Thursday federal headlines – July 30, 2015

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows. 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.

• After a procurement process that stretched out over two years, the Pentagon announced yesterday that it’s picked a winner in its long-awaited contract to overhaul DoD’s electronic health records. A team led by Leidos, Cerner and Accenture will get the first crack at the EHR modernization, in a deal worth $4.3 billion. But DoD said it owns the data rights to the system it’s buying, so it could theoretically switch vendors later on. Overall, the Pentagon thinks the lifecycle costs of the new system would be about $9 billion over the next 18 years, down from earlier estimates, which projected it would cost as much as $11 billion. (Federal News Radio)

• A federal judge threatened to hold IRS Commissioner John Koskinen in contempt of court. The warning came during a state hearing in a lawsuit against the agency, brought by the advocacy group Judicial Watch. In a Freedom of Information Act request, Judicial Watch wanted emails and other documents connected to allegations the IRS discriminated against conservative groups seeking tax exempt status. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said the IRS is moving too slowly. Sullivan said that if the agency doesn’t follow his order for weekly releases of emails, he’ll haul Koskinen into a show-cause hearing for contempt. The IRS said it intends to comply. (Wall Street Journal)

• Secretary of State John Kerry, fresh from negotiating with Iran, is getting drawn deeper into a scandal right inside his own department. The Wall Street Journal reports Kerry plans to meet with the department’s inspector general. That meeting will be in connection with a finding that Kerry’s predecessor, Hillary Clinton, kept classified material on a private email server in her upstate New York house. (Wall Street Journal)

• Three whistleblowers told a House committee tales of sexual harassment in which perpetrators get little or no punishment. GovExec reports at the Environmental Protection Agency, a 62-year-old male employee was allowed to retire before he was fired for kissing and touching a 24-year-old female intern. Initially, the man was simply moved four cubicles away after the intern complained. Lawmakers said the man should have been fired. Oversight and Government Reform committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) called the EPA’s work environment “toxic.” (GovExec)

• A bill passed by the Senate aims to crack down on federal improper payments. It builds on similar measures passed in recent years. Federal Times reports the Improper Payments Coordination Act of 2015 would expand use of the Do-Not-Pay database. And it would boost sharing of information about deaths of beneficiaries. Agencies would have to report to Congress progress on use of data analytics within 180 days of enactment. Last year the federal government issued some $125 billion in improper payments. (Federal Times)

• The Senate voteed to give federal employees who are veterans with disabilites more time off to take care of their health. The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act frontloads sick leave for first-year feds with service-related disabilities. They’d get 104 hours of leave right away, rather than having to wait for it to accrue. A version of the bill has been proposed in the House, but has yet to be voted on. The House voted Wednesday to cut workplace protections for Veterans Affairs employees and extend their probationary period, making it easier to fire new staffers. The VA Accountability Act of 2015 was approved with a 256–170 vote, largely, though not strictly, along party lines, despite a White House veto threat. (Sen. Jon Tester)

• The General Services Administration has a new inspector general and moves one step closer to getting a permanent leader too. The Senate confirmed Carol Ochoa to be the agency’s IG, filling a role that has been vacant for more than a year. Ochoa comes from the Justice Department, where she was a prosecutor and then worked for the office of inspector general. Separately, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved Denise Turner Roth to be the agency’s administrator. Roth is now serving that role in an acting capacity. Dan Tangherlini, the last administrator, left GSA in February. (Sen. Tom Carper)

• A Senate panel approved a bill to strengthen cybersecurity within the government. It incorporates several pieces of legislation introduced following the Office of Personnel Management data breaches. It speeds up the deployment of Homeland Security’s EINSTEIN 3A, a program designed to detect and prevent cyber intrusions. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said if the bill had been law, the government likely would have stopped hackers from breaking into OPM’s databases. (Federal News Radio)

• The Senate confirmed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dunford served as commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan from February 2013 to August 2014 and previously commanded the 5th Marine Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Earlier this week, Air Force Gen. Paul Selva was confirmed as the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Darren McDew was also confirmed to replace him as the new head of U.S. Transportation Command. (Military Times)

• The White House wants advice on how best to protect federal data on contractor and subcontractor systems. The Office of Management and Budget releases a request for comments today asking for help in developing new acquisition guidance. Federal CIO Tony Scott said because of increased cyber threats, agencies need a better way to address data security in contracts. OMB will soon begin accepting public comments. (CIO.gov)

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.