Thursday federal headlines – March 5, 2015

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...

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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 Veterans Health Administration improperly shifted $96 million for medical support and compliance to pay for a health claims processing system. The VA Inspector General said it was a violation of appropriations laws. Two senior officials in the VA’s Chief Business Office said they didn’t want to ask Congress for the funding. (Veterans Affairs)
  • The Chief Information Officer’s Council is looking for professionals at the GS-9-13 levels to help solve IT acquisition challenges. The CIO Council introduceD the new IT Solutions Challenge. It’s asking agencies to identify people for a 6-month program. (Federal News Radio)
  • Federal offices in the Washington D.C. area are closed today. The Office of Personnel Management made the announcement shortly before 4 a.m. today. Agencies operating under the Baltimore Federal Executive Board are also closed. A winter storm warning is in effect until 7 p.m. today. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Air Force is starting nine initiatives to get more women and minorities in the service. Secretary Deborah Lee James said the initiatives would focus on recruitment, promotions and retention. In a memo, James said the Air Force needs to diversify to retain military superiority. Women currently make up 19 percent of the Air Force. But James said they’re twice as likely as men to cut their military careers short. And women, as well as minorities, are under-represented in the pilot ranks. James has said she wants to open all roles in the Air Force to women and establish gender-neutral standards for each position. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Smithsonian has said no to selfie sticks. It said the poles are not allowed in any Smithsonian museums. It included selfie sticks in a policy that prohibits the use of tripods and monopods. The Smithsonian said the move would help protect visitors and objects, especially when the museums are crowded. But selfies are still allowed — just no sticks. (Washington Post)
  • It’s unclear if Hillary Clinton’s use of private email for work is illegal or not. But what’s certain is it violates guidance from the Obama administration. Press Secretary Josh Earnest said administration policy requires government email accounts to be used for official business. Clinton exclusively used the email hdr22.clintonemail.com while she was Secretary of State. She hasn’t explained yet why she used her own server, instead of the email provided by the State Department. Clinton asked State to release the emails from her private account as soon as possible. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Energy Department is changing its chief information officer position from career to political. It named Michael Johnson to the spot. He’ll move over from the White House Office of Science and Technology. He starts Monday. Johnson will replace Robert Brese, who left last September to join Gartner. Don Adcock, who has been acting CIO, is expected to return to his job as deputy CIO. Johnson also was the chief scientist in the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis. (Federal News Radio)
  • A House panel approved a bill that requires the Energy Department to do more research on supercomputers. The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology wants Energy to research supercomputers that could increase capability, processing, memory and bandwidth, among other things. The computers would also be able to reduce power use. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) introduced the bill last September. Under the measure, Energy would also have to partner with national laboratories on the research. But before any construction starts on supercomputers, the Energy Secretary would have to submit a plan to Congress explaining cost projections and potential risks. (NextGov /Congress)
  • National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley will retire this August. Kelley has been the union’s president since 1999. The Pittsburgh native said she’ll return to her home city to spend more time with her family. Kelley said she is “in awe every day” of the work the union’s leaders do. Kelley pushed for employees to receive back pay after the 16-day government shutdown in 2013. Most recently, she urged Congress not to shut down the Homeland Security Department. Kelley has also been a vocal proponent for phased retirement. (Federal News Radio)
  • HealthCare.gov is improving, but it still needs more work, according to the Government Accountability Office. The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services has increased capacity on the website and awarded new contracts to improve the system. Auditors said that’s helped with performance issues on HealthCare.gov. But they recommended CMS conduct more oversight and testing on the website. GAO also said the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer doesn’t provide enough oversight on the site. (GAO )
  • Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker revealed the members of the department’s Data Advisory Council, or CDAC. The council will help with what Pritzker called Commerce’s data revolution. The council will be housed in the Economics and Statistics Administration. Members will each serve two-year terms. Members come mostly from large companies. They include IBM Chief Information Strategist Steve Adler and Kim Stevenson, the chief information officer at Intel. A few are academics, such as Katy Borner, an information sciences professor from Indiana University. Commerce wants wider dissemination and usage of its data throughout the economy. (Commerce)
  • Vendors, contracting officers and program managers soon will be rated by colleagues and competitors. The White House said guidance will be coming soon on what it called the Acquisition 360 rating process. Anne Rung is the administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. She said the system will rate IT procurements, not the individuals involved in them. Ratings will come from a standard set of 15 questions. The goal is to give agencies insight into the quality of their acquisitions, both pre and post award. The General Services Administration tested the system for a large professional services multiple award contract. (Federal News Radio)
  • The Pentagon delayed awarding a contract to design a new, long-range bomber. The Wall Street Journal reports the decision was moved back to this summer. Air Force procurement chief William LaPlante told lawmakers the contract would be a cost-plus deal. That puts a lot of risk on the government. But each plane would be capped at a cost of $550 million. The Air Force wants to build between 80 and 100 of the planes to replace its fleet of B-52s and B-1 starting in 2020. A competition has developed between Northrop Grumman and a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. (Wall Street Journal )

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