Digital Government

Hill worries PASS ID bill would weaken security of driver's licenses

Legislation would provide states more flexibility than the controversial REAL ID law by allowing state's to create processes to check personal documents.

Cybersecurity

GSA to launch online storefront for cloud computing services

Site will be modeled after commercial online businesses such as Amazon.com to speed IT purchases, federal CIO Vivek Kundra says.

Digital Government

State medical records laws complicate White House plans

Healthcare providers spend billions of dollars to maintain and store paper records.

People

Get a Life: Good news

Even in hard times, there are flashes of good news from government and business, writes blogger Judy Welles.

Cybersecurity

GSA SmartBuy contracts awarded

Program will make cybersecurity software available to agencies.

Modernization

DOD: Can virtualization make security more manageable?

Virtualization technology may be used to deal with the Defense Department's network security problems.

Digital Government

Agencies Demand IT Workers

USAJobs has compiled a <a href="http://www.usajobs.gov/infocenter/topOccupations.asp">list</a> of the 50 most in-demand jobs at federal agencies over the past four weeks, and it should come as no surprise that information technology positions were some of the most popular.

Digital Government

VA's Flexibility Over GI Bill Choices

This month I cautioned veterans to <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2009/07/vets_choose_your_gi_bill_caref.php>carefully weigh benefits</a> available under the new <a href=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h2642enr.txt.pdf>post 9/11 GI bill</a> and the older <a href=http://www.mygibill.org/federalbenefits/montgomerygibill>Montgomery GI bill</a>, even though the package of benefits under the new bill, in most cases, provides a better financial deal than the old one.

Ideas

Feds Want Their Firefox

Top government executives -- even the very top, politically appointed execs -- need to understand that federal employees have some strong opinions about the technology they use in their jobs. That was evident at a town-hall event Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held for the department's employees.

Ideas

Hold on Groves Explained

After weeks of speculation, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has finally revealed his reasons for placing a hold on the nomination of Robert Groves to be Census Bureau Director. Vitter was one of the only votes against a procedural motion yesterday that resulted in a voice vote on Groves' nomination, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hXx_Z-rGJjGfdC5MFYs7vCq4fQzwD99DRK2O6">which was confirmed</a>.

Digital Government

Evaluating the 3Rs

Officers Council to establish a work group to develop recommendations for improving the administration and oversight of the 3Rs -- recruitment, retention and relocation incentives. The work group will responsible developing approaches for measuring the cost-benefit of the 3Rs program to the government, after which the work group with evaluate what the impact would be on recruitment and retention efforts if agencies were to scale back their funding of the 3Rs.

Digital Government

Improving Work-Life Balance

Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry met with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, General Services Administration Acting Administrator Paul Prouty and officials from the Federal Reserve Board to discuss ways to create a model federal work-life program that improves the wellness, morale and productivity of federal employees, OPM said on Tuesday.

Modernization

GAO: Better management needed for e-health project

The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments are making progress on electronic health records interoperability, but the project's management needs to be improved, the Government Accountability Office said.

Acquisition

Audit agency reaffirms earlier ruling against HUBZone preference

SBA and OMB contended GAO overreached its authority in ruling that HUBZone businesses should get priority over 8(a) small businesses and service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity: Senate bill would make international cooperation a priority

A new Senate bill would ask the secretary of state to work for international collaboration to improve cybersecurity.