The Office of Personnel Management has buried the hatchet with Hewitt Associates over a faulty retirement calculator, according to a statement Hewitt released earlier today: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Hewitt have settled their dispute related to the implementation of the RetireEZ program. OPM has rescinded its October 16, 2008 termination of the contract for default and the contract has now been terminated by mutual agreement. We’re happy this matter has been resolved and we believe both parties are pleased with the outcome. We look forward to continuing to deliver outsourced retirement solutions for our current and future…
Monthly Archives: February, 2009
The recent peanut butter recall — products from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) were contaminated with salmonella — makes a strong case for completely overhauling our food safety system. First, I think it underscores the need to merge FDA’s food safety functions with those of the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service — in other words, creating a single food regulator. Why? We’ve learned that USDA bought peanuts from PCA and used them for school lunch programs. In fact, it was one of the company’s two biggest customers. And it regularly sent inspectors to review records at PCA’s processing facility. But so did the FDA, the agency…
A group of Republican and Democratic senators trimmed nearly $100 billion from the economic stimulus package over the last few days. Most economists say the cuts are a bad idea, because the smaller the stimulus bill, the less stimulative its effect on the economy. (Think of driving up an icy hill: If you’re not going fast enough, you slide back down.) Federal managers might not like the cuts, either: The revised Senate stimulus plan eliminates billions of dollars that were allocated for federal agencies. One of the biggest cuts will hurt the General Services Administration. The House stimulus bill gives…
President Barack Obama wants agencies to consider requiring contractors on large-scale federal construction projects to enter into collective bargaining agreements. In an executive order issued this afternoon, Obama said the White House would encourage agencies to require so-called project labor agreements for facility, highway or other construction projects totaling at least $25 million. The union contracts would establish work rights and labor dispute procedures for all employees working for a contractor or subcontractor on a specific construction project. Obama said such work rules would ensure big construction projects don’t get bogged down by disputes among various companies working on a single…
Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., has been named the new chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia. Lynch replaces Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., as chairman of the subcommittee, part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Rep. Jason, Chaffetz, R-Utah, has been named the subcommittee’s ranking member.
The Senate, in what feels like its 7,000 hour of voting on amendments to the stimulus bill, just approved requiring competitive bidding for federal contracts. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., passed 97-0 Friday afternoon, a monumental show of support from both Republicans and Democrats who have been concerned about oversight of the stimulus. The amendment to the Senate version of the bill will require “all contracts, grants and cooperative agreements awarded under this act to be competitively bid.” Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., said such an amendment is critical to ensuring money is responsibly spent. The temptation to…
Rep. Edolphus Towns, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman, is calling on the Treasury Department to implement accountability and transparency recommendations. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Thursday, Towns, D-N.Y., asked him to listen to the recommendations of Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Barofsky testified before the committee Wednesday, recommending that all TARP agreements include requirements that receipients of federal dollars must provide Barofsky and other oversight authorities information on how the money has been spent. He also urged creation of internal controls and clarifying compliance with TARP rules. He…
The White House is reportedly close to naming a new Office of Management and Budget E-government and Information Technology Administrator. Vivek Kundra, the chief technology officer of Washington, D.C., is expected to be nominated to replace Karen Evans, according to Federal News Radio.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee unexpectedly canceled Thursday’s confirmation vote for Labor secretary nominee Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Calif. The committee had been scheduled to vote on Solis at 2 p.m., but media and spectators arrived to find a committee staffer taping up signs saying that the hearing had been postponed indefinitely. Chairman Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and ranking member Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., issued a joint statement saying the hearing will be scheduled at at later date. Today’s executive session was postponed to allow members additional time to review the documentation submitted in support of Rep. Solis’ nomination to…
The Transportation Department is expected to handle about $43 billion in spending under the economic stimulus package working its way through Congress. To manage that spending, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced yesterday he has created a team to ensure the department is distributing funds rapidly, while also ensuring they’re monitored properly. The team will identify and prioritize highway, bridge, transit, rail, aviation and other transportation spending. It will also create standards to track the money, as well as measure performance and job creation. But we here at FedLine think the best part is the team’s name. It will be called…