Thursday federal headlines – March 10, 2016

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive.

• The Senate passed the Presidential Transitions Improvement Act. The bill requires presidential candidates to put together a transition team 6 months before Election Day. It also requires the General Service Administration to appoint a senior career executive to coordinate transition planning. Agencies will also appoint a senior career employee to oversee their planning. The bill now heads to President Barack Obama’s desk. (Congress)

• The Senate Commerce Committee introduced its version of a bill to authorize the Federal Aviation Administration. It lacks the controversial House proposal to privatize the air traffic control system. The  bill does fund the agency for another year, addresses drone safety issues, and adds airline safety and consumer protection language. (Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation)

• NASA set a new  date for a mission that was scheduled for this month. NASA hopes to launch a probe to study the deep interior of Mars some time after May 5, 2018. It’s scheduled for a Mars landing Nov. 26 of that year. The spacecraft had been on track to launch this month until a vacuum leak forced NASA to suspend preparations in December. The primary goal of the mission is to find out how rocky planets evolve.

• Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) is furious with the Army after finding out it continued a program it said it had ended. USA Today reports the Army misled Congress and taxpayers when it said it stopped a program that embedded social scientists with combat units in 2014. The Human Terrain System was wrought with time sheet fraud, racism and sexual harassment. It is unclear why the Army said the program was dead. (USA Today)

• The National Security Agency is trying a new rapid contracting office to bring new companies into its industrial base. Senior acquisition executive Jennifer Walsmith said the base struggles with the NSA’s need for innovation. NSA is also exploring new acquisition authorities and waivers to speed up buying technology while it’s new. (Federal News Radio)

• The Homeland Security Department said it will meet a cybersecurity deadline. Phyllis Schneck, deputy undersecretary of cybersecurity and communications, said her boss, Secretary Jeh Johnson, will certify the Automated Indicator Sharing initiative next week. Schneck likens AIS to a public cyber weather map. It lets government and companies see and share information about cyber threats. The indicator is sharing on a list of statutory goals to help companies secure their networks and systems. (Federal News Radio)

• The Office of Management and Budget is giving agencies a 2-month deadline to establish an acquisition innovation lab. OFPP Administrator Anne Rung and federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott issued a memo yesterday setting a May 2 deadline for agencies to set up these offices with a specific focus on IT projects. Additionally, OFPP, U.S. Digital Services, GSA’s 18F and Presidential Innovation Fellows are launching a pilot around digital acquisition. The new innovation lab’s goal is to help accelerate the development of digital acquisition capabilities within each agency. (Federal News Radio)

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