Thursday Morning Federal Newsstand

Written by Ruben Gomez
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

Congress has passed a $3.4 trillion dollar budget blueprint for next year. The bill sets limits for subsequent tax and spending bills later this year. It also predicts a $1.2 trillion dollar deficit in 2010.

Pay parity made it into the final budget blueprint passed in Congress yesterday. The resolution backs equal raises for civilians and military members. But it does not include specific amounts. Those numbers will be determined during the appropriations process later this year.

OPM director John Berry wants to up the number of teleworkers in your agency. Berry unvieled a plan yesterday to develop government-wide telework standards. He’s also calling for each agency to hire a Telework Managing Officer. That person would be responsible for compliance. Berry says he’ll issue more detailed guidance by Friday.

Putting an end to A-76 competitions once-and-for-all: That’s the aim of a new bill introduced by Maryland Senator Barbra Mikulski. The measure follows provisions for insourcing mandated in this year’s omnibus appropriations bill. Those requirements addressed public-private job competitions at the Defense Department.

A transsexual gets close to $500-thousand dollars from the Library of Congress. That ruling in federal court comes after the library rescinded a job offer for Diane Schroer. The former Army Special Forces commander applied for the job while she was a man. She says the offer was pulled back after the Library found out she was having surgery to become a woman.

NASA’s space shuttles get $2.5 billion dollars from the 2010 budget resolution. The Wall Street Journal reports the money would keep the fleet flying thru 2011, if necessary, to finish planned missions to the international space station. Now, the money is subject to the appropriations process in the coming months. Funding had been set to expire at the end of next year.

Other Stories We’re Watching:

US officials to take Web questions from worried

DHS urges agency coordination for swine flu data (GCN)

BLM, Forest Service sued over air pollution in NM

Recession sends U.S. workers snacking, survey says (Reuters)

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