Transportation Department creates advisory committee on automation

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

In today’s Top Federal Headlines, the Transportation Department has a new council made of industry experts to provide guidance on self-driving cars.

• To help foster in automated vehicles, the Transportation Department has established a new advisory committee on automation, made up of industry experts. DoT head Anthony Foxx said the committee will work to advance life-saving innovations while improving the transportation network. Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti are the Co-chairs. Its first meeting is next Monday, Jan. 16. (Department of Transportation)

• Praise for President-elect Trump’s selection to run the Veterans Affairs Department from a large VA employee union. American Federation of Government Employees President J. David Cox said Dr. David Shulkin is a strong choice to lead the agency. He said Shulkin understands “the answers to the VA’s most pressing issues can only be solved with frontline VA workers.”  (American Federation of Government Employees)

• The Navy stresses to President-elect Donald Trump, readiness needs to be its top budget priority. Vice Chief Naval Officer Willian Moran said the first extra dollar the Navy gets needs to go to ship maintenance. After the election, Trump said he’d like to grow the Navy from 274 ships to 305 ships. (Federal News Radio)

• The Defense Department’s chief information officer will retire from government service at the end of next month — but he said not to expect any major changes in DoD’s IT priorities. Terry Halvorsen is a career civil servant — not a political appointee — and he told reporters yesterday that he’s leaving because several decades of government service are enough. The office’s team of deputy CIOs — including the new principal deputy, John Zangardi, will remain in their current jobs. Zangardi is likely to be the acting CIO until and unless the new Defense secretary decides to replace him, but Halvorsen said the Trump administration’s transition team has indicated they think DoD’s priorities are on the right track, and that no one should expect any major changes on the IT policy front. (Federal News Radio)

• President-elect Trump’s plan to put his assets in a trust didn’t solve concerns about the Old Post Office hotel — at least not yet. The General Services Administration said it will seek additional information to describe the new organization. It will review this new structure and determine if it complies with all the terms and conditions of the 60-year, $180 million lease. (General Services Administration)

• An IRS watchdog wants the agency’s tax code for families to better reflect today’s households. The code update is one of the recommendations made by National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson in her 2016 Annual Report to Congress. The report also made recommendations on minimum standards for tax preparers, and engagement between the IRS and its customers. (IRS)

• A key Obama technology workforce initiative gets through one key hurdle on its way to becoming permanent. The Presidential Innovation Fellows program has a better chance of living on, not just into the Trump administration, but for the long term. The House passed the Tested Ability to Leverage Exceptional National Talent or TALENT Act of 2017 yesterday. OMB will continue to appoint technology experts to six-month to two-year terms. GSA will continue to run the program and identify potential projects that could use their expertise. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. (Congress.gov)

• The Office of Personnel Management has a new guide for managing employee misconduct and poor performers. OPM said misconceptions about the disciplinary process often prevent agencies from taking quick action on an issue. The guidance doesn’t detail any new or different procedures. But OPM said it’s a tool to help managers effectively lead their employees. (Chief Human Capital Officers Council)

• A House panel takes a new bite at an old apple. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee has introduced a bill to go after contractors and would-be federal employees behind on their taxes. The bill would render seriously delinquent people ineligible for federal employment and way-behind organizations ineligible for federal contracts or grants. Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) cited data showing 100,000 federal employees and 64,000 companies who in total owe the Treasury Department $8 billion. (House Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

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