Federal Drive

Federal Drive interviews – July 2

Barclay Butler of the Defense and VA departments' interagency office discusses the electronic health records system. Don Kettl, dean the University of Maryland'...

Federal News Network Staff

July 2, 2012 9:10 am

2 min read

This is the Federal Drive show blog. Here you can listen to the interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day and links to additional resources.

Today’s guests:

Barclay Butler — director, Defense-VA interagency office

There’s good news for service members seeking better health care and less confusion from the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments. They have been working for years on a single electronic health records system. Now they say it’s ahead of schedule.

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Don Kettl — dean, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last week approved a bill to subject the Federal Reserve to an audit by the Government Accountability Office. Members point out, the Fed’s balance rose from $900 million to nearly $3 trillion in a matter of a few years. They say it would shed light on processes that have long been secret.

Rep. Jim Moran — (D-Va.)

Federal workers may want to turn away when they hear lawmakers talking about their pay and benefits. But there’s a new measure on Capitol Hill that you’ll want to know about. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) introduced a bill to make the Senior Executive Service more attractive. It includes money incentives. But in today’s Congressional Spotlight, Moran worries that too many SESers are leaving government, and, he thinks training and development of potential senior executives is not effective.

Mike Downing — deputy chief, counterterrorism and special operations, Los Angeles Police Department

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks highlighted the communication barriers between local police forces and the federal government. Since then, 77 fusion centers have opened across the country. Police work alongside federal agents sharing intelligence and coordinating operations. At least, that’s how fusion centers are supposed to work. The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute surveyed fusion center staff. It found that the centers were breaking down those barriers but had not reached their crime-fighting potential yet. Deputy Chief Mike Downing leads counterterrorism and special operations for the Los Angeles Police Department. He helped write the report.

Also on The Federal Drive:

Monday morning federal headlines – July 2

DHS’ Coose leaving for the private sector

Changes needed in Guard, Reserve pay, study says