Federal Drive

Thursday Morning Federal Newsstand

Written by Ruben Gomez and Tom Temin Edited by Suzanne Kubota This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED: Procurement Officers, listen up: The White Hou...

Federal News Network Staff

July 30, 2009 8:13 am

3 min read

Written by Ruben Gomez and Tom Temin
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

Procurement Officers, listen up: The White House has ordered you to save money on contract spending. The directives from the Office of Management and Budget calls on you to trim 7 percent over the next two fiscal years. The move is part of President Obama’s goal to cut contract spending by $40-billion dollars per year.

If you’re in human resources at an agency, a Senate panel has moved to make your job easier. Lawmakers have approved a bill that would remove essays on knowledge, skills and abilities from job applications, according to GovExec. The measure would also force you to cut jargon from job postings, set up a workforce plan and measure the success of hiring reform. The bill is called the 2009 Federal Federal Hiring Process Improvement Act, and now goes to the full Senate for a vote.

Denise Jones is $5,000 richer this morning for her work to make sure your agency pays for repairs at fair reasonable prices. Jones is a contract specialist at the the Defense Contract Management Agency. She’s garnered GSA’s Ida Ustad award for acquisition excellence. The award recognizes government contract workers who’ve had a major impact on improving the acquisition process.

After spending $3.2 billion to get it up in the air, VH-71 presidential helicopter program may be finally running out of steam. Congress Daily reports the White House threatened on Tuesday to veto the fiscal 2010 Defense Appropriations bill if it includes any more funding for the program. The House Appropriations Committee slipped $485 million into the bill to get five partially completed helicopters up and running.

Rich taxpayers are flocking to the IRS with requests to come clean for past tax evasion. This comes as as the government is cracking down on undeclared income from overseas accounts. Wall Street Journal reports 400 people applied just last week, using a streamlined, three-page form. The voluntary disclosure program closes September 23. It offers the possibility of civil charges, which can carry lower penalties than criminal charges, if you volunteer details of tax evasion.

A new national driver’s license could be coming soon. A Senate panel approved legislation to establish federal security standards for driver’s licenses and ID cards. The new program, called PASS ID program, would give states until 2016 to issue driver’s licenses that meet federal standards by 2016. Lawmakers want to replace the 2005 REAL ID law, which federal and state officials have said is unworkable.

One Congressman wants to outlaw file-sharing software from all government and contractor computers to prevent inadvertent leaks of sensitive information, reports NextGov. The software, such as limewire, is used by many consumers to exchange music and video clips. Rep. Edolphus Towns, chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee vows to introduce legislation to keep the software out of the government, worried it can open hard drive folders containing sensitive or private information.

If you are thinking of boarding the bus for getaway, you might want to do some research first. Hundreds of tractor-trailer and bus companies told by federal authorities to shut down because of federal safety violations are still operating. They just changed company names. The violations include driving under suspended licenses and illegal drug use. A new Government Accountability Office report comes a year after a charter bus blew a retreaded tire, skidded off a Texas highway and killed 17 people.

Other Stories We’re Following

Committee okays expanded whistleblower protections

Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak (CNN)

DOE makes available energy loan subsidies

Diplomat gets one year in visa bribery scheme

Navy: Almost finished repairing grounded ship

Lockheed Martin wins $821M contract (Washington Business Journal)

Canceled Flight Diverts Defense Contractor to Nightmare Prison (AllGov)

TSA Plunders Boy’s Disney Toys (NBCMiami)

At a Border Crossing, Security Trumps Openness (NYTimes)