Emily Kopp covers civilian agencies in the federal government with a focus on workforce issues. Emily's reports can be heard Monday - Friday on the Federal Drive and In Depth.

OPM revisits governmentwide hiring pools

The Office of Personnel Management said shared registers will make it easier and quicker for agencies to fill openings for entry-level budget analysts and IT specialists. OPM will send requesting agencies a list of the "best qualified" candidates. Agencies then will have 30 days to review the applications.

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OPM promises more secure, streamlined USAJobs

The Office of Personnel Management will roll out the latest version of the Web portal USAJobs.gov in October. OPM said USAJobs.gov will protect applicant data better and will make it easier for agencies to mine data, create reports and refine their recruitment strategies.

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OPM makes it easier to hire military spouses

Military widows and spouses of disabled veterans will be able to take all the time they need to apply for federal jobs under a special hiring exemption. The current two-year limit on spouses' noncompetitive hiring authority expires at the end of September.

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OPM: Hiring, retention bonuses rose in down economy

A new Office of Personnel Management report showed that agency use of recruitment, relocation and retention incentives rose 22 percent in 2009, the Obama administration's first year. That's a slower rate of growth than in previous years. But it indicates that the government still relies on one-time payments to lure or keep nurses, engineers and others with needed skills.

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NIST: Simplicity can be great cybersecurity defense

The National Institute of Standards and Technology senior fellow Ron Ross said keeping things simple lets agencies protect their systems against cyber threats without spending a lot of money. NIST is publishing guides to help agencies make cost-conscious cybersecurity decisions.

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Archives record center in Suitland braces for double whammy

A small team in hardhats is fulfilling emergency requests at the National Archives' Washington National Records Center in Suitland, Maryland, which is otherwise closed. The warehouse sustained damage from Tuesday's earthquake, but no records were harmed. Hurricane Irene, however, poses new threats of water damage.

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Earthquake reinforces telework benefits

Thousands of office workers didn't have to deal with road construction and confusion about building closures after Tuesday's earthquake in Washington — because they telecommute. Agencies with robust telework policies largely avoided the chaos. But others have been slow to implement the new policies required by the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010.

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Pentagon puts 'faith' in achieving clean audit by 2017

Subhead: The Defense Department said preparing for an agencywide financial audit by 2017 is a good way to make sure every dollar counts in this budget climate. It is putting resources into training administrators and trying to improve its technology systems.

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Measuring up: New SES framework will help evaluate managers

A new governmentwide framework for evaluating the top career employees in the Senior Executive Service will be rolled out at the end of September. Steve Shih, a deputy associate director in the Office of Personnel Management, said it will bring uniformity and predictability to a process that now seems uneven.

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USPS puts cuts to labor on bargaining table

The Postal Service has begun contract negotiations with the National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union. Last week USPS said it would ask Congress to let it break union contracts in order to lay off workers and take control of its health care and retirement plans.

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White House orders increase in diversity hiring

President Barack Obama issued an executive order giving leaders 90 days to come up with a governmentwide plan to increase diversity in hiring and retention. Agencies will have four more months to craft their own strategies for making progress.

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With budgets tightening, DHS alters approach

The Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said today's terrorist is more likely to operate alone rather than as part of a 9/11-type of coordinated plot, and thus harder to detect. In the face of budget cuts, DHS is focused on managing risks and cooperating with the public to prevent attacks.

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OPM lays out plan for training Latina leaders

A new division in the Office of Personnel Management is leading a governmentwide initiative to recruit and train Latinos, who make up 8 percent of the federal civilian workforce overall. The plan includes working with nonprofit organizations to increase outreach, encouraging Latinos to apply for internships and new ideas for holding agencies accountable.

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VA employees pitch ways to help veterans find work

The Department of Veterans Affairs named 12 finalists in an employee contest to find ways to improve the agency's career training and counseling services.

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Bethesda Naval opens wounded warrior complex

Bethesda Naval opens wounded warrior complex Subhead: Injured veterans helped cut the ribbon outside the doors of the Naval Medical Center's rehabilitation facility, which includes state-of-the art suites and a swimming pool. Patients will move later this month from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program.

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White House solicits open gov ideas for national plan

The administration is asking for input to make government more transparent. The ideas it collects could go into an action plan that the administration will present next month at the launch of the international Open Government Partnership at the United Nations.

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Education sees buyouts as way to modernize workforce

The Department of Education hopes to replace higher-grade employees at 12 offices with less expensive workers. It plans to offer early retirement packages and buyouts for the second time this year.

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Bipartisan group pushes for FAA back pay

A bipartisan group of congressmen have introduced legislation to let FAA employees receive back pay for the two weeks that they were furloughed. Senate Democrats have introduced a similar bill.

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OPM proposes more flexibility for CHCOs

The Office of Personnel Management is considering relaxing the Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework (HCAAF). The change would give agencies more flexibility to hire and manage their workforce.

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Reporters' Roundup: Changes to HCAAF, DoD-VA disability review system

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