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When the military dog Rex II came home to Fort Myer after serving in Afghanistan he was unable to be placed into a home right away because of behavioral issues. But two federal employees believed the dog had earned a second chance for helping to protect service members and save lives while overseas. So GSA’s Mid-Atlantic Area Property Officer Robert Kitsock worked with Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Property Disposal Technician Angela Sakyrd to help find him a home at the Panama City Beach Police Department. Read more about it on the GSA blog.

The General Services Administration wants input from contractors and businesses about how to build sustainability into procurements. From GSA: In the Federal Acquisition Service, we have been piloting the introduction of sustainability considerations into our procurements, particularly into the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative solutions. In addition to green product requirements, we’ve been looking at distribution networks, product takeback, and packaging reduction. Keeping in mind that more than 75% of our vendors are small businesses and that we want to be consistent with commercial practices, what else do you think we should be specifying to make a purchase “sustainable”?  Should we look at vendor…

It was a busy week. Congress finally passed a budget for fiscal 2014 that includes a slew of new provisions and changes in funding levels across the government. The NSA has been under fire for the collection of phone records, metadata and even text messages. The governor of New Jersey is under continuing investigation because of the closure of a bridge that snarled traffic for four days. So if you missed a few things that is certainly understandable. Which is why we have compiled a list of stories that are interesting or important that may have flown under your radar.…

Federal employees may be one step closer to being able to access transgender care through their federal health insurance coverage. The Office of Personnel Management is currently evaluating the exclusion of transgender care in the federal employee health benefit program, according to the agency. But the agency said that no decision has been made yet and that when it does come to a decision it will be reflected in the coverage options for future health care plans. While some company and local government health plans cover care for transgender policy-holders, the Federal government does not and specifically excludes transition-related care…

The Navy has proposed new rules that would strengthen the protections of sunken Navy ships by establishing a streamlined permitting process for approved activities at sunken ships and by establishing a $100,000 fine for violations, according to a notice published Monday in the federal register. “With stricter enforcement provisions acting as a deterrent and a management policy based on the principle of in situ preservation, the proposed rule makes the protection of war-related and other maritime graves, the preservation of historical resources, the proper handling of safety and environmental hazards, and the safeguarding national security interests more effective, efficient, and…

Attention, Thrift Savings Plan participants: You can now check your online account information at tsp.gov more easily via smartphone. Although the site was previously available via phone, the mobile version is designed to work with Android and iOS operating systems to provide an “optimal viewing experience,” the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board said in a news release today. (And there’s no need to download an app.) The board actually launched the mobile version Sept. 30, but held off from an announcement because of the partial government shutdown that began the next day, spokeswoman Kim Weaver said. The word is apparently…

After sailing through the House on a 407-0 vote Saturday, a bill to guarantee back pay to furloughed federal employees now appears to have become a Senate bargaining chip in the stalemate over ending the partial government shutdown. “I think it’s really premature to be dealing with that until we deal with the underlying problem,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said today, according to the website for Roll Call. “”We’ve offered a number of bills to try to alleviate some of the hardship, and . . . they’ve all been swatted down out of hand.” Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Senate…

Agencies began implementing their shutdown plans today and many federal employees have been told they will not report to work until Congress passes a continuing resolution or appropriations bill. For those of you who are still working, how does it impact what you do? Your work? For those of you who were sent home, what does this mean for you? Feel free to comment on the blog post or email amedici@federaltimes.com

It looks like Donald Trump is interested in expanding is collection of used federal buildings. Having recently completed a deal with the General Services Administration for the Old Post Office building in Washington, Trump told the Washington Post that he would be interested in buying the current FBI headquarters as well. GSA has been looking for a new location for the agency, which has outgrown its dated 1970s headquarter in Washington. GSA has requested proposals from developers on how it could trade the old headquarters for a new one in the area. So far prime targets are an old FBI…

Home to many federal agencies and employees, the nation’s capital is feeling the brunt of sequestration, counting thousands of fewer government jobs this year and tens of millions of dollar likely to disappear from the local economy next year. “We’re beginning to see some alarming trends,” D.C. Department of Employment Services Director Lisa Mallory said in a phone interview. “We’ve seen a big decrease in federal jobs.” From January through July, government jobs decreased by 7,000. And city officials, who outlined their concerns in a press briefing last week, say that after cutting the unemployment rate from more than 10-percent…

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