FCW Insider: Sept. 17

Details on federal hiring changes expected this week

Draft guidelines will detail how agencies will remove college-degree requirements and emphasize skill assessments.

Shakeup at CMMC board

The independent board charged with implementing the Defense Department's unified cybersecurity standard has new leadership as it announces new milestone hit.

VA taps CARES Act funds for IT

The Veterans Benefits Administration at the Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to reprogram about $250 million in COVID-19 emergency funding to modernize its troubled education benefits system.

Quick Hits

*** The House of Representatives passed a bill to require more transparency in federal agencies' congressional budget justifications. The Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act of 2019, which passed by a vote of 402-1, would establish a searchable website for budget justifications across agencies that would be searchable and contained archived materials from past years. The bill also tasks the Office of Management and Budget with keeping a tally of budget justifications that are due and well as those that are submitted.

A Senate version sponsored by Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) is pending.

"This bipartisan legislation will help shine a light on government spending practices so that taxpayers can quickly and easily see how their money is being spent," Portman said in a statement. "I applaud the House for passing this important piece of legislation and urge the Senate to bring this legislation up for a vote soon."

*** The General Services Administration awarded a multiyear $9.9 million contract to Deloitte Consulting and Esper, Inc. to provide artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions to assist in regulatory review. The award was made via GSA's Centers of Excellence program.