Friday Morning Federal Newscast

Written by Jane Norris & Ruben Gomez
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

Come September 8th, many federal contractors will need to use E-Verify to confirm their employees can work in the U.S. A federal court has upheld a rule that will require companies to use the system if their contracts are worth more than $100-thousand dollars. E-Verify is a Web based system that employers can use to check personal information against government records. Business groups had filed suit, claiming the rule broke the law.

John Gage will keep his leadership post at the American Federation of Government Employees. The labor union has re-elected him for a third term as president. Gage says the union will focus on next year’s congressional elections. AFGE, representing 600,000 workers, is the largest union representing federal and DC government employees.

It will cost $40 million dollars over the next five years to overhaul the way Federal Government hires people. The 2009 Federal Hiring Process Improvement Act would eliminate lengthy essays known as KSA’s and it simplify the online job application process. It will also give agencies a deadline for filling vacancies and require that Congress receive a workforce development plan. As the bill moves through Congress, GovExec reports the Office of Personnel Management plans to implement some of the provisions through their own administrative action.

Big bucks to keep contracting officers in the Air Force. GovExec reports the Air Force recently approved funding for a sizable bonus program aimed at keeping contracting officers from leaving service for more lucrative jobs in the private sector. The $20,000 bonuses, paid annually for four years, are being offered to commissioned officers with six to 14 years of experience.

The federal agency that guarantees your bank deposits hits its lowest point in nearly two decades. Bank failures slashed 20-percent from FDIC’s insurance fund in the second quarter. Eight one banks have gone under this year, but the FDIC says it won’t need its own bailout — the fund still has $10.4 billion dollars.

The FCC takes collaboration the way of MySpace and Facebook. That agency has launched an internal social network to help its workers solve problems. The site is called Reboot.fcc.gov. Government Executive reports the site has formed online working groups to address the agency’s challenges.

There are new restrictions on laptop searches at the border. Homeland Security issued a formal policy change that still allows Customs and Border Protection to search your computer without a warrant, but now a supervisor must be present. The agents can only keep the device if they have probable cause that it is connected to a crime. And the agency must ask attorneys if they want to view sensitive information like medical records. Digital rights groups say the changes don’t go far enough.

Americans tired of having their dinners interrupted by phone calls selling car warranties or vacation packages will soon get some relief. The Federal Trade Commission is banning many types of prerecorded telemarketing solicitations, known as robo calls. Consumers now join a do-not-call list to avoid them. Starting Sept. 1, telemarketers will first need written permission from the customer to make the calls. The ban won’t stop political calls, or calls from charities or debt collectors.

With $4 Billion to give away, the Telecom unit in Commerce received $28 Billion in requests to improve Broadband in the United States. According to NTIA 2200 applications were submitted by a wide range of broadband hopefuls, including state, local and tribal governments Non-profits and public safety groups. The program, ordered by Congress, will eventually hand out $7.2 billion. The stimulus funds are meant to connect rural areas of the country to high speed internet services.

CIA Director Leon Panetta said this week that the agency will provide legal representation for case officers who become caught up in investigations of alleged interrogation abuses of detainees at overseas locations, according a report in the Washington Post. Senior intelligence official are saying that Panetta will do everything he can to ensure that anyone who needs legal representation has it, whether they have liability insurance or not. The decision follows the appointment of a special prosecutor earlier this week to conduct a review of whether federal laws were violated during terrorist interrogations. When working on controversial assignments, many CIA officers take out personal liability insurance, which sometimes reimburses legal fees if they face lawsuits or criminal charges.

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