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NEWS: Jan. 19, 2012 Public Workforce | The Nation OPM Pledges to Clear Huge Retirement Backlog The Office of Personnel Management says it plans to clear a backlog of more than 48,000 federal retirement claims within 18 months with steps including hiring more staff and paying more overtime. OPM's goal is to adjudicate 90 percent of all new retirement claims within 60 days, down from the average of 156 days it was taking as of Dec. 31. >> Federal Daily Federal Health Plans to Provide Digital Records All health insurance options in federal health plans will soon allow members to download a digital version of their health records using a technology called Blue Button, OPM announced. >> Federal News Radio
Governor Limits State Payments for Contractor Executives' Pay Looking to rein in the use of public money to pay what he called excessive salaries, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed an executive order limiting to $199,000 the amount the state will reimburse government contractors to pay their executives. Agency commissioners will oversee the salary caps. >> New York Times E-Government | The Nation GAO Questions IRS Website-Upgrade Strategy The Internal Revenue Service has begun a 10-year, $320 million upgrade to improve its website content, design and usability, but the agency should be more strategic in addressing a need to shift inquiries from the public to less-expensive online customer-service tools, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. >> Federal Computer Week GSA Sees Dramatic Jump in Website Approval Ratings The General Services Administration's main website has seen a dramatic 18-point improvement in citizen satisfaction since the American Customer Satisfaction Index began measuring federal website approval ratings in 2003, according to the latest survey. >> AOL Government House Launches Transparency Site, iPad App More than eight months after proposing new online tools to make U.S. House of Representatives' legislation and documents more readily available, the House Administration Committee launched a new website and an iPad app to help do just that. >> InformationWeek
Report Rips Fire Department's Management, Racial Tension, Morale The Philadelphia fire department is beset by racial tension, weak management systems, low morale and limited resources, all of which are affecting service quality, according to a review commissioned by a state watchdog agency. The report outlines dozens of recommendations, including revamping the department's organizational structure, charging for some services and privatizing others. >> Philadelphia Daily News East St. Louis Police Chief Quits after Two Months East St. Louis, Ill., Police Chief Michael Baxton resigned after less than two months in the post. Mayor Alvin Parks said Baxton stepped down for personal reasons and that the move "caught us flatfooted." >> St. Louis Post-Dispatch ACLU Sues L.A. County Sheriff over Jail Brutality The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit accusing Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and other department brass of failing to root out deputy brutality inside the county's jails. >> Los Angeles Times
Pentagon Plans Crackdown on Sex Assaults in the Ranks The military will ramp up efforts to combat sexual assault in the ranks, a crime the Pentagon suspects is vastly underreported. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said the military received 3,191 reports of sexual assault in fiscal 2011, up slightly from 3,158 the year before, but that officials estimate the true number is closer to 19,000. >> Reuters Cybersecurity | Arizona Breach Feared for University's Computer System Arizona State University students and employees were told that the university's ASURITE computer system may have been compromised and that all online services had been suspended. >> Arizona Republic Researchers: Cyber-Attackers Targeting DoD Security Cards A Chinese-based cyber-attack is targeting the Defense Department's Common Access Cards used by troops and civilians with technology to steal information from military networks, researchers say. >> Military Times
Billionaire to Cover Half of Cost of Fixing Monument Billionaire philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, a generous repeat benefactor for Washington's endangered national icons, pledged $7.5 million to cover half the $15 million cost of repairing the shuttered, earthquake-damaged Washington Monument. Congress has already allocated the federal government's $7.5 million share. >> Washington Post >> Follow GovManagement on Twitter >> Share this edition:
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DATAPOINT 8,279 Members of the Oregon Public Employee Retirement System who signed up for retirement benefits during 2011, a 44 percent increase from the average number over the previous four years and the highest number since 12,500 retired in 2003, when major reforms to the system prompted a spike in retirements >> The Oregonian | More data
Efficiency | Stephen Goldsmith The Man Who Put the M in OMB A commission headed by Roy L. Ash, who died last month, crafted the plan that elevated the old Bureau of the Budget to the powerful White House institution that the Office of Management and Budget has become, and Ash served as its director in two administrations. The direct linking of management and spending decisions in executive offices in governments at all levels is Ash's legacy. >> Governing | More commentaries QUOTABLE “We eat history every day, and what we are eating today is going to influence tomorrow. The cheeseburger may not be regarded the same way as passing a new law, but it sure made a difference in people's lives.” Food historian Andrew F. Smith, interviewed for an article on the claim by Pasadena, Calif., to have been the birthplace in the 1920s of the cheeseburger and the launch of Pasadena Cheeseburger Week, a Chamber of Commerce event promoting area restaurants >> Los Angeles Times | More quotes UPCOMING GovInfoSecurity.com Webinar: "Business Continuity Risk Assessment & Resource Allocation" Today, 1 p.m. ET International City/County Management Association Web conference: "Using Metrics to Improve Efficiencies and Transparency" Today, 1 p.m. ET Government Executive magazine Webinar: "Achieving Efficiency in IT Acquisitions" Today, 2 p.m. ET Government Technology magazine Webinar: "Beating the Insider Threat: Is Printing Cybersecurity's Weakest Link?" Today, 2 p.m. ET Public Technology Institute and National Association of State Chief Information Officers Webinar: "Technology Forecast 2012: What State and Local Government Technology Officials Can Expect" Today, 5 p.m. ET National Contract Management Association Mid-Year Leadership Conference Jan. 20-21, Las Vegas American Correctional Association Winter Conference Jan. 20-25, Phoenix American Enterprise Institute and International Tax Policy Forum Discussion: "Taxing Innovation in a Global Economy" Jan. 20, 8:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. American Enterprise Institute Discussion: "The Literacy Challenge: Getting Reading Right in More Classrooms" Jan. 24, 10-11:30 a.m. ET, Washington, D.C. Center for American Progress Discussion: "God and Politics: Examining Religion in the 2012 Election" Jan. 24, noon-1:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. >> Full events listings |
