| View the latest edition as a Web page | Previous editions/search | Subscribe to this newsletter | Advertising information |
 |
 |
| NEWS: Oct. 3, 2016 Public Workforce | The Nation GAO: 'Burrowing' Is Rare But Poorly Managed Federal agencies converted just 69 of their political appointees into career employees over the last five years, though one-quarter of those conversions were completed without proper oversight, according to a new Government Accountability Office audit covering 32 agencies. Seventeen of those who "burrowed in" did not receive approval from the Office of Personnel Management as required by law, GAO found. >> Government Executive Background-Check Contractor Linked to OPM Hacks The login credentials of KeyPoint Government Solutions, one of the companies hired by the new National Background Investigations Bureau to do security-clearance investigations, were used in the 2014 OPM computer breaches that looted the personal data of 22 million current and former federal employees, federal officials said. >> Reuters Higher Education | California Community-College Adjuncts Get Bargaining Rights California is set to guarantee collective-bargaining rights for adjunct faculty at community colleges with a new state law that supporters say is the first of its kind in the nation. The law mandates that the state's community-college districts come to the negotiating table with part-time instructors to discuss reemployment and termination rules. >> Sacramento Bee The Presidency | The Nation Transition Alums Laud Improved Process The presidential transition process is off to an unprecedentedly good start, according to two veterans of past White House changeovers, who said the Trump and Clinton transition teams are benefiting from three recent laws, new federal funding and a longer timeframe. >> Government Executive
State's Chief Justice Suspended over Same-Sex-Marriage Defiance The Alabama Court of the Judiciary unanimously suspended Chief Justice Roy Moore from the state Supreme Court for the remainder of his term--the second time Moore has been removed from the bench--for telling Alabama's 68 probate judges that they had a "ministerial duty" to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in defiance of federal orders. >> AL.com, Montgomery Advertiser Former White House Protocol Chief Dies Joseph Verner Reed Jr., a U.N. undersecretary-general who was a former ambassador to Morocco and served as White House chief of protocol under President George H.W. Bush, died at the age of 78. >> Washington Post Voting | The Nation DHS Official: Hackers Have Targeted Election Systems in More than 20 States Hackers have targeted the voter-registration systems of more than 20 states in recent months, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Department official. DHS has stepped up its voting security outreach to states and localities, and so far 21 states have expressed interest in a general "cyber hygiene" scan of key websites. >> AP/Yahoo News Court Orders Kansas AG Not to Require Citizenship Proof A federal appeals court upheld a lower-court judge's order blocking Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach from requiring residents to show proof of citizenship to register to vote at DMV offices. >> Wichita Eagle
Bankrupt Retailer that Targeted Troops Settles Case for $96 Million USA Discounters, a retailer accused of targeting service members with high-cost loans and predatory practices, will provide nearly $96 million in forgiven debt and restitution for thousands of customers under a 49-state settlement. The company, which also did business as USA Living and Fletcher's Jewelers, closed its stores in 2015 and later declared bankruptcy. >> Military Times Senate Confirms New Leader for Strategic Command The Senate confirmed Air Force Gen. John Hyten's nomination by the Obama administration to take over Strategic Command, which oversees the Pentagon's nuclear, space and cyber elements. >> Federal Computer Week Public Finance | Illinois Citing Budget and Pension Woes, S&P Cuts State's Credit Rating S&P Global Ratings dropped Illinois' credit rating one notch, to the low-investment-grade BBB, and warned that the state could fall further in the absence of a long-term solution that deals with its chronic structural budget deficit and public-pension underfunding. >> Reuters Deal Will Raise New Jersey Gas Tax by 23 Cents a Gallon New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie, and Democratic legislative leaders reached a deal for transportation funding that will raise the state's gasoline tax by 23 cents a gallon, ending a summer-long standoff and statewide construction freeze. >> NJ.com >> Follow GovManagement on Twitter >> Share this edition:
|
Space Travel | Mark Kelly Why America Needs Private Space Explorers Last week, SpaceX founder Elon Musk laid out his company's plans to land humans on Mars within a decade. His ultimate goal is to establish a self-sustaining city of 1 million people on the planet. As a former NASA astronaut and ardent defender of the public agency, I'm rooting for SpaceX and other private space explorers wholeheartedly. America's economic and technological preeminence--and maybe even the fate of humanity--depend on continued space exploration. And since the federal commitment to exploration has atrophied, we'll need the help of private firms to reach the Red Planet and beyond. >> USA Today | More commentaries DATAPOINT 11.3% Percentage of borrowers of federal student loans from public colleges and universities who defaulted on their loans within three years of beginning payment, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education, a decline from 11.7 percent the previous year, with the overall student-loan default rate for both public and private institutions dropping for the third year in a row >> Chronicle of Higher Education | More data
“Don't you think a man who has this kind of economic genius is a lot better for the United States than a woman?” Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, praising Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on ABC's "Meet The Press" following the New York Times' revelation that a $916 million loss reported on Trump's 1995 income-tax returns could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years >> The Hill | More quotes UPCOMING EVENTS
American Enterprise Institute Conversation with Dan Pallotta: "Unlocking the Potential of Nonprofits" Oct. 4, 9-10 a.m., noon-1 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. Partnership for Public Service Center for Presidential Transition Discussion: "The Business of Transition" Oct. 5, 10-11:30 a.m., Washington, D.C. National Association of State Chief Administrators Annual Institute on Management and Leadership Oct. 5-7, Olympia, Wash. Center for American Progress Discussion: "The United States and Japan: the Cornerstones of the Pacific" Oct. 5, 10-11:30 a.m. ET, Washington, D.C. >> Full events listings |
