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Thursday Morning Federal Newsstand

Written by Ruben Gomez Edited by Suzanne Kubota This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED: The Best Places to Work rankings that came out yesterday cou...

Federal News Network Staff

May 21, 2009 8:07 am

2 min read

Written by Ruben Gomez
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

The Best Places to Work rankings that came out yesterday could affect your agency’s budget. Government Executive reports that the Office of Management and Budget will use the ratings to help set funding levels in the fiscal 2011 budget. OMB director Peter Orszag says he’ll ask agencies that scored poorly to submit improvement plans. Orszag says the rankings are extra important in the face of hiring challenges and the need to spruce up the government’s image.

Take two for OPM’s plan to upgrade its retirement system. The agency is asking for industry input in three areas: data access and integration, business process and workforce support, and legacy system modernization. The request for information comes 7 months after OPM canceled a $290-million dollar contract with Hewitt Associates. That company had been slated to upgrade the retirement system, but failed to meet requirements for a benefits calculator. Responses to the RFI are due by June 15.

Agencies move closer to a simplified way of rehiring federal retirees. A Senate committee has approved a bill that would let retirees rejoin the workforce on a limited, part-time basis without taking a pay cut equal to their annuities. According to Government Executive, supporters say the bill is necessary ahead of an imminent retirement wave. But critics say it would bring about a noncompetitive hiring system open to corruption and abuse. The bill now goes to the full Senate for a vote.

Defense contractor KBR is fighting back over claims that its work may have led to the electrocution deaths of three service members in Iraq. The company’s chief executive says the electrical work it did met the military’s expectations. An electrical inspector hired by the Army testified Wednesday before the Democrats’ policy committee that 90 percent of KBR’s wiring in newly constructed buildings in Iraq was not done properly.

NASA astronauts testify before members of Congress today from space. The testimony will be about NASA’s budget. It’s happening before the Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee. The astronauts were part of that last repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. They’re scheduled to return to Earth Friday.

Other Stories We’re Following

FDA Chief Halts Use of Gift Cards, Other Employee Incentives (WashingtonPost)

FBI foils plot to bomb NYC temple; 4 men charged

Post office ends 24-hour counter service

Analog TV signals to be interrupted in `soft test’

The sky is failing; GAO warns GPS satellite program needs funding and leadership (ZDNet Blogs)

6-Foot Lizards Invading Military Runway in Florida (NationalGeographic)