Ideas
RATB: Independent or an Agency?
Officials at the board overseeing stimulus spending and Recovery.gov have stressed to Nextgov that they are part of an independent body, not the White House. Ever since Congress established the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board last winter, officials have said they should not be described in print as White House officials or government agency officials.
Digital Government
Better reporting technology an unexpected byproduct of stimulus
Forced to invent ways to quickly track how they spend recovery funds, states might have stumbled on the future of information sharing among governments and contractors.
Cybersecurity
Senators stress cybersecurity as a top priority for OSTP nominee
Philip E. Coyle III, White House choice to be associate director for national security and international affairs, says he will focus on cyberdefense if confirmed.
Ideas
Mashups Finger Stimulus Fishiness
A federal mashup tool has generated tips for investigations into stimulus fraud and fingered ineligible people who are receiving funds, the independent watchdog overseeing stimulus spending told lawmakers on Thursday.
Digital Government
Medicare agency to post payment data on public Web site
Online tracker aimed at exposing wasteful spending, but sparks privacy concerns.
Ideas
Recovery.gov Won't Warn Users
The independent board overseeing Recovery.gov is rejecting calls for a disclaimer on the stimulus-tracking Web site to indicate that some job creation figures are inaccurate.
Digital Government
House looks to create database for Treasury to track bailout spending
The House as early as Tuesday afternoon will try to speed passage of a bill that would create a database for the Treasury Department to provide live updates on the distribution of bailout funds, according to aides to the Democratic leadership.
Digital Government
Senators concerned SSA can't manage increasing number of retirees
Social Security inspector general reports the agency's systems will no longer be able to manage the rising workload by 2012, three years before a new data center is completed.
Ideas
Social Media Rx for Drug Safety
An industry group representing pharmaceutical companies is proposing that the Food and Drug Administration require a FDA-certified emblem - akin to a Good Housekeeping seal - on Web content that contains medication information.
Digital Government
FDA mulls regulating online claims, discussions about pharmaceuticals
Drug manufacturers and health care professionals attend a two-day hearing to discuss responsibility for reducing misinformation on the Internet.
Digital Government
Will the White House give CIOs more power in the 2011 budget?
Some see language in fiscal 2010 spending bills as a signal that the Obama administration will grant IT chiefs more spending authority, while others say wait and see.
Digital Government
Stimulus ties spending on broadband to civic participation
Law requires a plan for providing high-speed Internet access to all Americans as part of Obama's push to increase public involvement in government.
Ideas
FDA on Pharma Ads 2.0
This week the Food and Drug Administration is holding <a href="http://www.fda.gov/aboutfda/centersoffices/cder/ucm184250.htm">hearings</a> on the promotional use of social media by the pharmaceutical industry. Consumers, advertisers and the health care industry are anxious to know how FDA will advise drug companies on harnessing the viral power of social networking while protecting consumers from bogus medical advice.
Ideas
(Mail)Man Vs. Machine
Federal auditors on Thursday reported that workforce costs at the U.S. Postal Service decreased only slightly this year, despite automation at USPS.
Emerging Tech
Old mainframes hinder Social Security's move to online services
Agency should transfer data from aging mainframe databases so new Web applications under development can easily tap into the data for the public.
Digital Government
Open government conference sponsor takes flak over its software
Transparency advocates say Adobe's popular document imaging software doesn't allow for manipulation or mashup of data, but company officials call it a 'false choice.'
Digital Government
White House's online contests for feds have roots in Virginia
The commonwealth asked employees for ideas to streamline government and used the Web to post metrics for how public services are performing.
Digital Government
More detailed stimulus reports could end up creating more jobs
The new data, which showed 650,000 jobs created and status of projects, could support a budding industry that sells recovery-compliance tools.
Ideas