in my thoughts and prayers."

Fact of the Day

Wed,01 Jul 2009 15:10:04 GMT

Neil Armstrong was a GS-13 when he walked on the moon.

Condolences

Wed,01 Jul 2009 14:08:18 GMT

To the family of Richard Brown, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, and to his co-workers at the union. Brown passed away unexpectedly yesterday at 47. I've reproduced NFFE's announcement below the jump.

]]> Beloved NFFE President Richard N. Brown Passes Away at Age 47

It is with great sadness and regret that I confirm the passing of NFFE's beloved national president, Richard N. Brown, who was found unresponsive in his apartment in Arlington, VA yesterday afternoon. To all who knew him, Rick was a strong leader, a dedicated trade unionist, and a friend.

As national president of NFFE, Rick steered the organization out of a tumultuous period in the 1990s, and into prosperity. The union saddled with debt when he took office as national president, Rick orchestrated NFFE's affiliation with the Machinists Union (IAMAW), and reorganized internally to get the organization's books in the black, setting the course for renewed prosperity. In recent years, NFFE was seeing the fruits of that prosperity. The union's membership has been on the rise and the organization has been realizing success in the policy arena.

Rick was a trade unionist at heart. He came from a union family and maintained membership in NFFE-IAM and the Laborers Union, the latter being a membership he maintained after leaving construction to become a machinist. Rick was a strong advocate for federal employees. Never one to back down, Rick was a strong presence in the fight against several federal workforce initiative aimed at contracting out federal government jobs and eliminating federal employees' unions. His most impressive work was done in opposition to NSPS. Just last week, Rick gave impassioned testimony in opposition to NSPS before the Task Group of the Defense Business Board, a panel that is conducting a review of the personnel system.

On a personal note, Rick was a great friend. He was fiercely loyal and supportive to those around him. He was also tremendously fun to be around, always ready with a joke or an amusing story. In his passing, we have lost a strong voice and champion for working men and women. We will mourn his loss greatly.

-Bill Dougan, National Secretary-Treasurer

Automatic Agency Contribution Goes Live

Wed,01 Jul 2009 12:56:12 GMT

The folks at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board weren't kidding when they said provisions of the tobacco legislation that made changes to the Thrift Savings Plan could be implemented as early as July. The Board published the regulation starting automatic agency contributions equivalent 1 percent of income to employees' TSP accounts in the federal register today, saying that provision is effective immediately.

The Food Drive and the Combined Federal Campaign

Tue,30 Jun 2009 22:23:03 GMT

One of the questions Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry was asked at yesterday's work-life town hall was whether folks could contribute money instead of food through the food drive OPM is currently sponsoring in federal agencies. Berry said that agencies can only solicit financial contributions through the Combined Federal Campaign, but explained why he's hoping federal employees will lug food to work, even if it's inconvenient:

"The three months that have the lowest donations to our area food banks are June, July and August. And yet with the economic situation we're facing, our food banks are really under stress, there are people relying on them more or more, especially if they're children. During the summer months, children are not getting access to their school lunch or school breakfast programs."

Berry isn't exaggerating about food banks facing crunches: in DC, for example, Bread for the City has had to seriously go over budget to meet need.

Defining Domestic Partners

Tue,30 Jun 2009 20:25:49 GMT

I've received a lot of questions in comments about how the State Department and other agencies are going to define "domestic partners" for the purposes of extending benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian federal employees. Here's the language from the revisions to the State Department's manual:

A. Definition of a Domestic Partner
A domestic partner for purposes of this section is an individual who meets all of the criteria listed in and who has been declared to be a domestic partner of an employee in accordance with subpart (B) below.

B. Declaration of a Domestic Partner

To obtain benefits and assume obligations of a "domestic partner" under the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) and Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR), an employee must file an affidavit of eligibility for benefits and obligations (3 FAM 1610 Appx.) with

• the Bureau of Human Resources, Executive Office, Assignment Support Unit (HR/EX/ASU) (for Department of State employees),
• Office of Human Resources/Foreign Service Personnel Division (for Agency for International Development employees)
• Office of Human Resources/Operations and Benefits (OHR/O) (for the Broadcasting Board of Governors employees)
• Office of Foreign Service Human Resources (OFSHR) (for Foreign Commercial Service employees)
• Office of Foreign Service Operations (DAFAS) (for Foreign Agricultural Service employees)

identifying the domestic partner of the employee and certifying that the employee and the domestic partner of the employee -

(1) are each other's sole domestic partner and intend to remain committed to one another indefinitely;
(2) have a common residence, and intend to continue the arrangement;
(3) are at least 18 years of age and mentally competent to consent to contract;
(4) share responsibility for a significant measure of each other's common welfare and financial obligations;
(5) are not married to, joined in civil union with, or domestic partners with anyone else;
(6) are same-sex domestic partners, and not related in a way that would prohibit legal marriage in the State in which they reside;
(7) agree to inform the Department of State of any dissolution of the partnership in accordance with subpart C below;
(8) understand that the domestic partner will be held to standards of conduct in the FAM that apply to family members; and
(9) understand that falsification of information within the affidavit may constitute a criminal violation under 18 U.S.C. 1001 and may lead to disciplinary action.

