NEWS: March 9, 2016
The Presidency | The Nation
Congress OKs Bill to Smooth
Presidential Transition Process
The Senate gave final approval to legislation aimed at smoothing the presidential transition process by directing federal agencies to begin high-level preparations six months before the November election. The bill also lengthens the amount of time for which transition services can be provided by agencies to 180 days after the inauguration. Previously, such services were limited to 30 days.
>> New York Times
Federal Agencies Already Prepping for Transition
Preparing for the upcoming presidential transition, the Office of Government Ethics is adding training programs and ethics officers to vet and process applications for new political appointees, and transition leaders from at least 40 agencies are meeting.
>> Federal News Radio
Tax Administration/Cybersecurity | The Nation
6 of 13 Free Tax-Filing Sites Fail Cyber Tests
Nearly half of the companies approved by the Internal Revenue Service to provide free online tax filing received a failing grade from a cybersecurity watchdog organization. The Online Trust Alliance said six Of the 13 free e-file services failed a cybersecurity "audit" based on the IRS's revised 2010 security and privacy standards.
>> Federal News Radio
IRS Says Identity Thieves Have Stolen Post-Hack PINS
After last year's massive breach at the IRS, the agency gave secret "Identity Protection PINs" to the taxpayers whose personal information had been compromised. Now the IRS says identity thieves have stolen at least 800 of those PINs and it has taken that service offline.
>> Nextgov
Public Safety | Burns, Ore.
Investigators: Fatal Shooting
of Refuge Occupier Was Justified
The fatal shooting of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupier Robert "LaVoy" Finicum by two Oregon State troopers on Jan. 26 was justified, according to county and federal investigators. But authorities said they are investigating an FBI agent suspected of lying about firing twice at Finicum and that the agent may have gotten help from four other FBI agents in covering up afterward.
>> Salem Statesman-Journal, The Oregonian
White NYC Cop Who Killed Black Teen Won't Be Prosecuted
A family's quest to hold a white New York City police officer criminally accountable for the fatal shooting an unarmed black teenager in his Bronx home ended on Tuesday when federal prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges.
>> New York Times
The Military | The Nation
Union Balks at Pentagon Plan to Roll Out
New Performance-Rating System for Civilians
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 270,000 Defense Department civilian workers, is balking at the Pentagon's plan to begin implementing a new performance-rating system for its civilian employees on April 1, saying the schedule creates a "lopsided" and "unresponsive" test pool.
>> Government Executive
Personnel Leaders: New Retirement System a Worry
The uniformed personnel leaders of the military services told Congress that they have concerns with the new retirement system lawmakers enacted just a few months ago, worrying that the "blended retirement" system would adversely impact enlisted personnel.
>> Federal News Radio
Education | Columbia, Mo.
AAUP Investigating Melissa Click Firing
The American Association of University Professors is launching an investigation into the firing of Melissa Click, the University of Missouri-Columbia assistant communications professor caught on video calling for "muscle" to block a student journalist at a campus protest. Click, who is appealing her firing, is claiming that it was punishment for standing "with students who have drawn attention to the issue of overt racism."
>> Kansas City Star, Chronicle of Higher Education
New Montgomery County Schools Chief to Be Paid $275,000
Montgomery County, Md.'s new superintendent of schools, Jack R. Smith, will be paid a starting salary of $275,000, get 25 days of annual leave and receive perks including the use of a vehicle under a contract approved by the County Board of Education.
>> Washington Post
Transportation | The Nation
Feds May Mandate Apnea Tests for
Bus Drivers, Truckers, Railroaders
Bus drivers, truckers and railroad workers could be required to be tested for obstructive sleep apnea under a federal proposal. Pilots already are tested for the disorder, which disrupts normal sleep and contributes to drowsiness during the day. Two years ago, a Metro-North commuter rail engineer dozed off, resulting in a derailment in the Bronx that killed four people and injured 60.
