Fedweek

Like the House bill, the Senate measure also would bar the IRS from paying awards to its employees—or rehiring former employees—unless past conduct and personal compliance with tax laws is taken into consideration. Both bills also would restrict funding for the GSA accounts that pay for new and renovated federal buildings, while the Senate measure further would grant agency IGs greater investigative powers, restrict money for OPM’s cybersecurity upgrade—in response to the theft of personal information on current and former federal employees and others—and keep in place a moratorium on “A-76” studies to consider federal jobs for possible conversion to contract. The House meanwhile has voted in favor of continuing that ban at DoD—where most of such studies traditionally were conducted—as an amendment to a defense spending bill, although the Senate in passing a separate defense bill has voted to lift it there.