Feds | Voter.org

‘Telework is not one-size-fits-all’: Agencies defend hybrid work for feds in front of House lawmakers

December 3, 2023 Feds, hybrid, telework, onesizefitsall’, House, Lawmakers, work, front, Agencies, defend0 comment

Agency leaders are still adjusting their return-to-office plans after the Biden administration called for an increase to “meaningful” in-person work and cuts to telework for the federal workforce. The administration, in large part, has emphasized the importance of using data to measure productivity, engagement and other factors that telework affects, according to the initial return-to-office memo from the Office of Management and Budget in April. But left unsatisfied with the telework data available from agencies, lawmakers on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee pressed harder on a handful of federal…

Senate bill would improve death benefits for civilian feds

October 20, 2023 Civilian, Feds, improve, would, Senate, death, benefits, Bill0 comment

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) offered up a companion bill aiming to improve death benefits for civilian feds. The new legislation would offer 10 times the current benefit amounts for families of civilian workers who are killed on official duty. The bill would also offer more money to the families to cover funeral expenses. The goal of the bill is to bring benefits for civilian employees in line with what military members and Foreign Service employees already get. Sinema’s bill comes after the introduction of the bipartisan House version earlier this…

Here’s how many feds would stay on the job – both with and without pay – during an upcoming shutdown

September 26, 2023 both, shutdown, stay, Here's, Feds, would, upcoming, many, during, Without0 comment

If Congress fails to pass appropriations bills or a continuing resolution by the end of this week, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be furloughed. But based on agencies’ shutdown plans, they would actually be in the minority: roughly 65% of the overall federal civilian workforce would continue working through the shutdown, either with or without pay. A Federal News Network analysis of agencies’ publicly-available plans for appropriations lapses shows that out of a total workforce of just over 2.3 million, more than 1.5 million would be either “exempt”…

GOP resurrects effort to make some feds at-will employees, thus easier to fire

May 13, 2023 effort, Feds, Resurrects, ‘atwill’, thus, Easier, Some, Fire, employees0 comment

Republicans have renewed their push to try to make it easier for agencies to fire federal employees. GOP lawmakers in both the House and Senate reintroduced a bill to make feds at-will workers. Proponents of the Public Service Reform Act said it would make it easier to remove poor performers, and create more accountability and efficiency. It is an idea that former President Trump originally touted through a now-revoked executive order that created the Schedule F position classification. Republicans’ new bill would also abolish the Merit Systems Protection Board. Democrat…

More feds might soon be eligible for student-loan forgiveness

May 5, 2023 soon, Feds, eligible, Forgiveness, StudentLoan, more, might0 comment

More federal employees could see their student loans forgiven under a newly introduced bill. The bipartisan legislation would reduce eligibility requirements for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). Currently, borrowers must be employed in public service at the time of loan forgiveness. That means retired feds and those who have left public service, but who still made all the qualifying payments, are not currently eligible for the program. The PSLF Payment Completion Fairness Act would remove this requirement. The bill was introduced in both the House and Senate. (Public…

Who should staff the arsenal of democracy, feds or contractors?

April 7, 2023 Should, Democracy, staff, Contractors, Feds, arsenal0 comment

The war between Russia and Ukraine has provoked a debate here in the U.S. Who should rebuild the Defense Department supplies shipments to Ukraine have drawn down? Specifically, should it be expanded contracting with industry or a buildup of what’s known as the government’s organic industrial base? Or should the government enlist industry to make up the shortfall? The question in some ways forms a proxy for wider questions of who should do what. On the specific weapons question, though, DoD in reality is working on a variety of ways…