McCaskill Aide Nominated As SBA IG

Tue,30 Jun 2009 15:41:47 GMT

By Robert Brodsky

Sen. Claire McCaskill's influence in the watchdog/auditing community continues to grow. On Monday, one of the McCaskill's top aides, Peggy Gustafson, was nominated as inspector general for the Small Business Administration.

Gustafson currently serves as general counsel to McCaskill, D-Mo., advising the first-term senator and former Missouri state auditor on government oversight issues.

According to an administration announcement, Gustafson helped write two bills that strengthened the roles of IGs: the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008 and the legislation that created the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief. From 1999-2007, she served as general counsel in the Missouri State Auditor's Office.

Peter McClintock is currently the acting inspector general at SBA.

Across the Divide

Tue,30 Jun 2009 15:01:01 GMT

Over at Wired Workplace, Brittany checks in with some of our sources from the piece we wrote on the generational shift in the workplace. The point Brittany's making in the post, and that the folks she's referencing is trying to make is that technology can be a point of connection rather than division in the federal workforce. I think this is true, but it requires receptivity on both sides.

Older workers, who may be less familiar with the latest hardware and software, have to be willing to learn more about technology, and comfortable with the idea that technology can be beneficial. Younger workers have to be willing to help their colleagues learn, and not treat lack of familiarity with technology as a signal of ignorance or failure. Everyone's got to be aware of the rules and regulations regarding technology and information security and be willing to follow them. If those conditions are met, I think conversations about technology in the workplace can be an area where folks come together. But if folks don't follow the rules that they really should follow for all interactions on the job, it's going to divide people rather than help them learn from each other.

Hold On For One More Day

Tue,30 Jun 2009 14:23:29 GMT

The New York Times is inveighing against Senatorial holds on Obama administration nominees today, thundering that "Good governance requires Republicans to drop groundless holds." I think there's no question that Senatorial process is, um, deeply if not irretrievably broken, and holds on nominees does gum up the works a lot. But there's a far bigger problem here: many of the officials who are going to do the actual management work, in other words, who are going to be doing the actual "good governance" at the agencies, haven't been nominated. And some critical nominees who have been selected haven't gotten Senate hearings.

The Washington Post's very valuable Head Count tracker has a list of 241 jobs the president hasn't even tapped people for yet--and it doesn't even include CXOs! Christine Griffin, the president's nominee to be deputy director of the Office of Personnel Management, has been languishing for months without a confirmation hearing. I realize that the Senate calendar is packed, especially with the House on overdrive passing legislation. But frankly, when it comes to management confirmation hearings, it doesn't exactly seem like Senators are busting down the doors to attend. So the Senators who are interested should prioritize getting nomination hearings moving. And if President Obama is super-concerned about governance, he should send them management nominees to question. Holds are one problem, but they're not the only issue here.

Work-Life Pilot Zone to Become a Reality

Mon,29 Jun 2009 17:13:27 GMT

I'm over at the Office of Personnel Management where director John Berry is holding a town hall meeting on work-life balance with his employees. Back in May, Berry said he hoped to create an innovation zone for work-life balance programs at OPM, the General Services Administration, and the Interior Department, all of which are grouped together in Foggy Bottom. Today, Berry said that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar convened a meeting of the heads of those agencies and the Federal Reserve at Interior last Thursday, and the four agencies agreed to go ahead with the program.

The State Department Implements Its Domestic Partner Benefits Changes

Mon,29 Jun 2009 15:08:13 GMT

Admittedly, State had a heads-up on other departments and agencies in equalizing benefits for the domestic partners of gay and lesbian employees and for the spouses of heterosexual workers, since Secretary Hillary Clinton ordered a review of department policies long before President Obama announced a government-wide review. But as of June 26, the changes to State's operating manuals governing those benefits were in effect. I'll be interested to see what role State's example plays in the agency-by-agency reviews, which I think were underlooked in the mainstream coverage of President Obama's benefits order. As Office of Personnel Management director John Berry proved as an assistant secretary at Interior, a deep review of a department's policies can turn up a whole mess of ways that a department treats gay workers different from straight ones. Policies get calcified, ignored, perhaps not even really enforced, but they're still there, and can still present a problem. If the reviews are substantive and thorough, agencies may end up changing a whole bunch of policies that disproportionately, or only, affect their gay employees. They still can't extend access to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program--Congress is going to have to do that. But agencies could end up taking on relocation benefits and other issues. The full impact of Obama's order remains to be seen.

Mediation

Fri,26 Jun 2009 17:18:03 GMT

Marc Ambinder reports that Joe Biden will mediate a beef between the CIA and the Directorate of National Intelligence. He's got good details about how the dispute is impacting the viability of each institution, but what I want to know is: which Seamus Heaney poem will Biden quote to start the proceedings? I think this may not be a "hope and history rhyme" kind of setting.