Dissatisfied with OPM’s data, Republicans ask individual agencies for telework details

With many agencies’ return-to-office plans still uncertain, Republicans on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee want to take matters into their own hands. GOP committee leaders changed their strategy for trying to get more federal telework data, now reaching out directly to agency heads. In a series of 25 letters, the lawmakers asked for up-to-date  numbers of teleworking federal employees, after saying the Biden administration was “not adequately tracking the specific levels of telework.” The Biden administration “has not provided current data about the specific amount of telework occurring within…

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After four year delay, agencies to get 21st Century IDEA Act guidance this summer

First, there as the pandemic. Then, there was the change in administration. At the same time, there were several high profile cyber threats to deal with. But the time has come to put the 21st Century IDEA Act, passed and signed into law in 2018, to the front of the priority list. The Office of Management and Budget finally is ready to issue implementation guidance for the nearly four-plus-year-old law. Federal Chief Information Officer Clare Martorana said yesterday the new guidance will hopefully come out this summer, following a similar…

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Congressmen want to know what agencies are doing to ensure clean water across America

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. Two House Democrats are asking questions about agency efforts to ensure clean and safe drinking water across the country. Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said the Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency are crucial to overseeing water and wastewater utilities. Now, they’re asking for a Government Accountability Office review of how DHS and EPA prioritize funding for utilities that are…

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OPM clarifies how agencies can help feds apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver by Oct. 31 deadline

With a fast-approaching deadline to apply for a Public Service Loan Forgiveness limited-time waiver, the Office of Personnel Management said agencies should help federal employees with their applications. If they have the documentation available, agencies can certify a current employee’s entire work history, including that individual’s time working previously at other agencies. “The federal employee should present a separate PSLF form for each federal agency and period of employment for which they are seeking certification and the agency official should certify each form as appropriate,” OPM wrote in an Oct.…

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Two agencies point the finger when it comes to keeping track of tech spending

<p><em>To listen to the Federal Newscast on your phone or mobile device, subscribe in <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-newstalk?showAllEpisodes=true”>PodcastOne</a> or <a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-newscast/id1053077930?mt=2″>Apple Podcasts</a>. The best listening experience on desktop can be found using Chrome, Firefox or Safari.</em></p> <ul> <li>A bill requiring federal agencies to come up with a plan to recycle their electric vehicle batteries moves ahead in Congress. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approves the <a href=”https://www.romney.senate.gov/romney-joins-colleagues-in-introducing-bipartisan-bill-to-ensure-appropriate-use-and-recycling-of-federal-electric-vehicle-batteries/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Strategic EV Management Act</a>. The bill requires the General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget to come up with a plan…

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