Thursday federal headlines – December 4, 2014

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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 House passed a bill that retroactively increases mass transit benefits for federal employees through the end of 2014. It puts commuter benefits and monthly parking benefits at $250. It’s one of about 50 tax breaks passed under the Tax Increase Prevention Act that run through the end of the year. (Federal News Radio)
• The House voted today to pass the National Defense Authorization Act for 2015. But the bill might run into trouble in the Senate, where a vote is scheduled next week. The bill authorizes $585 billion in military spending. It also contains unrelated provisions expanding western wilderness areas. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said he’ll use procedures to block quick passage. He says the Defense bill is the wrong place to legislate land usage. If they’re successful, Coburn and like-minded senators could delay the bill until January, when the Republican-controlled 114th Congress takes over. (Federal News Radio)
• A new acquisition improvement plan is out from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. OFPP Administrator Anne Rung’s plan focuses on three main ideas: category management, stronger vendor relationships and finding new talent in the acquisition workforce. (Federal News Radio)
• The 2015 Defense Authorization Act will trim pensions for senior Pentagon brass. It’s part of an effort to rein in military personnel costs during a tough fiscal climate. USA Today reports the bill will ensure generals and admirals make no more in retirement than they earned in uniform. The provision reverses a 2007 decision to modify pensions for three-and-four-star generals and admirals. Some received a pension boost of more than 60 percent. The goal was to retain senior officers throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the Senate Armed Services Committee found no indication that beefing up pensions increased retention. ( USA Today)
• The Defense Department’s request for base closures doesn’t make it into Congress’ defense bill. DoD and the Obama administration have been pushing for a round of base realignment and closures in 2017. According to the Defense Authorization Act, many lawmakers don’t think BRAC rounds yield any savings. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) says BRAC is inappropriate at a time when the final size of the military is still in flux. The Pentagon said it saves more than $12 billion each year from a 2005 round of BRAC. (Federal Times)
• NASA and contractor engineers are busy with last minute preparations for this morning’s launch of the Orion space capsule. The 11-minute flight will take the Orion 3,600 miles high. The goal is to see how it stands up to the heat and stress of re-entry. NASA plans to someday use the Orion to carry astronauts into deep space, possibly to Mars. If the weather holds out, Orion will be launched atop a Delta Four rocket. Earlier this morning, technicians were filling the rocket with liquid hydrogen and oxygen. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:05 a.m. from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Federal News Radio)

  The White House goes digital this Christmas season. This year’s holiday decorations include 3-D printed ornaments designed by students, engineers and artists as part of a White House contest. The East Garden Room has an interactive snowscape. It captures visitors’ movements and shows them in the snowscape projected on the wall. The White House also has first dog robots, known as Bo-bot and Sunny-bot. The President and first lady put out the first- ever interactive holiday card in a video message. (Federal News Radio)

• Confirmation of President Barack Obama’s choice to head the Social Security Administration could be stalled over a $300 million computer project that doesn’t work. The project launched before Carolyn Colvin became acting commissioner in February 2013. But Republican senators on the Finance Committee think they’ve been misled by Social Security officials over details of the troubled project. They vow to block a vote on Colvin’s nomination until they receive more answers. Obama nominated Colvin to a six-year commissioner’s term in June. Before becoming acting commissioner, she was the deputy for 3 1/2 years. (Federal News Radio)
• The Pentagon added 38 organizations to the Military Spouse Employment Partnership. That brings the total number of participating companies to 266. Ceremonies took place at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, made a surprise appearance. The Partnership launched in 2011 under the auspices of Jill Biden and First Lady Michele Obama. It brings job opportunities and wellness programs to spouses of service members. More than half of the 2.2 million people in uniform are married. Spouse unemployment rates hover at 25 percent. Partnership companies have hired 65,000 spouses so far. They’ve posted 1.8 million openings. (DoD)
• Reports of military sexual assaults rose 8 percent this year. A Rand Corporation survey suggests victims are more willing to file complaints than in years past. The survey shows about a quarter of victims filed reports in 2014, compared to just one-tenth in 2012. Lawmakers have pushed to change how the Pentagon handles cases of sexual assault. And Pentagon officials said they see a decline in the actual number of sexual assaults. They estimated 19,000 service members are victims of unwanted sexual contact this year. That’s down from 26,000 two years ago. (Federal News Radio)
• Lawmakers are keeping pressure on agencies to meet goals under the Digital Accountability and Transparency, or DATA Act. The law requires agencies to report spending and financial data to be released publicly on USASpending.gov. Federal Times reports agencies have until next May to develop common data standards. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) wrote the Senate version of the DATA Act. He says Congress needs to make sure agencies keep up with reporting data, especially as they deal with spending cuts. Warner says lawmakers need to make sure agencies have the resources they need to implement data standards. (Federal Times)

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