Tuesday federal headlines – April 7, 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...

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.

  • Two senators are urging their colleagues to update the technology available to the world’s greatest deliberative body. Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) have sent a letter to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. They want to make it easier for new vendors to get onto the Senate’s approved list. They want to see more Senate content made available in the cloud, instead of on 100 individual servers. In all, McCaskill and Booker want seven changes that would allow for what they call “innovation, consistent with best practices in the private sector.” (Federal News Radio)
  • The White House is enlisting high-tech corporate America in efforts against what it says are the health dangers of climate change. Microsoft has pledged to develop a prototype for a drone that can collect mosquitoes and analyze their DNA. Google will donate 10 million hours of advanced computing time and supply tools for early warnings of wildfires or oil flares. President Barack Obama will announce the measures at Howard University in Washington, D.C., today. He’ll be joined by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. (Federal News Radio)
  • Former New Mexico U.S. Attorney Norman Bay will become head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission later this month. When he does, he’ll become the latest in a number of prosecutors to become regulators. The Wall Street Journal reports, regulatory agencies have hired nearly a dozen such people as they try to sharpen their enforcement strength and pursue bigger, more complex regulatory cases. Other former federal prosecutors in top positions include Cynthia Giles, who runs enforcement at the EPA, and Securities and Exchange Commission Chairwoman Mary Jo White. (Wall Street Journal )
  • With 1,000 fewer new retirement claims in March, the Office of Personnel Management made a dent in its backlog. About 5,500 federal employees filed for retirement. OPM cut its backlog by 3,500 claims. About 20,600 remain. OPM expects to cut the backlog to fewer than 18,000 claims by the end of April. In February, more than 9,000 feds filed for retirement. (Federal News Radio)
  • In a speech before an official visit to Asia, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the United States would invest in new weapons like a long-range stealth bomber to maintain its military edge. The statement shows the United States’ concern about China’s assertiveness toward nearby nations. Carter chided China for what he called its “opaque defense budget” and its actions in cyberspace. But the challenge for the United States and its allies would be maintaining peace and prosperity across the Asia-Pacific region, he said. He urged Congress to give President Barack Obama authority to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Carter said the 12-nation accord is expected to increase U.S. exports by more than $123 billion over the next decade. (Federal News Radio)
  • More sleep for military members could help reduce the risk of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a RAND Corporation study. Researchers found many service members after being deployed had persistent sleep problems, a common reaction to stress that often precedes the onset of mental disorders. A survey of 2,000 troops showed sleep problems had negative effects on mental health, daytime functioning and operational readiness. But military culture sometimes discounts the importance of sleep. Service members who took the survey said the need for sleep was a sign of weakness. (RAND Corporation)
  • The Federal Aviation Administration has delayed plans to find a new cyber services provider because it is responding to a hack. Officials said hackers attacked the agency’s network in early February. NextGov reports, a virus spread through email on a computer system, but a review found no damage to agency systems. FAA will extend its $67 million contract with SRA International through next February. The company won the contract to run FAA’s cybersecurity center in 2008. (NextGov)
  • A union leader has been charged with embezzling more than $132,000 from her local chapter. Stephanie Hicks was president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2207 at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. Prosecutors said Hicks took money from the union’s accounts for her personal needs. She allegedly wrote checks to herself for travel that didn’t actually happen and she forged the names of other union members on checks she wrote to herself. (Justice Department )

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