Monday federal headlines – December 1, 2014

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on Federal News Radio each day. It is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com reade...

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.

  • The Labor Department performed better than the Office of Special Counsel on three of five performance metrics in the Veterans Benefits Act. The Government Accountability Office said the Labor Department resolved 97 percent of its Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act claims. OSC resolved 84 percent of its USERRA cases. OSC said it didn’t have the capacity to resolve and investigate claims during the first six months of 10 months spent on the project. (GAO)
  • The Navy nominated Rear Adm. Elizabeth Train to be the new director of Naval intelligence. The Federal Times reports she would replace Vice Adm. Ted Branch. Branch’s access to classified information was suspended last year. when he was suspected to have ties to a defense contractor. (Federal Times)
  • Congress returned to work today, with two weeks left in the year. First order of business will be passage of a funding bill to keep the government running after Dec 11. That’s when the continuing resolution expires. Also high on the list is the passage of the 2015 Defense Authorization bill. Lawmakers must also deal with expiring tax breaks, including extending the ban on state and federal Internet access taxes. The Obama administration also has priorities. The President has asked for $5 billion to cover the costs of fighting the Islamic State militants. The White House also wants $6.2 billion for the Ebola effort in West Africa and $3.7 billion to help immigrant children. (Federal News Radio)
  • Researchers at the National Institutes of Health said a new vaccine against Ebola appears safe after tests on 20 healthy people. Results were reported by the New England Journal of Medicine. Some of the testers developed a fever from the vaccine, but it went away within a day. Recipients showed an immune response, although the scientists said it’s still too early to tell if the vaccine works. It’s scheduled for testing in Liberia in 2015. The vaccine has been developed by Glaxo Smith-Kline and the NIH under biodefense research section chief Nancy Sullivan. (New England Journal of Medicine/Wall Street Journal )
  • New patient-tracking technology could give first responders more control in crisis situations. The Center for Domestic Preparedness, which operates under the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the new tracking system should be ready for full implementation early next year. Federal Times reports the software will allow first responders to use smartphones to scan bar codes, attach pictures and chart a patient’s information. The goal is to boost response capabilities in crisis and mass-casualty situations. (Federal Times)
  • Syrian activists said Islamic State militants were pounded by as many as 30 airstrikes Sunday by U.S. led coalition warplanes. The airstrikes were centered on the group’s de facto capital in northeastern Syria. The coalition has been targeting Islamic State militants in Syria since September. Many have targeted Islamic State militants, attacking the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani. One monitoring group said at least 50 militants were killed over the weekend in both the airstrikes and classes, but no concrete figure was released. (AP)
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it’s beefing up holiday-season efforts to stop counterfeit goods from reaching U.S. consumers. Its National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center is teaming with several other agencies and non-profit organizations to warn against fakes. Federal agencies joining the effort are Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Consumer Products Safety Commission, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Food and Drug Administration. Also joining the effort is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Intellectual Property Center. (DHS ICE)
  • It may sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but load- lightening exosuits are becoming a possibility. The Military Times reports the Army is testing the device, which could cut a user’s exertion level by 25 percent when carrying a 100-pound load. Without a heavy load, the exosuit could allow someone to run a four-minute mile. Maj. Christopher Orlowski, who runs the device- testing program under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, said the exosuit could be tested in a realistic setting in less than two years. (Military Times )
  • The Federal Risk Authorization and Management Program (FedRAMP) system for authorizing cloud computing providers is going to go up a notch next year. FedRAMP director Matt Goodrich said his group is drafting standards to apply to high risk systems. Until now, FedRAMP approval has only applied to low- or medium-risk systems. It was conceived early in the Obama administration as a way to avoid having every agency conduct its own certification of cloud providers. (Federal News Radio)
  • The General Services Administration is looking ahead to a new round for the Veterans Technology Services contract once the current program expires in 2017. Federal Times reports GSA is using data from a November survey to determine what VETS 2 will look like. Agencies use the VETS governmentwide acquisition contract to purchase IT products and services from service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses. Some of the work done through VETS includes upgrades to the Veterans Affairs wireless network and providing 24-hour support for the Air Combat Command Advanced Computer Flight Plan. (Federal Times)
  • The U.S. Marshals Service is upgrading its smartphone technology for the 2015 fiscal year. NextGov reports the agency is switching employees from Blackberrys to iPhones, in addition to trying out some Windows 8 tablets and Android-based smartphones. The agency said it is looking at the possibility of providing USMS network access from non-USMS devices. The goal is to increase employees’ ability to work away from the office on various devices. (NextGov)

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