Thursday federal headlines – September 11, 2014

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows each day. Our headlines are updated twice per day — once in the morning and once in the afternoon — with the latest news affecting federal employees and contractors.

• Agencies have new guidelines from the Government Accountability Office to help improve their performance and transparency. GAO issued a revision to the Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government or the *Green Book.* It has 17 new ideas for agency managers to oversee their internal control systems. (Federal News Radio)
• The House pushed back a vote on its continuing resolution to next week. A vote had been scheduled for today. Federal employees would get an across-the- board 1 percent pay raise in 2015. The CR doesn’t mention an alternative to President Obama’s pay proposal. (Federal News radio)
• Agencies are creating roadblocks for auditors, hampering efforts to fix critical programs and wasting taxpayer money. That’s according to three inspectors general who testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. They cite examples at the Peace Corps, Justice Department and EPA. Arthur Elkins is inspector general at EPA and also the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. He told the committee, agency lawyers often block information, citing national security or privacy. Elkins said the law enabling IGs places no restrictions on their access to information. (Federal News Radio)
• Federal workers breathed a sigh of relief as President Barack Obama’s proposed 1 percent pay raise holds. GovExec reports, the short-term spending bill introduced by House Republicans made no mention of blocking the bump. Congress could change course at any time. Both parties want to avoid making waves before the November midterm elections. The bill also skirts the controversial Postal Service plan to close 82 facilities in 2015. Those jobs and the 2015 pay raise expected across-the-board seem safe for now. At least until after the midterms. (GovExec)
• Federal contractor USIS is fighting back what it says are inaccurate allegations against it. USIS lost a big contract with the Office of Personnel Management to do its bread-and-butter work of security background checks. OPM terminated the deal after the company was hit with a cyber attack that exposed personal information of 25,000 Homeland Security employees. In a press release, USIS outlined what it called five myths and and facts about how it does its work. The company said it handled the cyber attack responsibly. In January, the Justice Department filed a civil complaint alleging USIS submitted at least 665,000 background investigations that hadn’t been properly reviewed. The company said it got rid of all employees involved. (Federal News Radio)
• The National Combined Federal Campaign expanded the number of charities to which federal employees can donate. It’s trying to rebound from a decline in fundraising last year. Now, federal employees can donate to any of the 24,000 charities sanctioned by the CFC. Before, employees in a given region could only give to the local charities. For Washington, D.C.-area employees, that meant a choice of 4,000 organizations. OPM Director Katherine Archuleta said employees will be able to look up charities with an online directory. The campaign opened Sept. 1 and runs until Dec. 15. Last year, federal employees donated $209 million nationwide. (Federal News Radio)
• the Federal Emergency Management Agency is trying to recover $5.8 million from victims of Hurricane Sandy. The agency believes inadvertent violations and bureaucratic mistakes caused some people to receive improper aid payments. The average demanded refund is nearly $7,000. FEMA rushed to dole out aid after Hurricane Sandy to avoid the mistakes of Hurricane Katrina. That led to the current overpayments, which amount to 3.7 percent of the total given out by FEMA. (Associated Press)
• The Federal Communications Commission is hinting at expanding net- neutrality regulations to cell-phone service. NextGov reports, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is asking for input on rules for wireless networks. He said smartphone Internet access plays a major role in industry innovation. Wireless providers could control the speed of certain services and exempt some from monthly caps under the 2010 regulations. Those were struck down earlier this year. Cell- service providers want the old rules to stick around. But Democrats and consumer groups are pressuring the FCC to strengthen its net-neutrality policy. (NextGov)
• Pen and paper signatures? Remembering your username and password? These could be things of the past for federal employees. At least that’s what Verizon is saying. NextGov reports, the company is developing a system to use QR codes to log in or sign documents electronically. The universal ID service could verify an employee’s identity, do a geolocation check or send a one-time PIN number to the employee’s phone. The new system could come within six to nine months. Verizon did not disclose potential federal customers. (NextGov)
• The Army activated a new Cyber Protection Brigade, part of Cyber Command, located at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Defense News reports, Col. Donald Bray commands the brigade, which consists of 20 teams, each containing 39 people. Teams will conduct defensive cyberspace operations. Cyber Command said it was still working to staff, equip and train all of the teams. Soldiers in the grades of staff sergeant to sergeant major are eligible for the Army’s new military occupational specialty, known as cyber network defender, or 25-D. (Defense News)

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