Why Park Police back a bill to modernize the Park Police

Promotions and other career advancements would come faster for members of the U.S. Park Police under a bill in Congress. The U.S. Park Police Modernization Act was introduced in October. It would bring Park Service personnel practices in line with those of other federal law enforcement agencies. One group supporting this legislation: The National Police Association. Spokesman Betsy Brantner Smith joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Interview transcript: Tom Temin And this bill, is it primarily about personnel practices at the park police or does it go beyond that?…

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Sen. Ernst bill would monitor federal employee computer use

Republican lawmakers are taking aim at where federal employees work, how well they work and what it takes to fire them. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) introduced or plan to introduce several bills that would impact federal employees in multiple ways. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced two bills focused on federal workers and telework. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File) Ernst, the chairwoman of the Senate’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus, would move at least 30% of all employees at the Small Business Administration out of Washington,…

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Compromise defense bill to give 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted troops

The House and Senate Armed Services committees’ compromise defense policy bill released late Saturday night could give junior enlisted service members a 14.5% pay raise next year — a historic pay bump for troops in the ranks of E-1 through E-4.  Under the 2025 defense policy bill, all service members will get a 4.5% pay raise, which will take effect at the beginning of the year. Junior enlisted troops will receive an additional 10% pay bump, which will start in April, according to the legislation. The 14.5% pay raise is…

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New bill calls for penalizing career federal workers for policy resistance

  A new bill in the House would penalize career federal employees who don’t follow directives from a presidential administration. The so-called STRAFE Act would require agencies to report any policy resistance from federal employees to the White House. The penalties for violations would be on par with the consequences for Hatch Act violations. Texas Republican August Pfluger, who introduced the bill, said it’s meant to combat what he described as employees’ “coordinated resistance” to policies during the former Trump administration. It’s the same phenomenon that former Trump officials have…

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Proposed 2% federal pay raise gets support in 2025 defense authorization bill

With both Senate and House lawmakers advancing legislation that aligns with President Joe Biden’s 2% federal pay raise request, civilian federal employees appear to be a step closer to a smaller pay bump for 2025. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act last week showed support for a 2% raise for DoD civilian workers and a 4.5% raise for military members. In a vote of 22-3 on June 13, committee lawmakers advanced the 2025 NDAA to the full Senate for consideration. The House…

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