Mike O'Connell is a web editor and general assignment reporter for Federal News Radio.

Obama memo bolsters protections for vets reentering workforce

President Barack Obama issued a memorandum Thursday calling on agencies to comply with protections laid out in The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 when hiring returning veterans.

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7 agencies make progress on implementing 'cloud first,' GAO says

The Government Accountability Office assessed the performance of seven federal agencies in migrating some of their services to the cloud as required by the Office of Management and Budget. Five of the seven agencies succeeded in meeting OMB's requirements and the other two are expected to be compliant by year's end.

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Debilitating storm? No sweat for teleworking feds

While some federal agencies in Washington, D.C., struggled to get their work done on Monday due to power outages caused by a recent storm, thousands of Patent and Trademark Office employees worked remotely as part of the agency's successful teleworking plan.

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TSP numbers bounce back in June

All 10 Thrift Savings Plan funds finished the month of June with positive figures, ending a several month slide into the red. The I Fund grew from -11.40 percent in May to 7.08 percent on June 30.

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USPS executives shift to fill interim positions

Joseph Corbett, the Postal Service's chief financial officer, is filling in for Chief Information Officer Ellis Burgoyne, who is on extended sick leave.

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USPS overpays pension obligations by $13.1B, report says

A new inspector general audit revealed that the Postal Service has overfunded its pension benefit obligations by nearly 105 percent. While this might seem to be good news for the cash- strapped agency, legislative action will be required for USPS to get back the $13.1 billion surplus it paid into its employees' pensions.

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Reverse auctions not all a bed of roses, one expert says

Defense analyst Robert Levinson told the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp that while reverse auctions can generate significant savings for the federal government, they do have their downside.

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Bid protesting system helps agencies police themselves

Steven Maser, a professor of public policy and administration at Willamette University, recently completed a study on the bid protest process. While he acknowledged that the number of bid protests were on the rise, he didn't necessarily think that was a bad thing for agencies and contractors.

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TSP funds continue downward trend in May

Eight of the 10 Thrift Savings Plans posted negative numbers for the month of May, with the two funds posting positive numbers sliding slightly as well.

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Military diversity bill codifies commission's findings

Retired Air Force Gen. Lester Lyles said new legislation calling for diversity benchmarks in the military would codify the recommendations of the commission he led in 2011 and would make for a better armed forces.

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Big Data creates big challenges for agencies

Mark Weber, NetApp's president of the U.S. public sector, spoke to The Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about a Meritalk study his company sponsored called The Big Data Gap.

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Budget top of mind as USDA celebrates 150th birthday

The Agriculture Department kicks off a year-long celebration of its 150th anniversary today with a star-studded party at its Washington, D.C., headquarters.

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Special counsel letter details air safety concerns

Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner sent a letter to President Barack Obama Tuesday, calling attention to reports of safety lapses at some U.S. commercial aviation facilities. She also criticized the Federal Aviation Administration for delays in responding to whistleblower disclosures.

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Bill calls for 'duplication score' to cut wasteful programs

Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) has cosponsored two pieces of legislation that target duplication of government services, both in the legislative and executive branches.

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New legislation seeks to prevent hazing in military

Congressmen introduce the Harry Lew Military Hazing Accountability and Prevention Act of 2012, a bill aimed at preventing hazing in the military services.

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Video: More feds are teleworking, report says

The Telework Exchange released a report last week saying that feds who participated in the 2012 Telework Week saved more than $5.6 million. The report not only showed a greater adoption of teleworking, but that feds were leading the way.

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Finalists for Service to America Medals announced

The Partnership for Public Service announced the 33 finalists contending for Service to America Medals for 2012.

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Technology no longer a barrier to telework, experts say

Panelists at Wednesday's Telework Town Hall Meeting said the technology is there to make the federal workforce more mobile.

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Changes will 'burnish prestige' of Fellows program, OPM director says

OPM Director John Berry detailed changes coming to the Presidential Management Fellows Program in a recent letter to Congress, obtained by Federal News Radio. The program came under criticism earlier this year for mistakenly sending out 300 letters of acceptance to applicants who had not been chosen for the program.

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Feds rank leadership low in annual survey

The Partnership for Public Service took a closer look at the data from the 2011 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and discovered that feds aren't too happy with their leaders. Senior leaders especially received low rankings from federal employees.

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