Wednesday Morning Federal Newscast – December 22

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Amy Morris discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air.

• The Government Printing Office says the loss of 88 notebook computers did not result in a loss of sensitive information. The missing machines were reported in an inspector general audit earlier this month. NextGov reports, some of the unaccounted-for machines had been issued to former employees working with security and intelligence documents. One user had been assessing the risks to the supply chain for electronic passports. But GPO says machines were wiped of data before being reissued to other employees. The congressional agency has had a policy in place since 2008 to encrypt notebook computers so they can’t be used if lost or stolen
• More than 308 million people populate the United States, the Census Bureau reports. That’s up 9.7 percent since the 2000 count, when the population stood at 281 million. The rate of growth was the slowest since the 1940s. Only one state lost population since 2000: Michigan. The fastest-growing state was Nevada, which added 35 percent more people in the last 10 years. Because of the shift in the nation’s population south and west, Texas will gain four House seats as a result of the latest Census. Census Director Robert Groves joined the Federal Drive this morning. Listen to the interview here.
• The House approved a bill to improve the tracking of federal agency performance Tuesday. The Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 would require agencies to assign senior officials to serve as chief operating and performance improvement officers. GovExec reports that among other responsibilities, these two positions would be responsible for finding significant cost savings by eliminating redundant programs. The legislation would also require federal agencies to set measurable performance goals, improve coordination to avoid duplicative programs and post regular performance updates on a public website.
• GAO announced on Tuesday that it could not issue an opinion on the federal government’s consolidated financial statement. According to GovExec, Acting controller general at GAO Gene Dodaro provided reasons why they could not approve the financial statements. Dodaro said there were serious financial management problems at the Defense Department and that there is an overall ineffective process for preparing financial statements. This marks the 14th consecutive year that GAO has been unable to provide an opinion on the government’s overall financial statement.
• The America COMPETES Act passed by Congress Tuesday provides all agencies with broad authority to conduct prize competitions as called for by President Obama in his 2009 Strategy for American Innovation. According to the White House, the Act will make it much easier for agencies to use prizes and challenges to spur innovation, solve tough problems, and advance their core missions. In September 2010, the White House and the GSA launched Challenge.gov, a website where entrepreneurs, innovators, and citizen solvers could compete for prizes by providing solutions to national and local problems. In its first three months in 2010, Challenge.gov featured 57 challenges from 27 agencies across the Executive Branch. It provided solutions for childhood obesity, advanced vehicle technologies, financing for small businesses, Type One Diabetes, and many other national priorities.
• The Obama administration will nominate a trio of women to White House legal posts. The Wall Street Journal Virginia Seitz will be appointed to head the Office of Legal Counsel. The Justice Department unit provides legal advice to the White House as it formulates policy. The Senate-confirmed position has been vacant since 2003. Seitz is a partner at the Washington law firm Sidley Austin. The president will also appoint White House national security lawyer Caroline Kress as Seitz’s assistant. New York University Law professor Cristina M. Rodriguez will also be named to the Office of Legal Counsel.
• The people who run your Thrift Savings Plan have signed a lease for 55,000 square feet at 77 K Street, NE, in the NoMa neighborhood. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board will be leaving its H Street offices in Northwest in October of next year. The Washington Business Journal reported back in November that the group had a letter of intent for space in the building. The K Street project will also be home to the Internal Revenue Service.
• The Small Business Administration has unveiled its newly re-designed website, along with new tools for small businesses. The new SBA site features the launch of SBA Direct, which allows small businesses to personalize their browsing experience according to their business type, geography and needs. That way, the agency says they can deliver targeted information to the businesses – everything from staying compliant with current laws to financial assistance and government contracting opportunities. The new SBA website also integrates content from Business.gov, it uses interactive maps, and boasts improved navigation tools.
• The House passed a bill yesterday that would require all Customs and Border Protection job applicants to receive polygraphs and background checks. According to Federal Times, The 2010 Anti-Border Corruption Act would also require agents to be reinvestigated every five years. Right now only about 15 percent of applications receive background checks, according to CBP’s internal affairs department. The legislation gives the agency two years to full implement polygraphs on all applicants.
• The House has approved legislation to beef up the Food and Drug Administration’s enforcement powers. The bill requires the FDA to conduct regular inspections of food factories both in the U.S. and in foreign suppliers. The agency would also have the power to set tougher sanitation rules and force recalls of contaminated food. Because the Senate already passed a similar bill, it now heads to the president for signature.
• Federal Aviation Administration safety inspectors at the North Pole have certified Santa’s sleigh for its Christmas Eve round-the-world delivery mission. Apparently, “Santa One,” is outfitted with new satellite-based NextGen technology, allowing Santa to deliver more toys to more children with improved safety and efficiency. Rudolph’s red nose has been outfitted with avionics that will broadcast Santa One’s position via satellites to air traffic controllers around the world with improved accuracy, integrity and reliability. Santa has special permission from the FAA to fly thousands of domestic and international short-haul and long-range flights in one night.

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THIS AFTERNOON ON FEDERAL NEWS RADIO

Coming up today on The DorobekInsider:

** Protecting the integrity of federal scientists and scientific data — the Obama administration has issued new guidance that seeks to ensure that data is data. We’ll get an assessment of that new policy.

** And we’ll continue looking at the big stories of 20-10… Today, former Interior CIO Ed Meagher about the role of the CIO.

Join Chris from 3 to 7 pm on 1500 AM or on your computer.

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