No Sequester Cut Coming This Year
Agencies won’t be ordered to cut spending this fiscal year as happened last year when sequestration of $85 billion set …More
Fedweek
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersDebt Limit Also a Non-Factor for a Year
In another possible portent of a less contentious budgetary year, Congress dealt with the most recent debt ceiling problem with …More
DoD Issues Workplace Violence Policy
DoD recently issued a memo stating that “violence, threats, harassment, intimidation, and other disruptive behavior will not be tolerated” in …More
More Localities Likely Ahead
One issue that will arise in this year’s deliberations over a pay raise will be the potential creation of 12 …More
Phased Retirement Rules Still Pending
Another issue requiring a rules-making process—whose duration seems to be irritating growing numbers of federal employees—is phased retirement. A law …More
Postal Bill Would Affect Key Benefits
A postal reform bill cleared by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee would, if enacted, have wide-ranging impacts …More
Impact Would Extend Beyond USPS
Removing postal employees and retirees from the FEHB risk and premium pool would have unknown effects on the remainder of …More
Budgetary Maneuvers Continue
The TSP’s government securities G fund again has been “disinvested” as a short-term measure to provide operating funds to the …More
Travel, Conference Policy Restrictions Reviewed
An OMB official recently testified regarding the restrictions on travel and conference spending imposed recently due to budgetary restrictions and …More
Awards Returning at Some Agencies
Several agencies have reinstated employee performance awards in light of the recently relaxed budgetary restrictions, a trend that others might …More
Agencies Still Feeling Pinch, Though
Agencies took a number of cost-saving steps due to sequestration other than clamping down on awards, and many of them …More
Messages Can Run Afoul of Hatch Act
In what serves as an election year warning, the Office of Special Counsel has emphasized that communications through social media …More
GAO Examines Workforce Trends
Three large agencies—DoD, VA and DHS—accounted for more than nine-tenths of the growth in the federal workforce over 2004-2012, a …More
Compensation Trends also Cited
GAO said that total government-wide compensation for each full-time equivalent position grew by an average of 1.2 percent per year, …More
OPM Clarifies Pay Cap Issue
OPM has sent a memo to agencies clarifying the impact of language in the recently enacted budget measure for the …More
TSP Tees off New Year, Needs Mulligan
The three stock-oriented TSP funds suffered substantial drops in January, dragging the lifecycle L funds down with them, while the …More
G Fund Could Be Tapped Again
As has happened frequently in recent years, the government is about to hit its debt ceiling with no agreement in …More
Memo Addresses Employee Financial Problems
President Obama’s memo of last week specifying that federal agencies may not decide not to hire an applicant on grounds …More
Panel Still Working on Postal Reform
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee plans to try again this week to move a postal reform bill …More
Budget Proposal Put Off
The White House has put off until March 4the release its annual budget proposal, which under normal practices would have …More
Debt Ceiling Issue Arising Sooner
One big budgetary testing point will arrive ahead of the budget proposal. An agreement of last fall suspended the federal …More
Congress Trying Again on Postal Reform
A Senate panel is trying again to move forward with proposed reforms of the Postal Service, an effort that was …More
Injury Comp Reforms Would Apply Government-wide
One provision of the revised postal reform bill that would apply government-wide would tighten policies for injury compensation benefits under …More
Retirement Processing Safe from OPM RIF
OPM has said that retirement processing will not be affected by the announced RIF in its division that provides employment …More
Overtime Policies May Change
A revision to “administratively uncontrollable overtime” policy at DHS may be only the first step in larger reforms not only …More
MSPB Examines Perception, Reality of Favoritism
MSPB recently reported on real and perceived favoritism in the federal workplace, finding that “many employees remain unconvinced that theyare …More
Budget Relieves Some Pressure, but Not All
President Obama has signed into law a budget measure carrying the government through September, a measure that guarantees no government …More
Check Those Pay Statements
This is a good point of the year for federal employees to take a close look at their pay and …More
Also Examine TSP Investments
This also is a good time to examine investments in the TSP. The maximum dollar limits haven’t changed from 2013—the …More
Special Considerations Apply in FERS
Employees under the FERS system especially might need to doublecheck that their investment rates are structured to their best benefit. …More