>> Washington Post
Judge Greenlights Planning for California Bullet Train
A Sacramento judge removed a major hurdle to California's $64 billion high-speed rail system, ruling it does not violate promises made to voters and that planning and financing can proceed.
>> AP/San Francisco Chronicle
Ethics | Colorado
Lawmakers Eye Beefing Up Ethics Commission
The legislature is considering giving more staffing, clearer rules and more teeth to the state's Independent Ethics Commission, which has just one staff person and no prosecutors. A new state audit faulted the commission for poorly communicating which public officials it can hear complaints about and the narrow punishment it can hand out.
>> Denver Post
Public-Relations Firms Sue New York State Ethics Panel
A group of prominent public-relations firms filed a federal suit against New York State's top ethics panel to stop it from requiring disclosure of efforts to get editorial columns written for causes.
>> New York Times
Infrastructure | The Nation
Fitch: $275 Billion Tab for Lead Pipes Was Wrong
Fitch Ratings, which had estimated that the cost of replacing more than 6 million lead water-service lines across the country "could exceed $275 billion," corrected that figure. The credit-rating company said that the amount would be "a few billion to $50 billion."
>> Detroit Free Press
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QUOTABLE
“If this is a wake-up call for all other towns and cities
and other municipal areas, thank God.”
Joel Barajas, the only council member not facing a federal criminal charge in Crystal City, Texas, where the FBI alleges that officials governing the municipality, including the city manager, conspired to help one another take bribes from those wanting to do business with the town, which has dozens of vacant, boarded-up homes and businesses and where in recent weeks the water from some residents' faucets gushed out black
>> Washington Post | More quotes
VIEWPOINT
Governing | Jonathan Turley
The Ingredients of a Revolution
America is fuming. In Super Tuesday exit polls, as many as 95 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats said they were "angry" or "dissatisfied" with the federal government. I've heard the same when speaking to audiences across the country. Conservatives and liberals alike talk about their frustrations with a dysfunctional political system that is unresponsive to their needs and disconnected from their lives. Voters say they want a revolution. But that's going to take more than electing personalities who channel our angry politics. If we want real change, we need to look at fundamental reforms to all three branches of our government.
>> Washington Post | More commentaries
DATAPOINT
$1,045,088
Total compensation paid by the nonprofit association that runs the Los Angeles County Fair to its top executive, James Henwood Jr., in 2014, according to newly obtained records, with 2014 marking the fifth straight year the organization reported financial losses and Henwood's pay drawing criticism from state and county officials who last fall ordered audits of the association
>> Los Angeles Times | More data
UPCOMING EVENTS
Coming soon:
ASPA's Annual Conference
The most comprehensive public-administration event of the year is just around the corner: March 18-22, 2016, in Seattle. The conference theme is "New Traditions in Public Administration," and its sessions will offer an array of educational options -- panels, workshops, round tables -- along with hundreds of public-service experts for learning and networking. For more information and registration, click here. |
Heritage Foundation
Book event: "A Brief History of the Cold War"
Today, noon-1 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
Partnership for Public Service
Excellence in Government Fellows Application Webinar
Today, 1 p.m. ET
American Enterprise Institute
Conference: "The Southern Manifesto at 60: Tales from the Past, Lessons for the Future"
Today, 2-7:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
Association of Government Accountants
Webinar: "Grants"
Today, 2 p.m. ET
Governing
Webinar: "Bridging the Gaps in the HHS Network of Care"
Today, 2 p.m. ET
Partnership for Public Service
Webinar: "Quick Hiring: Exploring Speed and Surge Hiring Options"
Today, 2 p.m. ET
National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers
Education Support Professionals Conference
March 11-13, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
American Public Transportation Association
Legislative Conference
March 13-15, Washington, D.C.
Federal Managers Association
National Convention and Management Training Seminar
March 13-16, Alexandria, Va.
Public Technology Institute
Smart Cities and Counties Summit
March 13-15, Denver
Center for Digital Government and Government Technology
Beyond the Beltway Conference: "Tech Trends in the States and Localities"
March 14, Tysons Corner, Va.
>> Full events listings
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