Ideas

Facebook Suicide

You can bet your "[agency].gpv/ open Web page" (refer to bottom of page 2 in the Office of Management and Budget's <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_2010/m10-06.pdf">open government directive</a>) that agencies are going to employ social media tools.

Digital Government

OPM Beefs Up Training Programs

Alex Parker <a href="http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=44220&dcn=todaysnews">writes</a> at <em>Government Executive</em> that the Office of Personnel Management has issued final regulations that require agencies to improve and monitor their training programs for managers more strictly. The <a href="http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-29480.htm">rules</a>, issued Thursday in the <em>Federal Register</em>, require agencies to train managers within one year of their appointment to a supervisory position on mentoring and employee development, conducting performance appraisals and dealing with poor performers. The regulations also call on agencies to set up a management succession program that grooms employees to replace current managers, and to track at least annually their progress toward closing workforce talent gaps.

Digital Government

2% Pay Raise to Senate

The House on Thursday passed an omnibus spending package that includes a 2 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees. Rejecting President Obama's recommendation to freeze locality pay at 2009 rates, the House allocated 1.5 percent of the overall 2.0 percent raise to base pay and 0.5 percent to locality pay. The spending package now moves to the Senate, which will consider the bill over the weekend.

People

Sebelius outlines open government projects

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius seeks to make government more open by sponsoring a YouTube video contest and a Web site for CDC employees.

Cybersecurity

TWIC card reader tests need best practices, GAO says

GAO gave TSA a mixed review in its latest evaluation of the transportation worker ID card program.

Digital Government

Pulling an about-Facebook on privacy

By requiring that each of its 350 million users to set their own privacy settings -- and making the process easy to understand -- Facebook is trying to part of the solution.

Digital Government

Senator presses administration for improvements in stimulus data

The chairman of the Budget Committee's Task Force on Government Performance, pressed the Obama administration's top technology officials Thursday to ensure there will not be a repeat of the problems with the data posted during the first round of reporting on federal economic stimulus spending.

Modernization

Cloud computing could pave way for open government

Government Computer News

Cybersecurity

Managing Technology: Phantom Post

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Digital Government

Open government could present a challenge to intelligence agencies

Transparency advocates say recently released directive changes the circumstances driving the decisions to keep some information from being posted online.

Digital Government

Bill calls for evaluation of jamming prisoners' illegal cell phones

Prisoners use mobile phones to run drug rings, plan jail breaks, and intimidate judges and victims, but industry argues blocking signals could interfere with police radios.

Ideas

Transparency Bill Moves Onward

A House committee on Thursday passed legislation that would make it easier for citizens to download and search information on the finances of companies given government money. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee agreed to add the measure to a bill that is moving faster, S. 303, the 2009 Federal Financial Management Improvement Act.