Federal Daily - October 29, 2009
President Signs Defense Authorization Bill
President Obama on Oct. 28 signed the Fiscal Year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 2647, which ends the National Security Personnel System and includes a range of major changes affecting federal retirement that have been long sought by federal employee unions. Among other things, the law gives those covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System the right to count unused sick leave toward their retirement calculation; updates work rules for reemployed annuitants by allowing them to return to service on a limited, part-time basis without being penalized by an offset of retirement annuity; and lets FERS employees who return to federal service redeposit their annuities and receive credit for years of service. The bill also phases out the non-foreign cost-of-living adjustment system for feds in Hawaii, Alaska and U.S. territories, replacing it over several years with locality pay, which can be counted for retirement purposes. The new law also returns employees under the National Security Personnel System to the General Schedule. The law requires the transition of all employees out of NSPS by Jan. 1, 2012. To see more, go to: www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-and-releases.
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OMB Outlines Plan to Grow Acquisition Workforce
The Office of Management and Budget issued guidance on Oct. 27 that requires federal agencies to increase the capacity of the civilian agency acquisition workforce. The guidance is the latest in the Obama administration’s campaign to reduce the use of private contractors and generate $40 billion in annual savings through contracting reform, OMB Director Peter Orszag said. The administration’s Acquisition Workforce Development Strategic Plan for Civilian Agencies – FY 2010-2014 calls for building up the acquisition workforce by expanding internship programs, improving Federal Acquisition Certification programs, and targeting training and development to conform to workforce needs. “We need more well-trained, well-qualified professionals in the federal agencies for effective planning, oversight, and contract management,” said OMB Deputy Director for Management Jeff Zients. To see more, go to: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/news_10272009_contracting_guidance.
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House Panel to Consider TSP Improvements
A House subcommittee next week is slated to take a close look at ways to improve the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia will hold a Nov. 3 hearing entitled “Managing the Thrift Savings Plan to Thrive.” According to an announcement posted on the subcommittee Web site, the hearing will examine a range of issues confronting the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board as it upgrades TSP’s IT infrastructure and security capabilities, and responds to a changed financial landscape. The TSP currently has 4.2 million participants and holds assets of approximately $234 billion. To see more, go to: http://federalworkforce.oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=2654.
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Army’s Social-Media Experiences Yield Lessons for Other Agencies
Government Computer News—Social-networking tools are playing an increasingly important part of the U.S. Army’s strategy for communicating with the public, despite the inherent security risks, according to Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, director of the U.S. Army’s Online and Social Media Division. Those security risks continue to be the subject of considerable debate within the Defense Department, but the U.S. Army nevertheless is seeing important benefits in using social-media applications such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Arata said. Chief among them, Arata said, is the ability to project a presence on social-networking sites and “provide the official Army voice,” he said. To see the complete article, go to: http://gcn.com/articles/2009/10/27/army-see-benefits-in-social-media-presence.aspx.
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