Tag: Bill

Lawmakers closing ranks on a bipartisan bill to fix VA’s troubled EHR rollout

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House and Senate lawmakers from both parties agree the Department of Veterans Affairs’ rollout of a new Electronic Health Record is falling short of expectations. Top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate VA committees introduced several EHR reform bills over the past few months. But with the VA back at the bargaining table with Oracle-Cerner, seeking a tougher contract, lawmakers are starting to close ranks on which bill has the best chance of making it through Congress. House VA Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said he’s working…

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Democrats revive anti-Schedule F bill, with a few tweaks and a new name

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Congressional Democrats renewed their push to prevent any future version of the Trump administration’s Schedule F executive order. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced the Saving the Civil Service Act on Tuesday. The legislation aims to block presidential administrations from ordering agencies to reclassify federal positions outside merit system principles, unless given Congressional approval. “Our federal employees should be loyal to constituents, they should be loyal to serving American citizens,” Kaine said in an interview with Federal News Network. “They shouldn’t be looking over their shoulder and feel like their livelihood…

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This bipartisan bill would give the GSA new cybersecurity responsibility

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A bill before the House would create a new cadre of people to help the government in case of a serious cyber attack. The National Digital Reserve Corps would be managed by the General Services Administration. To learn more about the Corps, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales. Interview transcript: Tony Gonzales First off, I am a retired Navy Master Chief. I spent 20 years and in the Navy as a naval cryptologist, with a top secret SCI clearance. I spent five years in…

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Democrats reintroduce bill to give feds 8.7% average pay raise next year

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A bicameral pair of Democrats proposed a bill to give federal employees a pay raise in 2024, in what has become an annual tradition in recent years. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) reintroduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act in the House and Senate, respectively, to give most civilian employees an 8.7% average pay raise next year. Specifically, the bill includes a 4.7% across-the-board base pay raise, plus a 4% average locality pay increase. The legislation also includes a 4.7% raise for prevailing rate…

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The more industry peels open the omnibus bill, the stranger it looks

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Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. The omnibus budget package is a lot more than a bill to fund government operations. Congress stuffed its five thousand pages with tax and business provisions. Some have real impact. For what federal contractors have discovered so far, the Federal Drive turned to the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Interview transcript: Tom Temin And you and the council and your member companies have several themes…

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